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

One further thought. While headphones don't make you feel that you are in the room during a performance, they do make you feel like you are sitting in the sound engineer's seat during the mix down. And really, how bad is that?

Try binaural recordings for headphones, made with two microphones positioned in space as your ears would be... there are some examples on youtube.  I think i have seen a few labels that offer such recordings.

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

Guys, I greatly appreciate your thoughts and taking time to state them.
Much will depend on whether we sell our little New Mexico house where at best I have a 10 x 13 x 8 bedroom. I really cannot afford the same equipment in both of my rooms or have enough room to get all my cabling, racks, components, etc. from one listening room to another 765 miles away.
Much depends on how long I am in New Mexico. This time we were in NM for 6 weeks and I had no sound, but there were two political party conventions and the Olympics.