I went through a phase when I thought a good pair of headphones was the next step to HiFi Nevada but having demoed the usual suspects back in the late nineties didn't proceed and haven't given it much thought since but I keep thinking "am I missing out on some good stuff"

I have a supportive wife so I don't need to listening in isolation or in the dark after hours so what is the real appeal to headphones?

Intemacy, 3D sound, head sound, super staging, superb dynamic range, black dark silence to crystal clear highs?

Please tell me.

Thanks,

Brian

The short & glib answer is listen for yourself & find out.

   It’s a good question. For me it’s not a case of better or worse, but different. With headphones you get to hear a sound completely unencumbered by a poor room and it’s reflections, lumpy bass and zingy highs. However, like Ash says, if you’ve got a good room, then you don’t have that problem. I enjoy headphones and speakers for the strengths of each, and I’m lucky to have a good and dedicated listening room. Perhaps a short pros and cons list...

Headphones  - intimacy and detail, terrific microdynamics, even response and tonal balance, deeper bass extension. Cons for me are a smaller soundstage and I can’t share it with friends in real time.

Speakers - massive recorded acoustics on the classical performances I love, the physical impact of music, greater depth and width of soundstage, more tactile and textured and 3D. Cons - I really need to save for a good subwoofer!

I built my headphone and speaker systems to do two very different things, rather than try to balance each system so I get the same “experience”. I started with the assumption that I’d never get them to meet in the middle, so I wouldn’t try. 

Again agreeing with Ash, if you don’t have a good room or perhaps don’t have the space, I’ve found headphones to be excellent value for money. Then again, I like what headphones do well, so I’m not chasing the top end.

Enjoy hearing what headphones can do in 2020 - I think if you go and demo a few you’ll see that they’ve come a long way in 25 years. There’s a huge amount of variety and you don’t need to shop at the top end to find something that (to my ears) easily bests the older classics like the HD600. 

All the best,

Mick.

Mick I think you have hit the nail squarely on the head, and I do remember trying the HD600s which were the "goto choice" in many mags of the time.

I think, as Rich said, give it a go I might be hooked!

Thanks all,

Brian

PS whats your thoughts on decent not silly money headphone please, to get me started?

Check out:

 Audeze LCD-2

Focal Elear

The above mentioned AKG

Sennheiser HD660

All common and well loved. You can read loads of reviews and get an idea of price and sound signature and go from there.

Mick.

The listener matures with time and experience. Sometimes first, you have to experience what doesn't work so well before you fully appreciate what does. You don't always recognise progess when looking forward; it is often when you take a look back and reflect. My expectations are different from yours so I can't really suggest a headphone you will get along with. There is so much nonsense regarding headphone sound online. Sorting through it all is a journey in itself and became very tiresome for me.

Pretty much agree with all this. I think OP has to figure out what they like and what route to go. I prefer speakers and pretty much only use headphones when I have to, which is why I'm loathe to spend top dollar on a headphone rig. I do think even some of the inexpensive headphones you can buy nowadays can sound pretty good with some DSP/EQ. Worst case scenario OP can buy an inexpensive set of headphones to start with and see if they want to go further down the rabbit hole. 

As we are in house arrest at the moment I was thinking maybe I could build the NOVO kit and start from there, anyone got any experience of the kit please?