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Unable to afford a great conventional system, HeadRoom Cosmic & Senn. 600's make me feel satisfied until I save for more.
Some folks like headphones for the privacy, others for the sound. How often do you go for "cans" instead of speakers?
I usually listen to headphones while I am either commuting to work and/or school or when I am traveling (during that time, I use a walkman about 40% of the time and a discman about 60% of the time). Other times, I usually be home when I am listening to music, during which time, I'll turn my stereo instead.
Yes, I'm one of the law-breakers who listens to headphones in the car. It's the only way I can get reasonably satisfying sound. Plus, having a portable CD player means you can take your "system" with you when you leave the car, leaving would-be car stereo thieves empty handed!
As an airline pilot I'm on the road often. Instead of watching the boob tube in the hotel on layovers I listen to music and read. I presently carry a CD player and a pair of Grado headphones in my flight bag. I'd like to upgrade to a pair of Sennheisers and a small headphone amp but won't do that until I find a small and nearly indestructible case to carry them in. Anyone know of any?
Of your choices, you should have had an option for "equal time". I listen to my Sennheiser 580's about half the time as I do with my speakers. And the majority of that time is at night so I won't disturb others. For me, headphone listening can be just as enjoyable. Often, I hear things on a track that I might miss when listening to my speakers. I love it. No, headphones will never replace my speakers, but they will always complement any system that I have. Now, if only Krell or C-J made headphone amps...
Except when not disturbing others becomes a factor, I rarely go for "cans". They make my ears sweat, I can't lay comfortably on a couch without rolling over them, etc. Falling asleep to the soothing sounds of music is difficult with headphones on, as they severely limit sleeping orientations. I don't care how good they sound, they can be darn uncomfortable when worn for extended periods of time. Especially the "Hi-end" pairs. Apparently, some designers are striving for that football helmet feel.
As my life comes closer to becoming over-scheduled, I find that that the "hi-fi" system I use the most is my office computer! It consists of a PC workstation with a SoundBlaster 16 and Infra 1800 CD-ROM, Monster Cable Interlink 400 =), an Audio Alchemy HPA v1.0 headphone amplifier and Sennheiser HD560 Ovation II headphones, which does a decent job reproducing real-audio and soft synth content. As the office becomes nosier, I'd really like to pick up some Etoymotic ER4S's to help drown out the co-workers. At home, I find my Stax Gamma's, as good as they sound, go largely unused in favour of speakers as my hi-fi now serves as a practice rig. Anyone else now using a air-bearing VPI/ET2/ClavisDC rig to play scratched Jamey Abersold albums or something similar? =) At 25, I'm looking forward to retirement so I can get back into hi-fi.