Can headphones ever be as good as high end stereo?


I am absolutely satisfied with the sounds of my current setup but I feel like I'm unable to listen at the volumes I prefer on a regular basis due to the ole spouse. I've been considering switching over to headphones. By selling my current speakers and amps I could easily finance stax 009 phones and a suitable amp, which seem to be regarded as the pinnacle of headphones.

My question is, what would I be losing or gaining in the switch? Right now my setup emits a beautiful wall of sound and I would hate to give that up. Understand that I have never owned a pair of headphones worth more than 80 bucks so I have no idea what good ones sounds like. Almost all source material would come from a pyon ultima table. Thanks
bfin3
Talk to your spouse about your listening habits. Try to reach an compromise about when you can listen and how loud (an SPL meter would help).

I don't know what you system is, but based upon your description of its sound I don't think headphones will make you happy. If you want to give headphones a try, you can get an excellent sounding setup for well under $1k.
I've had good experience with stax! The biggest difference is imaging inside of your head as opposed to in front of you...the clarity is really out of this world with stax!