Headphones vs Speakers (regarding BoC)

[Altruizine]

I wanted to ask if y’all think Inferno is a good album to play on speakers but let’s make that a general purpose thread about all BoC instead.

Ever heard BoC cranked up on some high-end speakers? How was it?

Which albums/tracks sound good on which?

[jamesyboyy]

Love this.

My hifi listening isn't ideal at the moment as we've moved house and the speakers are placed in the corner of the room while we get the place sorted out. Also, an electrician took it upon him self to dump my (at least by my humble standards/budget) nice speakers (q acoustics concept 30s) face down in a pile brick dust and rubble, squashing the tweeters and scuffing up the baffles, so they've been swapped out for repair and replaced with my 3030is. This means a proper Inferno speakers listen will have to wait and might not even happen this year.

My favourite BoC track for cranked-up speaker listening is Orange Romeda for all the insanse panning and frequency shifts. Feeling it travel around the room morph in space is quite a thing.

[Gazebo4]

To me their music just sounds better on headphones generally. That intimacy just goes so well with their general sound. Of course the fullness and soundstage is also amazing on some particular tracks so there speakers would be preferable for me, but those still sound really amazing on headphones where I sometimes miss all the hidden layers and details when listening on speakers, or at least would like to hear them closer to me.

[akirako]

It's up to you isn't it? Good headphones are cheaper than good speakers and good amps though.

[Cupz]

I think with the level of detail, and crispiness of the textures and depth of timbre in the music will really make having a really high-end setup come to full use. I'd almost want say it's studio monitor music with Geogaddi, TCH and Inferno in particular. Can be headphone or speakers (if you have the neighbors chill enough).

[Ottomatik]

I generally prefer listening to BoC on headphones because of all the intricate details you could miss with speakers. However some tracks on Inferno with almost danceable drums and hard-hitting bass really benefit from hifi speakers, like HHLL or Naraka. Bass just doesn't hit the same with headphones.

[Wildfire]

I've been listening on my studio monitors and while the album sounds incredible, it's headphones all the way for Inferno imo. There is just so much attention to background detail and the stereo soundstage. Also to hear it all encompassing is how I believe it was intended to be heard.

[The Other]

My preferred way of listening is headphones. I have listened to this album on both headphones and speakers. I think each offer a different experience. I noticed different things while listening on both setups. Of course it all depends on the source of the music as well. I am sure my play through on the cassette with headphones will be vastly different than my playthrough of the lossless with headphones.

[superuser]

Of course this is a subjective preference, but BOC are basically the epitome of headphone music

[Distant Nebulus]

My Sennheiser headphones are perfect. I like the way they encapsulate my ears.

[Widmerpool]

I favor headphones. Big, bulky headphones with enough isolation and portability. Not as an audiophile (though a rich, balanced sound is important) but because I made my journey with them and I never had enough money to buy quality speakers anyways.

[happy]

HD-650 and Bottlehead Crack

I'm still lobbying for a hi-fi stack in my living room, how did we get here

[SalmonTea]

Headphones have always been my first choice. A good speaker system may sound better, but something about my headphones feel better.

[Gazebo4]

I generally prefer listening to BoC on headphones because of all the intricate details you could miss with speakers. However some tracks on Inferno with almost danceable drums and hard-hitting bass really benefit from hifi speakers, like HHLL or Naraka. Bass just doesn't hit the same with headphones.

Yeah agree, it's always a bit of a trade off then in the end eh?

For example Dayvan Cowboy sounds great on good headphones but here speakers just give that extra wide soundstage and you can really feel that guitar and bass.

For Geogaddi though I don't care for speakers much at all. I could feel the sky on both headphones and speakers

[chromaphase]

I'll prefer to listen to music on a really good set of speakers in a really good room over headphones any day. Sure, with a good pair of headphones it's easier to hear the very fine details of the recording, but I prefer the physicality that comes with the experience of a good pair of speakers in a good room. I also don't love the feeling of wearing something that clamps on my head for an extensive amount of time when listening to music, which I personally feel takes away from the immersion. Of course you can get a great listening experience both ways, but I was fortunate enough to have access to really good systems and experience what that's like and I could never go back. Unfortunately, it's a lot more work and money getting good speakers, placing them correctly and treating a room, so headphones are definitely more accessible.

Especially with an album like Inferno, which I feel is an album that demands to be listened to very loud, as well as other albums that are meant to portray the feeling of being in the presence of an incomprehensible monolith of force and power (think of Swans or Godspeed) you experience it in full when you physically feel the music in your body which can only be done with the aid of an appropriate room and speaker setup. My discovery of BoC coincided with entering the hobby of hi-fi audio and finding my Dad's hi-fi equipment and learning how to set it up, so I do have a personal connection with BoC and speakers.

[Altruizine]

I'll prefer to listen to music on a really good set of speakers in a really good room over headphones any day. Sure, with a good pair of headphones it's easier to hear the very fine details of the recording, but I prefer the physicality that comes with the experience of a good pair of speakers in a good room. I also don't love the feeling of wearing something that clamps on my head for an extensive amount of time when listening to music, which I personally feel takes away from the immersion. Of course you can get a great listening experience both ways, but I was fortunate enough to have access to really good systems and experience what that's like and I could never go back. Unfortunately, it's a lot more work and money getting good speakers, placing them correctly and treating a room, so headphones are definitely more accessible.

Especially with an album like Inferno, which I feel is an album that demands to be listened to very loud, as well as other albums that are meant to portray the feeling of being in the presence of an incomprehensible monolith of force and power (think of Swans or Godspeed) you experience it in full when you physically feel the music in your body which can only be done with the aid of an appropriate room and speaker setup. My discovery of BoC coincided with entering the hobby of hi-fi audio and finding my Dad's hi-fi equipment and learning how to set it up, so I do have a personal connection with BoC and speakers.

Nice post. Speakers also allow one to share the listening experience with others. I know you could also wear headphones together but I doubt it's the same as experiencing the same soundwaves bouncing around in the shared space. I've never had the pleasure of hearing BoC on a high-end speaker system with good acoustics but that's a reasonably easy bucket listing to check off so I'm looking forward to it. I'm really worried about bothering neighbors so I never want to blast music loud with the cheap speakers I have.

[Samplehunter]

For years, I listen to music (and even other stuff) with headphones 95% of the time, so headphones.

About experiencing BOC with speakers, I just remember it as not better than with headphones.

[steeldancer-x]

In my experience it depends on the tune. For example I prefer Sixtyten + Father and Son on headphones for their textures. Then I like 1969 + Sick Times on speakers.

[2020k]

There was a guy who held an unofficial Inferno listening party in Pittsburgh and it was my first time listening to BOC cranked any louder than a normal volume. It was cool to hear the music played at a loud volume, but, like those who have gone to listening parties have said, it's difficult to hear the detail/nuances in the tracks without headphones.

I would have absolutely loved to be at that music festival that premiered Cold Earth, though. I don't know why, but I just feel like that track would absolutely rock to hear on a huge PA system.

[Waterbagel]

I would have absolutely loved to be at that music festival that premiered Cold Earth, though. I don't know why, but I just feel like that track would absolutely rock to hear on a huge PA system.

oh i know why - THAT BASS !!
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