Advantages of headphones over stereo:
1: Headphones are near-field listening
Sound waves need air as a medium to propagate, and the air has a certain damping coefficient and energy consumption coefficient for sound waves, and the higher the frequency of the sound wave, the greater this loss. So in nature, the same energy of sound waves, always low frequency will spread a little farther, high frequency will be quickly attenuated. Relative to the distance of daily listening (general speakers from the ear is 5 meters), although this effect is not obvious, but the same is measurable can easily hear the difference. In the process of airborne propagation, headphones diaphragm relative to the eardrum is very close, high-frequency details are not easy to lose attenuation, while the speaker's high-frequency details are easy to propagate the process of attenuation, loss or even distortion. Only from the fidelity, headphones are easier to play back high-frequency and transient small details, and speakers want to do this is more difficult, the cost is relatively much higher.
2: Headphones are direct sound
Most of the music and songs we listen to are carefully recorded and post-produced by record companies. In the studio and tuning room, the professionals use mostly professional monitor headphones, monitor speakers and professional listening room. Relative to the average user, generally not the ultimate audiophile or top equipment users, ordinary users rarely have a dedicated listening room, after all, to create a room dedicated to listening to music the cost is generally more expensive than the equipment, so most of the users of the listening environment, the reverberation coefficient and the reverb frequency band is very unbalanced. The gap is very large, which also causes the same speaker in different environments subjective listening to a very different. And headphones are directly worn on the head. In addition to the basic personal physical differences. Other environmental impact compared to the speaker to listen to the sound is much smaller. So headphones listen to the direct sound, we basically the same type of headphones can almost come up with a more similar sense of hearing, more convenient to communicate and evaluation, and is not prone to the phenomenon of error, at the same time, because there is no interference with the environment, the purity of the sound of the headset relative to the speaker to be good on a lot of the same cost of the headset's sound quality can be better performance.
3: headphones are mostly full-range diaphragm
This may be a controversial point of view, but does not prevent enthusiasts from understanding it. People know that speakers have gone through many eras since they were invented where the cabinet type was dominant. To the current general purpose crossover speakers, and a few full-range speakers, in the sound quality listening performance has its own advantages and disadvantages (this later another post to talk about). And in the speaker is not easy to achieve the perfect full-range concept, it is easier to realize on the headphones. Full-range speakers have good sound continuity, less phase distortion, and a strong sense of music. But the frequency response and dynamics are easily subject to the same diaphragm limitations and thus compromise to some hard indicators, compared to high-power speakers, headphones due to low-power near-field listening, the diaphragm can be made very thin, so as far as possible to get rid of the theoretical limitations of the same diaphragm to achieve a wider frequency response and to maintain a better transient, dynamics, distortion (as opposed to full-range speakers). This is another advantage of headphones over speakers, it is easier to hear more transparent, more complete and more rich in overtones on the headphones. This gives the user a higher level of musical enjoyment.
4: headphones are small and convenient to carry around
This goes without saying that, relative to the huge and bulky speakers, headphones can be taken everywhere, and have seen the burners run around with the speakers, but the physical effort can be the headphones of NN times = =! Similarly, for the hand to hand, mailing audition. Headphones are small, heavyweight these advantages are very prominent.
The disadvantages of headphones relative to stereo:
1: soundstage
Yes, the soundstage, because since the stereo, almost the vast majority of the music soundstage settings, are referenced to the speakers. There will not be many record companies specifically for headphones out of how much "headphones dedicated music" (of course, a few music and some test audio is there), as opposed to most of the speakers suitable for the recordings, these recordings in the headphones playback, it is easy to cause the head-in-the-middle effect, that is, it feels that the music is in the middle of the head ringing singing, not the kind of speaker system! There is no sense of space or presence. In the face of this situation, expecting record companies to compromise with headphones is one aspect of the headphone manufacturers to try to make some headphones in the soundstage close to the speakers is also their tireless efforts.
However, by the very nature of the hi-fi concept, headphones should be more faithful to the original sound and to the signal, so the head-in-the-middle effect is difficult to remove. Incorrect soundstage is also a natural flaw in headphone systems, which is difficult to improve and remove.
2: hearing damage
Headphones because most of them are closed to try to wear in the ear, of course, this is to minimize the impact of environmental noise on the listening sound, there are also open. This closed listening, in the volume is too large when it is easy to cause instant high-pressure damage to the eardrum and the auditory nerve. Cause irreversible hearing damage (speaker volume is too high will cause the same consequences, but predictability and intensity relative to headphones to be much better). So try not to use too much volume when using headphones, small and medium volume listening, allows us to meet the music appreciation at the same time, try not to damage the hearing. But although it can be reasonably prevented, as one of the hidden injuries that are still prone to occur, it should still be done as a disadvantage labeled.
3: Higher requirements for preamplifier
Since the resolution, frequency response, and transient characteristics of headphones are higher than those of speakers of the same cost. So often need to match the more sophisticated better sound decoding and ear amplifier system. The cost of headphones is smaller than speakers, but the cost of decoding and ear amplification and up. This is not a disadvantage of the disadvantage, but also labeled together as a disadvantage:)
4: exclusive system, can not *** enjoy the music
Listening to headphones that is a person's business, there is no way to enjoy a headset with friends, relatives. And speakers and multiple people listening at the same time different, headphones in the sound quality of communication is difficult to discuss and share with them instantly. It is a "more selfish" playback system.