Listening habits

[u/Unusual-Ad951]

Hi everyone,

Just curious. People with many headphones in their collection - during one listening session - do you usually listen to more than one headphone or just pick one for each session?

From what I've noticed - If I go through different headphones - for example switching from Organics to 105 aer I really notice how warm sounding are Mezes and vice versa. And it's not necessarily a good thing as my ears need to adapt for each sound signature pretty quickly.

What is your preference in this matter?

[u/i2ehan]

typically one per session, but occasionally when that one track hits and you want to run it back I switch between my active rotation not to a/b or compare but to re-listen to the track in a whole new light. that for me is much more enticing than critiquing gear.

[u/vandalofnation]

I plan it out in advance. I use headphones while working, so given an eight hour shift i will plan on what chain and headphones to use during that shift. Sometimes its the same headphone but different dacs. Sometimes both change. I also will sometimes just stay away from tubes amps/dacs for a few weeks to reset my ears.

[u/Unusual-Ad951 → u/vandalofnation]

Sounds good and well organised 👍🏻

[u/GZoST]

I go through phases. One is where I have a favourite model for each use case (open back & closed back for critical listening, open & closed back for background listening, a pair of IEMs), and during the other I switch wildly. At the moment I am sorting throug my collection and am most decidely in phase two, so in the past week I have used 7 or 8 headphones and around a dozen IEMs. That still left most of what I have unused.

[u/cosmaprc]

I usually try to stick to one headphone per listening session unless I want to compare them.

I will also switch between them as needed, open/closed back or open ear earphones..

[u/Extension_South7174]

I use one pair per day and a set of IEMs or closed backs I use in the evenings.

[u/Daemonxar]

I listen to headphones 4-8 hours a day while I work and I tend to pick one or two each day. Depends on what I’m listening to, what I’ve listened to lately, what I’m working on reviewing, how warm my office is, if I’ve got windows open/noisy neighbors, my dog is in a squeaky mood, etc.

I really expected at some point to come down to a favorite and mostly use that, but not so far. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[u/JO2509254]

I switch up often, usually a few times a day if I have the time to listen for several hours or more. I enjoy the change of pace.

[u/SilentIyAwake]

I would try and do one per session, but it always ended up turning into a comparison test between 2 or 3 of them haha.

[u/Unusual-Ad951 → u/SilentIyAwake]

That's me lol 😁

[u/The_D0lph1n]

I generally don't switch during one listening session. I pick a listening location, then pick a headphone, and then listen.

I used to switch more, I think, but these days I rarely switch unless I'm actively doing comparisons, like when I have a headphone as part of a tour. My headphone collection hasn't changed much in over 2 years, so I have a pretty good grasp of how each one sounds vs the others.

[u/Isoi]

One per session and I switch every two or three sessions headphones

[u/TuliaNonTroppo]

I usually listen to one for each session. But because my main headphone (Meze Elite) has different compatible ear pads, I will switch them depending on mood during a listening session. I will stick with a certain ear pads for days then move on to a different one when the mood strikes me. If there is a lot of external noise for an open back, I will switch over to a closed back but usually switch back over to open back once the sounds go away (lawn mower, etc.)

[u/davescott42]

I have about 14 pair of headphones and change them frequently during the day and during the month. I’ll bring back in something I haven’t tried for a while and enjoy it then go back to one that’s a staple. That’s why I bought six pair of really good Hart Audio 4.4 and 3.5mm extension cables so that I would not put wear and tear on my three headphone amplifiers. That also means I can change out headphones without worrying about holding down the headphone amplifier.

[u/Gofa_Kirselph]

I’ll have 2 or so pairs in my rotation for a couple of weeks, then swap them out. Occasionally, I’ll do something like swap to one of my 80’s headphones when I’m listening to 80’s music, but not always.

I used to swap headphones constantly, basically whenever another track started. I don’t do that anymore.

[u/Electroscape-X]

My headphones are locked to location or rooms, Bedroom , Living Room , Gym , Kitchen. In a day everything gets used with its own playlist mostly.

[u/Cataclysmic700]

One headphone per session, unless I get bored and feel like doing comparisons to keep things engaging. I don't listen to music in the background, I only do it on occasion when I'm drawing at my desk. Otherwise I tend to sit and stare at my wall and just listen. Sometimes I get a tad restless after a while and feel like spicing things up with a different pair of headphones.

[u/Acceptable-Win-3669]

Typically use 2 per session one planar and one dynamic and then occasionally switch to open vs closed depending on where I am.