It's not easy being an audiophile
au·di·o·phile
n.
I have to admit I'm an audiophile. Ever since my old earphones that came with my old mp3 player died on me (I was actually pretty happy with those already), and my consequent research of a new and better ear/headphone, made me into an audiophile without me knowing it.
The lows, mids and highs are what make sound, sounds. Here's a very basic explaination of what the lows, mids and highs are:
The lows are pretty much the bass and any boomy kinda sounds you hear.
Mids are the music that you hear in the background (generally).
And the highs are mainly the singer's voice (This is even more generalised than mids and lows).
To most people, they don't even care what the hell are they. But I do. I want my music to sound like how they would originally sound like. So how the lows, mids and highs sound to me is important. So here's my journey from the very beginnings into being an audiophile!
(NOTE: Since I don't have my camera here, I'll have to take pictures from other websites. A reminder that all the pictures you see here are respectively their's)
One very bright sunny summer day, my old earphones that came with my CONWA© mp3 player died. I was sadden by this fact and that I won't be able to hear my music on the way to work everday. This truly put a dent in my heart...but one would not have ever even imagined that this event paved the way to a whole new dimension (Ok, I'm being corny here, but so what?!)
While doing my research on what ear/headphones I should get, I stumbled upon this beauty
The Sony G74SL. My first venture into being an audiophile. Picture taken from www.sony.com.au
Ah yes, my first ever headphone. A pretty cool looking one too I might add. This headphone is also the first headphone I've ever bought. This headphone is great when you're up and going. The bass is tight and punchy enough, but the mids are somewhat mild while the highs are alright. The major problem with this headphone is the comfort of it. After wearing this headphone on for about two hours, it'll start to hurt your ears where it's resting on. If you're looking into a cheap but yet good headphone for on the go, this would suit you presumely you don't wear it longer than two hours.
I spent a total of two weeks with this beauty. Why? Because at the second week, the left driver of the headphone stopped working for some reason. So I decided to return it and get a better one. But little that I knew, the headphone was working FINE. It was my freaking mp3 player that's dying on me. I knew this because I went out and bought this new semi-IEM (In-Ear Monitor) and that the left driver also has problems.
The Sony EX81SL. My first semi-IEM. Picture taken from www.sony.com.au
I'll explain why it is called a semi-IEM first. IEM's are pretty much self explainatory. IEM's are monitors (or earphones) that actually goes into your ears. Yes, they literally go into your ear canal rather than just sitting outside of the ear canal like normal earphones. Also, IEM's provide isolation. What this means is that IEM's isolate you and your music from the rest of the world. So what you hear is only your music and yourself. It doesn't really cut you off from the world, just reduces the amount of noise that you can hear. Sorta like an ear plug you know?
Earplugs. Picture taken from http://www.valt.helsinki.fi/blogs/forums/kont_ry/2005-03-03-ui3k0fb0.htm
This Sony EX81SL is only a semi-IEM due to it's design. The silicon tips are used to provide a certain degree of isolation while the fact that it doesn't extend into the ear canal makes it only a semi-IEM. This earphone only sits at the very tip of the ear canal, so it goes in deeper than your average earphones while doesn't extend into the ear canal as all IEM's do.
This particular semi-IEM sounds really good within it's class. I was truly amazed at first at the isolation that it provides and how clearer my music has suddenly become. I was truly happy with this new find that is TILL the wiring gave out. The left driver's wires were coming off as if it's being tugged like crazy (Who you looking at?).
I had this semi-IEM for about...three months. Since the left driver's not working, I have to choice but to return it. I decided to get a refund so that I could get an even better earphone. I was forum trolling (that means forum searching) and I stumbled upon this IEM.
The Westone UM1. Nothing but pleasure to the ears. Picture taken from http://www.westone.com/music/
Enter the Westone UM1. This baby here is a REAL pleasure to the ears. It provides up to 23db+ of noise isolation. You know what that means? You put them in, and you won't even hear the bus when you're on it. Yea, that's how much it isolates.
When I first got it, it's very difficult to insert it into my ears. It takes time for you to find a "sweet spot" for every IEM. So at first IEM's don't sound really good. It takes about a week for you to get used to it. After that...it's heaven. Oh before I forget, the first time we put on an IEM, it'll feel REALLY weird. You'll feel as if you're under water where the nearest sound sounds really distorted and soft. Also, you can hear yourself ever clearer. You can your heartbeat, your throat moving and also your footsteps all amplified. But rest assured, it's only the first few times. After that, you won't be able to hear them. I don't really know why, but it just happens.
The music that comes from the UM1 are just....great. With IEMs, you tend to hear hidden details in songs that you never knew. I started listening to all my songs again and found HEAPS of details that were never apparent before, that is till I listen them through the UM1. A slight issue with the UM1's is that it takes time to get ascustomed to it, and that it's rolloff of its high is abit to early. So abit of a bump after the 12 khz range is great (I'm talking about the equalizer settings). Bass is good but since I like my bass, I bump it up quite a bit. The mids are great. So all in all, just remember to pump up the ranges after 12khz to get an ever better highs and then just let it do it's job ^_^
One funny thing I found out about my UM1's is that people tend to think it's my hearing aid. It's good that way cause I wear them during exams and lectures so the leturers tend to think it's my hearind aid XD
So yea...that sums up my journey so far. Hope that I've enlighten you at least abit on what's an audiophile.
n.
