How many headphones are too many?

Large collection on headphones in one big pile on a table

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I’ve been considering recently how to best store and manage my headphones at home. And not just my headphones, but also my in-ear monitors and earphones.

While many of them have cases, a lot of them don’t. And there is a certain amount of pride that I hold in the number of headphones I own.

As an audiophile, there’s certainly a pride element in displaying or having available all my headphones to listen to at any time, to lend to or to let people have listening demos with visitors that come to our house and family who may have need from time to time.

So, I started looking online at different headphone stands that might be available and then started questioning how many headphones, earphones I really needed.

I probably have more in-ear monitors than anything else, just based on my past as a musician, as the owner of Headphones Canada, and also, the sets of review in-ear monitors and headphones I get sent from companies around the world.

I know many of our readers have an enormous amount of headphones in their collection. Some of you have the sense to sell through some of the older models that perhaps you don’t use anymore. And that’s probably something I should consider, but to be honest, the sales process is something that I just can’t be arsed doing.

Two pairs of headphones
Two pairs of headphones next to each other on a white table.

I think the question of “How many headphones is enough?” or “How many headphones are too many?” really revolves a lot around our stage of life and lifestyle.

For example, as a musician, I would use in-ear monitors, switching to headphones for studio recordings and sessions.

As a commuter, I would switch between different headphones, and different in-ear monitors for different commutes…whether it be a round-the-world flight or a commute on the Vancouver train or London Tube.

If your lifestyle is dynamic and varied, then you may find also that having a barrage of headphones and in-ear monitors is a valuable audiophile treasure trove that you can draw from at any time to meet the experience or the activity that you’re undertaking.

Even sports require a different approach. And as an audiophile, you almost want a different and well-suited Hi-Fi experience based on whatever you’re doing.

For many of us, our lifestyle might be more straightforward with less need for excessive numbers of headphones and in-ear monitors.

I myself find myself at that stage at this time where I have this enormous collection, but my commute and my daily activities really only require a set of headphones for listening to at the office when things get too rowdy.

The good news with headphones is that they don’t necessarily age particularly badly if you treat them well.

As someone that lives by the ocean, it’s probably foolish of me to display them all on headphones stands as the saltwater impact on my house is quite noticeable on other appliances and electrical goods.

I’d be very interested to hear your stories on how many headphones you have, how you store your headphones, what your top-pick headphones are if you had to take one or two out for everyday use depending on the circumstances.

I know for me, doing long-haul flights, of which the longest can be up to 17 1/2 hours direct, my Bose Qc still remains, for me, the most comfortable, most portable, and easy-listening headphones that I have.

For in-ear monitors, I still default a lot to my Shure range or my Westone range of in-ear monitors.

For home studio listening, I definitely default to my Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro, which for me, is still the pinnacle for my personal listening and any studio recording work that I do.

So how many headphones are too many, or is it possible to own too many headphones?

I don’t think so.

What I’d love to see is any of your collections and headphone storage solutions – perhaps stands or similar.

Definitely drop a link to a photo in the comments below or tag us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook @makelifeclick

I look forward to seeing you online. Thanks for being such a great community.

Peace out – Mark

Endless hours of experimentation, professional work, and personal investment in Home Theatre, Hi-Fi, Smart Home Automation and Headphones have come to this.

Former owner of Headphones Canada, a high-end headphone specialty retailer.


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