Cannot find perfect sound


I've been listening to supposedly some of the finest speakers that currently exist. These include b&w 800 Series, revel high end, vivid audio, Psi audio and kef blades.

None except the kef blades satisfied my high level standards.

When I play my reference tracks on cheap earbuds I hear timing accuracy that is missing on all the above speakers. Only the kef blades came closest to what I hear from cheap earbuds. 

Explanations please?

I really suspect that none of these high end speakers are accurately reproducing the sound on my CDs despite all the marketing claims about accuracy and high quality sound.

What could there possibly be that my cheap earbuds can do that eludes these super high end speakers?  

I'm not so eager anymore to spend any money until I have a good explanation.

kenjit
Green mountain audio are not worth being mentioned in this discussion. The green mountain audio speakers were the most recent speakers I bought and they were nowhere near the level of speakers like the kefs.

The green mountains sound cold, there's no bass and I hear midrange resonances. I'm surprised some people can't hear these things.




You likely have a hearing problem. There is no way cheap ear buds sound good. I have Shure IEM that cost $1500 and they sound fantastic for IEM but they can’t begin to compete with speakers because the sound is all in my head and it just sounds artificial because it is artificial as there are no reflections from the environment around me.

Possibly something relating to the pinea which is bypassed by an ear bud.

Possibly a restricted swollen or infected outer ear canal - the ear bud may open the passage slightly.

Possibly hearing loss in certain frequency ranges that favour a cheap ear bud with it’s highly uneven frequency response vs an audiophile grade speaker.

Your brain may have difficulty sorting out reflections from the primary sound - this is a very common hearing disorder with older people who have trouble hearing in noisy restaurants - usually one ear or both ears are not functioning correctly and focusing on the sound from a person close to you at the table becomes a concentration challenge and can be fatiguing. The background sound seems to overwhelm you. The brain/ear uses a complex system involving both ears to deal with and effectively filter ambient reflected energy which can typically be 40% of the sound that reaches the ear in any enclosed space like a room. Strangely enough, the reflected energy adds to the enjoyment of music and allows more details to be discerned - provided of course the ear/brain can sort out all the complexity arriving at the ear drum.

There is no other sensible plausible physical explanation for your unusual preference.

I mean this in a kind way - it is better to be aware of the real problem (the obvious issue) rather than be misled by “phase” and other impossibly ridiculous explanations for such an unusual preference.


Many, many audiophiles have some hearing loss. I did not get many answers in another thread when I asked “when was the last time you had a hearing test?”. Many people obsess over quality speakers, amps, sources, power cords and the list goes on without knowing about thier own ability to hear well and all the psychology one must understand about one likes or does not like about sound.

@shadorne 

I think you're misinterpreting what I said. I did not say I preferred cheap earbuds over expensive speakers. If that was the case, there would be no need to buy speakers and I could just continue using the cheap earbuds. 

What I did say is that I could not hear the timing accuracy I hear from earbuds in these speakers. And it's not just earbuds I've tried other cheap headphones and I hear the exact same timing accuracy despite differences in frequency response.

I also hear major resonances from many high end speakers which the reviewers seem to ignore. Even my PMC speakers have horrific resonances. Despite this, they were highly regarded by all the studio engineers. 

There is some logic in saying that earbuds do not suffer cabinet resonances the same way speakers do since there is no cabinet or huge vibrations from headphones. 

Hearing loss is a valid point but it's not the answer I'm looking for. My hearing is not perfect but I'm not completely deaf either. I can still appreciate certain differences that are real. 

What about the fact that I enjoyed the kef blades?  If you check stereophile you'll see that they're super flat both on and off axis and near state of the art measurements and some of the lowest cabinet resonances I've seen. Hearing loss does not explain my preference for that.
And by the way the kefs were good but not perfect.