I have always appreciated music. Even when I was growing up and had a walkman with those giant puffy foam earphones. I would go to see my cousins and would stare at the giant reel to reel and turntable that my Uncle displayed in a giant glass case in his living room. His 8-Tracks were shown prominently in a record store styled wire spinning rack similar to one you see sunglasses displayed on now. I didn't know who Three Dog Night was but I do remember that was my favorite of his collection. It could have been the '70s styled font or the name of the band. We weren't allowed to touch anything near the stereo, including the 8-Tracks. Thankfully he was a delivery guy for Anheuser-Busch and that meant he was gone all day.
As an adult I have spent a significant portion of my life appreciating music. Live. Acoustic. In the street. At bars. In my home. It was only natural a few years ago to eat less and save money to buy a home stereo that would replace my 5.1 Klipsch computer speakers. I purchased a massive theater set. I chose the Onkyo HT-S9100THX. 1200 watts. 7.1 surround sound and a mic to automatically adjust the levels on the speakers best for your listening positions. I still feel love towards this home theater. It helped me rekindle the passion of music in my ears.
Sadly a short time after I purchased the theater, my hearing was damaged. I was reconstructing a wall and when I had to mount it to the floor I hit the hammer to had on the nail head that was in a corner...all without hearing protection. I know exactly which blow did it. Instant ringing and slightly muffled sound was all I could hear in my left ear. The right wasn't as bad. I thought it would fade over a few days and go away eventually. It hasn't.
I've seen an audiologist. Two actually. The first was a weird experience. She was coming on to me and telling me how great it was to see someone with clean inner ear canals. I still get embarrassed thinking of it. The second was more humorous. This doctor was a shorter older man. He wore a doctors reflector/head mirror. I've never seen a doctor wear one before or since. This was only a few years ago. I thought it was a joke at first. Then he positioned it to actually serve it's purpose when he was checking my throat. I know, I thought he shouldn't be focused on my throat, but he is a Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor.
A checkup, a hearing test, word focusing, and I had my diagnosis. My hearing is moderately damaged in my left ear, and only slightly affected in my right ear. I have a tough time distinguishing certain sounds in words. I read lips in conversation to help. I understand with some of the people that I know. You tend to learn speech habits of the people close to you, including what words they will use.
A few years ago I had a friend of mine give me a pair of Dr. Dre Studio Beats. It was a promotional item from his employer. He didn't use them and he knew I would. They were nice. I liked that they isolated your hearing, and you couldn't hear anything outside of them. The problem was that they leaked sound so much that people around me would complain about them even at minimal volumes. I sold them about two weeks ago. They were barely used and still in excellent condition. While they were on eBay I browsed a variety of headphones. The younger part of me wanted to buy a set that had similar features. The thing I had read the most about the Dr. Dre headphones was that the hinges snapped all the time. They released a newer version since my set that fixed that. Another was that they looked like they were marketed towards teenagers, along with almost every other headset. Decals, bright colors, lights, these things no longer attracted me, but made me feel childish while looking at headphones. The final thing that pushed me over was the audible frequencies on headsets. Monster, the maker of Dr. Dre beats, refuses to release this information. There are a few other companies that refuse as well. They want you to buy based on brand names, rather than facts.
I had criteria that I wanted met.
No flashy colors.
No additional battery power.
Hopefully an inline control.
Wide band of audible frequencies.
High Quality.
No sound interferences.
Competitive price.
I looked at probably close to a hundred headsets. I only found one that I liked that fit in almost every bit of the criteria. Those were the Bowers and Wilkins P5 Mobile Hifi. I honestly think one of my favorite things about them is that there isn't any plastic on them. The second I received the box, I had them plugged in and playing music. I felt emotion with the music again. Things are paired again. I smiled, and continue to smile while listening through these headphones. If anyone ever asks me again, These will be the only recommendation that I offer. I immediately purchased an ADH warranty for them because I don't know if I'll ever take them off.
As an adult I have spent a significant portion of my life appreciating music. Live. Acoustic. In the street. At bars. In my home. It was only natural a few years ago to eat less and save money to buy a home stereo that would replace my 5.1 Klipsch computer speakers. I purchased a massive theater set. I chose the Onkyo HT-S9100THX. 1200 watts. 7.1 surround sound and a mic to automatically adjust the levels on the speakers best for your listening positions. I still feel love towards this home theater. It helped me rekindle the passion of music in my ears.
Sadly a short time after I purchased the theater, my hearing was damaged. I was reconstructing a wall and when I had to mount it to the floor I hit the hammer to had on the nail head that was in a corner...all without hearing protection. I know exactly which blow did it. Instant ringing and slightly muffled sound was all I could hear in my left ear. The right wasn't as bad. I thought it would fade over a few days and go away eventually. It hasn't.
I've seen an audiologist. Two actually. The first was a weird experience. She was coming on to me and telling me how great it was to see someone with clean inner ear canals. I still get embarrassed thinking of it. The second was more humorous. This doctor was a shorter older man. He wore a doctors reflector/head mirror. I've never seen a doctor wear one before or since. This was only a few years ago. I thought it was a joke at first. Then he positioned it to actually serve it's purpose when he was checking my throat. I know, I thought he shouldn't be focused on my throat, but he is a Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor.
A checkup, a hearing test, word focusing, and I had my diagnosis. My hearing is moderately damaged in my left ear, and only slightly affected in my right ear. I have a tough time distinguishing certain sounds in words. I read lips in conversation to help. I understand with some of the people that I know. You tend to learn speech habits of the people close to you, including what words they will use.
A few years ago I had a friend of mine give me a pair of Dr. Dre Studio Beats. It was a promotional item from his employer. He didn't use them and he knew I would. They were nice. I liked that they isolated your hearing, and you couldn't hear anything outside of them. The problem was that they leaked sound so much that people around me would complain about them even at minimal volumes. I sold them about two weeks ago. They were barely used and still in excellent condition. While they were on eBay I browsed a variety of headphones. The younger part of me wanted to buy a set that had similar features. The thing I had read the most about the Dr. Dre headphones was that the hinges snapped all the time. They released a newer version since my set that fixed that. Another was that they looked like they were marketed towards teenagers, along with almost every other headset. Decals, bright colors, lights, these things no longer attracted me, but made me feel childish while looking at headphones. The final thing that pushed me over was the audible frequencies on headsets. Monster, the maker of Dr. Dre beats, refuses to release this information. There are a few other companies that refuse as well. They want you to buy based on brand names, rather than facts.
I had criteria that I wanted met.
No flashy colors.
No additional battery power.
Hopefully an inline control.
Wide band of audible frequencies.
High Quality.
No sound interferences.
Competitive price.
I looked at probably close to a hundred headsets. I only found one that I liked that fit in almost every bit of the criteria. Those were the Bowers and Wilkins P5 Mobile Hifi. I honestly think one of my favorite things about them is that there isn't any plastic on them. The second I received the box, I had them plugged in and playing music. I felt emotion with the music again. Things are paired again. I smiled, and continue to smile while listening through these headphones. If anyone ever asks me again, These will be the only recommendation that I offer. I immediately purchased an ADH warranty for them because I don't know if I'll ever take them off.
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