Anyone listen to their Blu-rays with headphones?

[BRu-LAy]

Just curious. Are there people out there that like to watch their blu-rays with headphones? I was tried and true with my Onkyo 5.1 surround system, but when I started watching my blu-rays with my Grado SR-80s, it became a total different experience.

This is especially with concert blu-rays. To me it seems like you can hear more the the sound's strength and richness.

I still watch with the surround sound, but sometimes I like to experience the sound with the headphones.

Anyway, just wanted to see who else is out there that likes to do this.

[katharsis]

When the wife is sleeping I put in headphones once in a while.
Got the Sennheiser HD 212, nothing too fancy, but I like the sound of them a lot. Some movies actually do sound better imo as well, you know the ones that have very soft audio when there is conversation, but as soon as music or some action kicks in its way off the charts. We only live in an apt building and the guy below us sure doesn't want to hear me play Die Hard kind of movies every 2 days...

[jmlalit5]

A headphone jack for a TV is the one single thing I miss from my terrible,old, little TV. I upgraded to an HDTV that's 11 inches bigger, widescreen and cost many times the price of the old one. I used to use the headphone jack when I had the old TV. This wasn't a big enough upgrade either-there is absolutely no way for me to use surround sound speakers with my HDTV (no HDMI either). That's why I'm upgrading again after only having my HDTV for a little over a year.

[Blu Falcon]

Heh heh... I watch Blu-ray and play Call of Duty 4 with my Grado SR-60 headphones! I'm totally immersed when I have those headphones on, and it really brought my movie viewing and gaming experience to a whole new level (connected to my Yamaha RX-V1800). I can't always crank up the HT due to the fact that I have a two year old and my subwoofer has the tendency of disturbing the neighbors in my apartment building (neighbor says it literally shakes his aparment), so I often resort to my cans. I've heard that both the Grado SR-225 and SR-325i sound significantly better, so I'm saving up to get a set of those as well. But for a set of sub $100 cans, the Grado SR-60 is arguably the best bang for buck solution out there. And I absolutely love the retro look of Grados. The pads that come with the SR-60s can get rather uncomfortable, so I replaced them with a set of Sennheiser pads. The only problem is they're really ugly (bright yellow), but comfy. I just ordered a set of Grado L-Cush pads, so that should mitigate the ugly factor at least. I also purchased the Grado extension cord, which is the best cord you can get for your cans. No noticeable loss whatsover. A good set of headphones is a worthwhile investment.

[brent98]

I probably would, but my reciever doesnt have a front headphone jack, and isnt capable of handling uncompressed audio. However, I love my Grado SR-80s and they go well with all my devices that use headphones, they look and sounds great.

[BRu-LAy]

I heart Grados.

[u_nick]

I need a system with a headphone jac first. I definitely plan to though. I live in a two family, so often have to lower my volume.

[miokti]

I use headphones, but I hook them up to the receiver, not the TV.

[Chaka]

I really wish the PS3 had bluetooth headphone option just for this purpose.

[HDJK]

Originally Posted by miokti

I use headphones, but I hook them up to the receiver, not the TV.

Same here. I use a Swiss product called 'Ergo 2'. I did a lot of auditioning and to my ears the Grados were just too harsh in the higher frequencies. Sennheiser didn't fit my head, but the Ergo was just right

A headphoneamp will be a useful upgrade in the future. But I still wait for HDMI switching in the 'Dangerous Music ST/SR Monitor Controller'. Then I could say goodbye to my trusty Denon. There is a great headphone amp built into this unit as a bonus.

[gilapimp]

Does anyone know if Beats by Dre headphones are good when watching a blu-ray?

[wilky61]

Originally Posted by bestblus

Does anyone know if Beats by Dre headphones are good when watching a blu-ray?

I've been researching audiophile headphones heavily for the last week in preparation for my next purchase, and I have read uniformly that Beats by Dre headphones have some of the worst sound quality and muddiest bass of any headphones currently out there. They are not recommended. They are expensive, and they sound bad.

If your preference is for bass-heavy headphones, I would recommend the Audio Technica ATH-M50s. Personally, I am opting for the more neutral soundstage of the Brainwavz HM5 (similarly priced), but basically I would just encourage you to do your own research and/or to create an account over at the head-fi.org forums and to ask any questions you might have to them (they will be much more knowledgeable than I).


Oh, and to answer the OP's original question, I always watch my Blu-Rays through headphones, and I prefer the atmospheric-ness of the soundstage. The most night-and-day difference I've ever experienced was watching Casino, which features an immersive and multi-layered sound track (there is music playing in the background in nearly every scene).