Amongst audiophiles in the world, headphones are experiencing a renaissance and there are so many great things to be said about a good pair of headphones: fantastic immersive stereo image, binaural effects, and undisturbed neighbors are definitely a plus. Add clear and deep and not "boomy" bass and a great binaural recording like the ones made over at HDTracks, and the experience can be sublime.
On the other hand there are many great things to be said about a good pair of loudspeakers. Feeling the music in my body, not just my head is a great part of my emotional experience of music. I like being untethered from cables, not having a muff on my ears, and being able to get up and tend to something else for a minute without losing the groove.
There is a third solution that will combine the best of both worlds which works with with any loudspeaker that has a full range (read wide range) driver, no phase reversing crossover and little or no very early reflections through either the front face of the speaker or from the inside wall through the membrane. Yes we make such speakers, and other’s do too.
We have started to recommend our customers try what we call “headphone set-up”. In this set up the listener sits in between both speakers with ears at the height of the drivers with both speakers facing directly at each othe about 2m appart. To avoid very early reflections, both speakers should be removed from any wall by at least 80cm. With our SoundSommeliers line of speakers the listening hight works well for a listener who is relaxing while lying on a couch, recliner or sofa.
In this configuration, the listener’s head provides a natural separation of the two channels of sound that I have measured to be at around 20dB in the frequency range critical for stereo imaging. This means that the sound reaching the left ear from a speaker placed to point at the right ear is perceived approximately one fourth as loud as the sound reaching the right ear.
While this is not quite headphone channel separation which in theory is 100% it is much higher than what can be accomplished with traditional speaker setups where the speakers point into the room with a varying degree of toe in forming a unilateral triangle with the listener.
The effect even on speakers that already image very well can be actually pretty amazing. For me personally, the effect of sounds moving around me can actually become a little overwhelming and it certainly takes getting used to the intensity of the experience. I will perhaps take a video of people listening to music like this as many instinctively fend off little bits of sound with their hands making faces and turning their head around to figure out what is going on. It is certainly not a way I have ever heard music before and while this a very intense effect, does definitely not create a precise stereo image in the sense that the instruments are now nowhere near where the recording engineer last saw them. Some instruments distinctly play inside my head and body which is the sensation that most people I have demo-ed this to describe as incredible. It certainly is extremely immersive, and something to try for all those passionate about sound and music.
So if you have a well imaging loudspeaker like our SoundSommeliers line of quarter wave point source speakers, by all means try it out. Having the music floating around in the space inside and outside of us while hearing the clear and uncolored bass notes in your body is certainly worth the experience. For some it may well be the only way they'll want to hear music again. If I can get used to the intensity of the experience, I might just become one of these people.
If you have experimented with this set-up, I would love to hear your comments and your account on the experience. Disclaimer: Please make sure your speakers are around 2m appart and be mindful of the volume. Your ears are precious and you only get one pair.
Arved Deecke is founder of the Danish / Mexican Loudspeaker company KVART & BØLGE that makes audiophile quarter wave loudspeakers and sound systems at a price anyone can afford. In his free time he blogs about all things related to sound, music and audio.
