Are there headphones that image in front of you rather than in your head?

tbg

Getting a soundstage using headphones that makes the listener forget the sound is between the ears is a challenge, but it can be done.

The most practical starting point is using Sennheiser 800 headphones. They have the biggest soundstage, are lightweight, and comfortable.  Also easy to drive. Buy a used pair. If it looks like the experiment might work for you, upgrade the headphone cable (it will decrease glare and grain).

Listen to headphones lying down with the room lights dim. In this position have your eyes closed and listen to the music. It is then much easier to tell your brain that the drums are now 15 feet in front of you, instead of being inside or behind your brain. Removing conflicting visual triggers will do a lot to retrain the brain. It does take time . It is worth it.

Everything that affects a big speaker system affects headphone listening but even more so. So for a great headphone experience think cables, interconnects, footers, fuses, wall outlets, equipment racks. But think in terms of improving darkness, decreasing grain, and reducing the HF hash that moves instruments closer to the listener. Fast detailed components might not be the best path.

The highlight of many days for me is the just before sleep headphone listening session.

David Pritchard

Tbg:

I hope you will give updates on your headphone journey.

Last night my headphone listening session was most satisfying. 

I feel as if I am in the performance room, church, or concert hall.

Binaural recordings (the one's I have) do not offer a special listening experience when compared to other well recorded music.

David Pritchard

tbg:

At RMAF the headphone area is quite noisy so except for evaluating physical comfort of the headphone on the head it is rather limited in doing serious evaluations. Look for the few rooms on the upper floors that will have headphones. Evaluate early in the day before the crowds arrive.

The listener - headphone interaction is really the world's smallest listening room. The Smyth Realizer people have shown there is up to a 30 % frequency response variation due to changes in the external ear anatomy. So to maximize their system's function to produce 3D listening, your individual ear's are evaluated with microphones inserted into the ears. Much like testing the acoustic response of a room.

Electronic noise at the wall outlet, RF noise, EMF noise generated by components and all cables have a greater effect on the headphone soundstage than on room speakers.

You can achieve a wonderful headphone experience with the Sennheiser 800 ( some demo units at Music Direct for under a $1000.00).  I also have be able to get an outstanding listening experience using the Enigmacoustic Dharma  hybrid headphones - about $1300.00. This has a conventional driver with a self biasing electrostatic element. They too are comfortable.

But my system has had the whole works applied and evaluated - just as you would do with a cutting edge full room system. That means starting with the wall outlets and evaluating each link in the chain until the music gets to my brain processing centers. Noise, hash, grain really kill the soundstage of headphones.

David Pritchard