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Why all the headphone stuff?

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Why is everything centered around the headphone experience? I love to listen via headphones but prefer my monitor speakers most of the time. I would participate more if the community were more diverse. - Derek
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rastus
1391
Sep 10, 2018
My stereo speakers weigh 166.22 pounds, and I can really only let them loose, as I like them run, when no one else is around... my Elex's are 15.9 oz and rock... cans have come a long way, But... yes... the big guns still win, and that game is still & always will be very expensive, to get to the same SQ level as you can w/cans. I played some of my Son's Ratatat with the new amp this weekend, leaving the volume up for fun, the dog ran away, had to move a glass object off the mantle, before it did by itself.
Doing this experiment with my wife in-house, would have added accompanying background vocals... that may have then simply shattered the glass... I then played Vangelis Rachel's Song, all was good,, there were no more speakers... only sound...
Rhamnetin
172
Aug 22, 2018
Headphones are more popular in the community that inhabits Massdrop.
rapoon
42
Aug 21, 2018
The notion that home equipment wouldn't sell is obnoxious; Audiogon wouldn't have existed for 20+ years, nor would companies like Meredian, Krell, Mcintosh, Naim, or Linn if their products didn't sell, and headphone equipment constitutes a tiny facet of the aforementioned companies product line.
Personally, I would love to see home equipment from the more affordable selections: Jolida, NAD, Music Hall, Cambridge Audio, Shanling, Rotel, etc.
Heefty
1387
Aug 21, 2018
Simple economics. Massdrop is a business. They will sell what sells. People buy headphones and related gear substantially more than what you're looking for.
This is not a trend unnoticed in the audio industry. It's why you've seen so many established Hifi companies (Focal for example) jump into the headphone game in a big way in recent years.
615098
11
Aug 22, 2018
HeeftyAgreed. But there are a ton of headphone-enthusiast communities and retailers out there. If there's going to be an Audiophile section we're not living up to the definition of the word. If there were a "HiFi Headphone" section I might stop by now and again, but I would actively watch an "Audiophile section" that contained a headphone or headphone amp now and again.
615098
11
Aug 21, 2018
Headphones are more versatile, less expensive, and sometimes better sounding than more expensive speakers. I own several high-end headphones and find them enjoyable. But with a buying category titled "Audiophile" and packed with small DAC/amps and great headphones, I find myself occasionally disappointed with the lack of full-size, non headphone-centered equipment. Let's try and update the recipe a bit and balance the category. Let's live up to the name.
Motorrad
2898
Jul 26, 2020
615098So...you know what is presented in the "Audiophile" section, yet you keep coming back expecting something else? What is it called when you do one thing over and over again and expect different results?
phoenixsong
1055
Aug 21, 2018
Space constraints. Disgruntled family members/neighbours :)
ieatmeat
3
Aug 18, 2018
I think part of the headphone craze is that headphones are a little more controlled than speakers are. In other words, when we listen to speakers we are really listening to the speakers AND the room they are in. Another thing is that Beats by Dre made people care about how they listen to music, and now we have $700 Beyerdynamic wireless headphones. Also, no one wants to take a B&W 800 series tower speaker with them on the bus (as an example). Portable music is better with headphones.
tl;dr -- headphones are more versatile than speakers
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