- A person having an ardent interest in stereo or high-fidelity sound reproduction.
I have to admit I'm an audiophile. Ever since my old earphones that came with my old mp3 player died on me (I was actually pretty happy with those already), and my consequent research of a new and better ear/headphone, made me into an audiophile without me knowing it.
The lows, mids and highs are what make sound, sounds. Here's a very basic explaination of what the lows, mids and highs are:
The lows are pretty much the bass and any boomy kinda sounds you hear.
Mids are the music that you hear in the background (generally).
And the highs are mainly the singer's voice (This is even more generalised than mids and lows).
To most people, they don't even care what the hell are they. But I do. I want my music to sound like how they would originally sound like. So how the lows, mids and highs sound to me is important. So here's my journey from the very beginnings into being an audiophile!
(NOTE: Since I don't have my camera here, I'll have to take pictures from other websites. A reminder that all the pictures you see here are respectively their's)
One very bright sunny summer day, my old earphones that came with my CONWA© mp3 player died. I was sadden by this fact and that I won't be able to hear my music on the way to work everday. This truly put a dent in my heart...but one would not have ever even imagined that this event paved the way to a whole new dimension (Ok, I'm being corny here, but so what?!)
While doing my research on what ear/headphones I should get, I stumbled upon this beauty
The Sony G74SL. My first venture into being an audiophile. Picture taken from www.sony.com.au
Ah yes, my first ever headphone. A pretty cool looking one too I might add. This headphone is also the first headphone I've ever bought. This headphone is great when you're up and going. The bass is tight and punchy enough, but the mids are somewhat mild while the highs are alright. The major problem with this headphone is the comfort of it. After wearing this headphone on for about two hours, it'll start to hurt your ears where it's resting on. If you're looking into a cheap but yet good headphone for on the go, this would suit you presumely you don't wear it longer than two hours.
I spent a total of two weeks with this beauty. Why? Because at the second week, the left driver of the headphone stopped working for some reason. So I decided to return it and get a better one. But little that I knew, the headphone was working FINE. It was my freaking mp3 player that's dying on me. I knew this because I went out and bought this new semi-IEM (In-Ear Monitor) and that the left driver also has problems.
The Sony EX81SL. My first semi-IEM. Picture taken from www.sony.com.au
I'll explain why it is called a semi-IEM first. IEM's are pretty much self explainatory. IEM's are monitors (or earphones) that actually goes into your ears. Yes, they literally go into your ear canal rather than just sitting outside of the ear canal like normal earphones. Also, IEM's provide isolation. What this means is that IEM's isolate you and your music from the rest of the world. So what you hear is only your music and yourself. It doesn't really cut you off from the world, just reduces the amount of noise that you can hear. Sorta like an ear plug you know?
Earplugs. Picture taken from http://www.valt.helsinki.fi/blogs/forums/kont_ry/2005-03-03-ui3k0fb0.htm
This Sony EX81SL is only a semi-IEM due to it's design. The silicon tips are used to provide a certain degree of isolation while the fact that it doesn't extend into the ear canal makes it only a semi-IEM. This earphone only sits at the very tip of the ear canal, so it goes in deeper than your average earphones while doesn't extend into the ear canal as all IEM's do.
This particular semi-IEM sounds really good within it's class. I was truly amazed at first at the isolation that it provides and how clearer my music has suddenly become. I was truly happy with this new find that is TILL the wiring gave out. The left driver's wires were coming off as if it's being tugged like crazy (Who you looking at?).
I had this semi-IEM for about...three months. Since the left driver's not working, I have to choice but to return it. I decided to get a refund so that I could get an even better earphone. I was forum trolling (that means forum searching) and I stumbled upon this IEM.
The Westone UM1. Nothing but pleasure to the ears. Picture taken from http://www.westone.com/music/
Enter the Westone UM1. This baby here is a REAL pleasure to the ears. It provides up to 23db+ of noise isolation. You know what that means? You put them in, and you won't even hear the bus when you're on it. Yea, that's how much it isolates.
When I first got it, it's very difficult to insert it into my ears. It takes time for you to find a "sweet spot" for every IEM. So at first IEM's don't sound really good. It takes about a week for you to get used to it. After that...it's heaven. Oh before I forget, the first time we put on an IEM, it'll feel REALLY weird. You'll feel as if you're under water where the nearest sound sounds really distorted and soft. Also, you can hear yourself ever clearer. You can your heartbeat, your throat moving and also your footsteps all amplified. But rest assured, it's only the first few times. After that, you won't be able to hear them. I don't really know why, but it just happens.
The music that comes from the UM1 are just....great. With IEMs, you tend to hear hidden details in songs that you never knew. I started listening to all my songs again and found HEAPS of details that were never apparent before, that is till I listen them through the UM1. A slight issue with the UM1's is that it takes time to get ascustomed to it, and that it's rolloff of its high is abit to early. So abit of a bump after the 12 khz range is great (I'm talking about the equalizer settings). Bass is good but since I like my bass, I bump it up quite a bit. The mids are great. So all in all, just remember to pump up the ranges after 12khz to get an ever better highs and then just let it do it's job ^_^
One funny thing I found out about my UM1's is that people tend to think it's my hearing aid. It's good that way cause I wear them during exams and lectures so the leturers tend to think it's my hearind aid XD
So yea...that sums up my journey so far. Hope that I've enlighten you at least abit on what's an audiophile.
posted by Leon at 12:15 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home