Are headphones better than speakers?
If audiophiles received a dollar for every time they heard someone ask the question “are headphones better than speakers”, they would be rolling. The answer to the million-dollar question is simple but not black and white. That is because headphones and speakers deliver sound in two distinct ways. While headphones deliver sound directly to the ear with minimal interference, speakers deliver sound to the ear with interference from the room and all the varying surfaces. This is the reason individuals spend incomprehensible amounts of money to create ideal acoustics for a room. To answer the question directly, no, headphones are not better than speakers but before speaker advocates start celebrating speakers are not better than headphones either. For any true audiophile both the speaker and the headphone should have its place in the listening room as they both have strengths and weaknesses, and where one falls short the other shines.
Good high fidelity headphones allow for even the subtlest details of sound to be heard because there is minimal interference, so headphones provide an intimate experience but lack the bone-chilling, life-changing bass that you can only get from speakers. Speakers provide a more realistic representation, more like a live performance, but will not likely provide the clarity that headphones deliver.
Are headphones better than speakers?
Great headphones coupled with good equipment will obviously be more affordable than a similar setup with speakers. So, if our wallet had to choose, headphones may be better. But the only solution to this riddle of which is better is to have a great setup that incorporates both headphones and speakers so you can get the best of both worlds. The ideal listening room would have a set up that would end the debate once for all – here’s a few options of both headphones and speakers that you might want to look at:
Headphones
Audeze LCD2 Planar Magnetic Headphones, B&W P9 Signature Headphones, Focal Spirit Classic Headphones (Currently on Sale) , Grado GS-1000E Statement Series Headphones, Sennheiser HD-700 Circumaural Dynamic Headphones.
Speakers
B&W CM8 S2 Floor Standing Speaker, Focal Aria 948 Floor Standing Speaker, Magnepan 1.7i Planar Speaker, Sonus Faber Venere 3.0 Floor Standing Speaker.