Don’t real audiophiles own their own media?

[Spock]

... headphones are for an intimate, musical experience....

I never said that listening to headphones was bad.
I use them often. Usually late at night, when I'm writing here on the forum.
But as you said, the headphones give an intimate experience and yet an audiophile who pursues scale and the presence of the musicians in the room, does not achieve this with headphones.

 

[Randy Myers]

When listening to headphones it is a different experience. There is separation but not really a soundstage. I always crack up when reading a headphone forum and they are talking about soundstage. However a great pair of headphones can be an intense experience. I can feel the dynamics, deep base, all the small details that are many times missed with speakers. I enjoy both speakers and headphones for different reasons.

 

[TheOctopus]

A great quality set of headphones can and does exceed fidelity compared to high end rig setup in a room that is acoustically lacking. That is a fact. There is a reason most sound engineers will use them at one point of mastering or another. It is about hearing the finer detail.

Presentation is different, yes. However, after 30 years of listening, the soundstage is indeed in my head just like it would be in a 2 channel rig as long as the recording is not panned so hard left or right that it becomes distracting. The brain learns to compensate. I've never liked the cross-feed circuitry. Certainly the headphones are able to achieve a more linear response and a deeper and tighter bass that many speaker/room combinations are capable of. Still, feeling the bass with your body is different than just the eardrum. However, my listening room is 30x30, it would take quite an effort to match the ZMF Auteur bass with the same level of resolution, articulation and overall coherence between sub-bass, bass and midrange. Just not going to happen without a very large set of woofers and or multiple subs. In headphones, I am not lacking anything.

Here is a good article on how and why the headphones are used by the Expert Mastering Engineers to create the music we listen to on our end. Expert Mastering Engineers Sound Off on Using Headphones for Audio Mastering

 

[steve59]

I’m spoiled by streaming and the quality of digital has come such a long way since the intro of cd. I did give all my lp’s away to my brother in law years ago and have no interest in going back.