Speakers or Headphones?

[AugustFall]

I almost exclusively use headphones. I am currently living with my dad and step-mom and my music taste is not theirs so I see it as a courtesy to them that I don't blast my stuff.
I also use them for gaming as I feel it's more immersive.

What do you prefer? Headphones or Speakers? And why?

 

[Eren Murtaugh]

Headphones. I listen to a lot of quiet music, and my family is usually watching TV, so I do it in order to hear.

 

[delet]

For playing music, I use speakers unless it gets fairly late into the night.

For movies/anime, I use speakers unless anyone else is home, in which case I switch to headphones.

 

[Blandman]

I've been using solely headphones for about six years now and I much prefer them to speakers. More immersive, and less intrusive for others in the household.

 

[JaymesFogarty]

I can't stand headphones; they disorientate me so much when I take them out. Equilibrium is always lost for at least thirty minutes, which makes navigating that house afterwards a load of fun. I actually recently compared my Sennheisers to my Z-5500. The speakers just made the films, music and games seem more real. Although, I've got nothing against headphones. Besides the fact that mates can't listen in as well.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Good quality dustbin headphones.

Or failing that a nice set of surround speakers, I cannot stand earbuds, horrible things that damage your hearing.

 

[_Janny_]

Cheap headset. It still works and the sound is pretty good, so I can't complain. And I can play any kind of music without anyone objecting.

 

[Frequen-Z]

When I'm on my own? Speakers.

When others are in the house? Headphones.

 

[nicholaxxx]

I'm almost always listening to music, so a pair of skullcandies are the obvious choice for me/

 

[Zirat]

Headphones, of course!

It makes the music experience much better in my opinion and they only come out when I start playing a game.

 

[kebab4you]

Speakers most of the time just because any headset I have ever ever used made my ears hurt after a couple of hours, only time now I use headset is when I use a voice program so my mic won't pick up the sound from my speakers.

 

[reg42]

Speakers. Headphones get in the way

 

[Stoplesteimer]

Headphones, it is more polite that way.

 

[the Dept of Science]

Headphones 90% of the time. I have a set of speakers so that I can play music when I have friends around or, say, when I am getting dressed and headphones are unfeasable.

I also find that you can get better sound quality out of much cheaper headphones. I think my ones cost £20 or so and in side by side comparisons, there is a barely noticable difference between them and £50+ ones. On the other hand, with speakers, I find that you can find a big difference between ones at different ends of the market.

The one thing I will say about headphones though is I can not stand in-ear ones. They sound terrible unless you spend a lot of money, they always fall out and they get broken really easily.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

Headphones by a mile and you get a microphone with it too.

 

[Vie]

Headphones, for everything.

Speakers are a pain in the arse to get set up right if your moving stuff around a lot. I like my sound ballence to be perfect and its easiest to do with headphones.

 

[UltraParanoia]

When I'm on my own? Speakers.

When others are in the house? Headphones.

Depending on who the others are, this.

My Mother can only tolerate so much Death Metal. Although, She was tapping along with Meshuggahs Bleed in the car the other day.

I miss my good stereo. I rattled the whole house with the speakers on that thing.

 

[Tharwen]

If I use headphones, I can't hear what people are shouting at me and I have a legitimate reason not to respond.

 

[Cid Silverwing]

Headphones forever. It does everyone a favor - it trains you in the art of echolocating noises in 3D games, and nearby people won't hear what you're playing or listening to.

 

[Blue_vision]

Speakers almost all the time, I hate having to use headphones.