WHY ?

[pre65]

Hi, as someone who purchased a pair of headphones in his teens, and has used them no more than a handfull of times since (40 years) what is the reason for headphones ?

Is it so that one can listen to music while SWMBO watches her favourite soap ?

What do they do that a first class conventional living room system can't ?

This is not meant to be confrontational, just want to know what something like the "system" Clive is offering for £300 could do for me.

Here are my phones. Koss K - 6

[Dave the bass]

I'll bite

OK, I have a little Dot OTL Headphone amp and a pair of Sennhieser HD650's. Mostly I use them when I'm in the 'mood' for a headphone session in the evenings or when I really want to listen deep into summat without interruption or external interference.

Also, JTS hates 'Classical' ( "It makes me jump!....I don't like it when they go all quite (sic) and then all loud again..." ) along with most of the Steely Dan back catalogue ("...s'just bland smoothe jazz innit..? I don't care if the words are clever and entertaining...") and anything by the Presidents of the USA (..."its just too silly really..."). Pffftttt, Says the girl that loves PG era-Genesis and Todd Rundgrens 'A wizard a true star'. I dunno why I put up with her

Quite often if I want to listen to any of them I 'pon de cans for the sake of sonic bliss and harmony.

DTB

[pre65]

Thanks for the reply Dave.

I tried the K-6 using the variable headphone output from my Yamaha CDX-810 (another old relic) using a favourite CD.

I'm not sure the "in head" sound is for me, at this moment in time. It would be so nice to have someone to "not annoy" with my music but that's life.

[JackOfAll]

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[pre65]

Hi Clive.

I'm not in a raging hurry, but neither do I want to impose any more on your goodwill.

I'm happy to wait if it's not an inconvenience.

[davebms]

[quote="pre65"]Hi, as someone who purchased a pair of headphones in his teens, and has used them no more than a handfull of times since (40 years) what is the reason for headphones ?

Is it so that one can listen to music while SWMBO watches her favourite soap ?

What do they do that a first class conventional living room system can't ?

This is not meant to be confrontational, just want to know what something like the "system" Clive is offering for £300 could do for me.

Here are my phones. Koss K - 6

quote]

hello all , i tend to agree with DTB ,i use min mainly late at night (WAD HD83) SENNEISER HD590 some music has to be loud !! the sound stage is different but good (helicopters flying through your head can be a bit odd) but i do not have speakers up here in my den. so headphones it is

dave

[JackOfAll]

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[Cressy Snr]

I had headphones once but.......

I have found that headphone use tends to irritate the womenfolk.
They become scared they are missing something and will go out of their way to
try and talk to you as soon as you don the cans and settle back.
Then when you don't answer you get accused of being rude

I gave up headphones years ago.

[Greg]

But I choose, (and it is a choice), to listen via headphones most of the time. To be brutally honest, unless I want to share, ie. the wife has said that she also wants to listen to the same music I do, I'm more than likely to put the headphones on. I notice so much more and get more lost in what I'm listening to than I ever did with a speaker setup. Me, I don't see phones as being a 2nd class citizen compared to a speaker rig. Times have changed.

That's a very interesting statement. Do you still use your Bastini speakers?

[colin.hepburn]

Yep my headphone habit started many years ago when my parents would shout up the stairs turns that F-----g thing down
I had all sorts of headphones over years just plugged into whatever solid state amp I had at the time so now that famous shout of Turn that F-----g thing down you have all heard or used at some point was my introduction to headphone bliss as I couldn’t hear my parents shout anymore the shout that lead me to the system I have at the moment which is a well modes EAR +HD and Senns HD650s http://hollowstate.netfirms.com/HD.htm

[JackOfAll]

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[Greg]

OK, That's even further interesting and suggests as ever that the audio 'Holy Grail' remains, as ever, illusive. You are always operating in a field that is currently the best for you. As time and development marches on, your preferences and taste will surely change and you are advocating where you currently are. That is an observation and not a critcism. I respect your views and you know we share the same take on sounds, which enforces my interest in your current approach.

I'm going to be really cheeky now, recognising your previous comments on another thread about lazy people not taking the time to learn the subject and wanting solutions on a plate.

Accepting your recommendations for the Beyer Telsa T1 and Sennheiser HD800, and of course, all you've said elsewhere, what would be (IYHO)the best or possibly next to best amplifier to build to feed these headphones?

I rather like the idea of a kit which I can tweak, but I can also work (as you know) from a paper design and scratch build. I need to rely on good foundations by trustworthy designers of products that are established and reliable. Sorry, circuit wise, I need to 'paint by numbers'. Thereafter I can component tweak to my hearts content.

I'm sure you understand

[JackOfAll]

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[JackOfAll]

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[colin.hepburn]

Looks like Mapletree is only doing the Ear+ HD High Definition Stereo Headphone Amplifier
Now which is the model I have and posted above