Are separates on borrowed time?

Nothing to be ashamed of moon.  The Diamond 9.1s are excellent speakers and I've heard much more expensive speakers that don't sound as good.  

I'll refrain from using "yawn", as it's already been used today.

(regarding the ATC comment, just for clarity, as there's been a few posts since)

no sir - the concept of hi fidelity is that it should sound as close to the original as it can and this would include scale and size (it has to because thats why high end hi-fi exists). The absolute best hi-fi system i have heard actually sounded so holographic that you FELT as if you could stand up and walk amongst the performers and possibly shake hands with all of them and it was a combination of equipment and room size as well as room treatment in the dedicated room that made all the difference

Headphones does not get you to anywhere close to this effect and granted if you listen to wharfedale 9.1's then possibly you have never experienced what im talking about but saying that headphones beats any system you have heard is a gross exaggeration. The owner of that system that i listened to also owns a pair of sennheiser HD800's which are respectable headphones i would assume as well as having those connected to a headphone amplifier and we played back the same recordings with the same source as we used for listening to the speakers and separates combination and the effect was nowhere as near convincing or even close to having the same amount of fidelity

so im sure it all depends on your experience of hi-fi equipment and im happy for you if your headphones sound good on the train but to say it beats all hi-fi's out there is ridiculous and IMHO that is the actual trolling because im not the one who is trolling

i have also noticed a trend that whenever the same poster encounters anyone with an opinion different to his then those posters are accused of trolling ... why do i sense a pattern from him AND one more thing even though i dont post much it doesnt mean im a newbie on the forum (hint look at my join date) and it also does not mean that im a newbie to hi-fidelity equipment 

Er, why not?  I mean you've just made a big deal about high fidelity so why shouldn't I?  Greater storage space on digital music players permits higher quality files to be held (WAV, etc), so what's your problem?  Meh.

Yeah, and if I'd had to wait to make sure some halfwit behind the wheel jumped the lights, ran on amber, crossed over on red when it's MY right of way on the road, I'd be ******* loaded as well.  Cuts both ways.  

the record spot wrote:

Same with my iPod Touch and Sennheiser CX300-IIs, which I've just bought another pair of.  Fantastic sound quality.

I used to have some Sennheiser CX300-IIs IEM's too. They do have fantastic sound quality for the price.

Have you ever tried any dual or triple driver balanced armature IEM's? They're even better sounding than dynamic driver IEM's.

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I like Diamond 9.1s.  Sometimes I swap them for my PMCs just for fun.

Okay, present the argument to a normal non-audiophile person. Give them a set of reference headphones and system at a similar price. Someone who isnt aware soundstage should even exist probably doesn't care at all, they just want nice sounding music. In some ways I think listening to really high end stuff can ruin your actual music experience ie. 5 years ago I was perfectlt happy listening to ipod headphones (how foolish I was). Now borrowing a friends headphones on the bus I'm appauled by them. This gave me the reputation as "sound snob" at work. Despite my system being pretty modest by this forums standards. 

What I'm trying to get at is, all this soundstage rubbish (which I agree exists) only comes into play when you factor it as a requirement for good sound. For me at least, I'd take better sound over a vague idea of where it's apparently coming from any day. 

I think, first of all, if you want to quote me, then quote me accurately.  Never accused you of trolling, so try to get your posting facts as well as your other ones straight too eh?

Your posting your opinion, I'm not trying to change your mind, though I believe you are wrong.

I've heard a good range of stereo gear over the last 30 years or so and the only system that ever gave me the sense of a live setting was the live setting.  Everything else has been a facsimile; that goes for humble systems and high end alike and we're talking systems up to £50k -worth (dcs Scarlatti system, Wilson speakers and whatever amp it was).  

No, you don't get the bass thump or the physicality of live performance, but you do get, with a good headphone setup, accuracy and realistic presentation.  My take?  Yes, excellent reproduction is more than possible, that you don't get that isn't a shortcoming of the hardware, just your willing ness to see beyond a shortsighted standpoint.

the record spot wrote:

No, you don't get the bass thump or the physicality of live performance, but you do get, with a good headphone setup, accuracy and realistic presentation.

+1

steve_1979 wrote:

the record spot wrote:

Same with my iPod Touch and Sennheiser CX300-IIs, which I've just bought another pair of.  Fantastic sound quality.

I used to have some Sennheiser CX300-IIs IEM's too. They do have fantastic sound quality for the price.

Have you ever tried any dual or triple driver balanced armature IEM's? They're even better sounding than dynamic driver IEM's.

Not yet Steve, the CX300s do the job nicely and for the right money.  Amazingly good for the price.  Planning to run mine in overnight, should be ready to go by morning.

Headphones can sound great, but even when i had no hifi for a while recently, i never used them at home, only walking and in the gym, not sure why but it just didn't feel right using them at home. 

look what you started .... Max.........

still rocking out?

Loving the ADMs though, i got a great price on them as they were Ash's demo pair. A pair of Soundstyle Z1s are due in the morning to replace the two stacks of bricks they're currently sitting on