TheFrator t1_j27gpr0 wrote on December 30, 2022 at 4:47 AM

Reply to comment by blargh4 in Bought Hifiman Edition XS and not really impressed by GhoZsK

> Ultimately every single headphone discussed here is just a headphone. It doesn’t sound like good speakers in a room, it doesn’t sound like you’re in a concert hall, it’s a pair of little drivers strapped to your head

Obviously since we’re in r/Headphones , I’m a little biased towards personal audio. Headphones will never be able to render a soundstage or the chest feel of speakers in a room. But I’ll argue that for pure audio quality (at least what that means to me) and when equally priced, headphones trump speakers. I’m speaking from my experience with LCD-5s and my pair of Philharmonic BMR Towers speakers.

And good luck trying to make a stereo sound like a concert hall. That’s an exercise in futility and will burn a massive hole in your pocket. You’re better off accepting that a pair of speakers is just a pair of speakers. It’s in a room that is a fraction of the size of an actual concert hall and has 2 point sources of sound (assuming 2.0 setup) instead of dozens points of sound that a symphony has.

blargh4 t1_j27l683 wrote on December 30, 2022 at 5:28 AM

Well, I certainly wouldn’t have an expensive headphone rig if I didn’t like headphones, but ultimately different folks have differenent degrees of giving-a-shit about headphone sound quality. At some point the average person is just going to reach a point where they’re not going to be 2x more impressed for 2x the money invested money invested. Maybe for OP the AT50X is that point, or he needs to listen longer and attune his ears to the XS. Maybe he doesn’t like Hifiman. I would try a new headphone before a new amp, anyway.

TheFrator t1_j295g5w wrote on December 30, 2022 at 3:33 PM

100% and I agree with you on new headphones before rolling source equipment. Some people care about audio to an OCD level and others couldn't be bothered.

I was discussing how headphone and speaker presentation are very different with pros and cons of each. The difference between them is much more than over-ears and IEMs. But the good thing is the choice is not binary!