Headphones for dedicated home theater?

[tentaguasu]

I'm finishing out a dedicated home theater. At some point, I'd love to have amazing speakers. Sound matters to me.

However, at this point my budget is constraining me. I have one of three choices:

1. Use lower end speakers (sub $1000 for the whole set up including sub).

2. Do nothing and just wait until I can afford speakers.

3. Buy a couple of pairs of headphones for my wife and I and instal some tactile transducers to increase the "sense" of bass.

It seems strange to have a dedicated home theater room and no speakers, but it seemed like a reasonable way to start taking advantage of the theater until I can afford a truly great speaker system.

Has anyone done something similar? Suggestions? Worth doing or a waste of money?

 

[markw]

Interesting concept.

I've been known to use my headphones for late night viewing and, aside from the lack of surround, it doesn't suck.

Adding some tactile transducers is an interesting concept but I don't know if they are silent. If you're after silence, i can't help you.

But...

Headphones are always nice to have even when you graduate to speakers and, likewise, the transducers will still be doable even with speakers.

I'd say go for it. Both can be looked on as investments for the future and the future purchase of speakers will not obviate them.

 

[sholling]

This is a bit over budget but for $1,100-1,200 you can get a pretty nice SVS SBS-2/PB12-NSD 5.1 package deal. I haven't heard the speakers but they have a good reputation and their subs rock. Later if you want something better you can always move the speakers to the master bedroom (along with a smaller sub) and you won't be out anything. Not knowing the size of your room I can't really make a call on if that's enough sub or not but it's a nice system to build on.

Or you could build a nice 2.1 system and add to it later. The Audioholics store has a sale going on Infinity Primus P362 towers ($199ea shipped). Hsu Reseach and SVSound would be happy to help you size a subwoofer to your listening space. Later you can add the matched PC350 ($199 shipped) center and P152 or 162 bookshelves as surrounds. I've heard the P362s and they are pretty good for the money.

A third option is one that I recently considered for my master bedroom system. You could to build a system around a pair of Axiom M22 bookshelves ($470pr) and a subwoofer. They're an internet direct company so I never got to hear a pair but I came close to pulling the trigger just based on reputation. I went another route due to placement issues in my room but they might be a good choice. Again with this option you can always go back later and add the matched center and then the matched surrounds as you have more money. And once again these can always be recycled into the master bedroom when/if you outgrow them.

 

[Seth=L]

I'd say piecemeal your system together. Here are the two ways I might start.

1. Buy full range towers with your current budget. Make extension a factor, but not the only one. Anything with 40Hz or below should be relatively satisfying for the time being. You may try searching for something gently used from a place like audiogon. A great example of speakers you could get within you budget that have great performance and very low frequency handling (down below 30Hz) I would look at the Vandersteen 2Ce Signatures.

2. Buy a pair of bookshelf speakers in the range of $400 and dedicate the rest of the budget to a subwoofer. When budget allows get full range fronts and move the bookshelf speakers to the rear. Add the center as budget allows and/or possibly get a second sub to match the first one.

I think the headphones will get old fast for watching movies. One reason would be comfort, another would be where the sound comes from. All the sound will be in your head taking away from the theatrical experience.

I have no experience with tactile transducers.

PS: I have a great pair of Bowers & Wilkins DM602 S3 Bookshelf speakers with very respectable low end performance (40Hz is useful extension). Mine are in 9/10 condition which is virtually perfect short of being fresh out of the box.

 

[MinusTheBear]

Something like the Beyerdynamic DT880 (32ohm version) headphones would work well for HT and would be very comfortable and easy to power as well.

http://www.headphone.com/headphones/beyerdynamic-dt-880---32-ohm.php

 

[tentaguasu]

Thanks so much everyone, these are all great suggestions!

FYI, my room size is about 15 x 18 ft.

 

[sholling]

Thanks so much everyone, these are all great suggestions!

FYI, my room size is about 15 x 18 ft.

Assuming that it doesn't open into other large spaces and a 9' ceiling height that's only about 2500cuft and should be no problem for a PB12-NSD. SVSound can give you a better idea than I can.

 

[shadyJ]

If it were me, I would go with a receiver and a couple of tower speakers for now. Infinity Primus would be my first choice for budget tower speakers. I think the BIC Acoustech pl-89's would make for a rockin system too. EMP makes a affordable and nice looking tower speaker also.

You could also get some bookshelf speakers with not too bad bass extension too. The Aperion Intimus B6 looks like it has pretty good bass, and it is on sale now for 500 a pair; regular price is 700 a pair. It also has free shipping. A couple other bookshelf speakers with fairly good bass are the Hsu research HB-1 and the Behringer 2031p. These bookshelfs all pretty much reach down to 50 hertz. The Behringer's are 4 ohm though, so make sure your receiver can handle that if you decide to buy them.

You can also buy the Behringer 2030p's or Infinity Primus p162's or p152's, both of which are very good and inexpensive, and you would have enough left for a not so bad subwoofer, depending on how much you spend on the receiver.

 

[shadyJ]

Also, the Ascend CMT340's are on sale for less than 500 a pair, those look like they have excellent extension down to 48 hertz.

Headphones are not actually a bad way of watching a movie, but not with other people around, in my opinion. Some nice, comfortable, high quality headphones can make movie watching real easy. Having other people present however, would make it awkward.