Photo by Eneas

It was 2008 and I was getting weary of the basic headphones I found at the local retail stores and the ones that came packaged with MP3 players.

My roommate was increasingly getting annoyed by the loudness of my music so I decided I better invest in a decent pair of headphones instead of getting kicked out.

Previously I had my computer hooked up to some basic computer speakers and a sub woofer, it provided enough high end and bass to keep me satisfied with my music but I always noticed the clarity of the audio just wasn’t all that cracked up to be.

After spending long hours online reading forums about bit rates, frequency and general audiophile tips I convinced myself that I’d spend at least $150 for a new pair of headphones.

You may be saying: “150 bucks for a pair of headphones? What are you, stupid?” but these types of comments generally come from people that don’t really care about music.

Many people are contempt with listening to 192 kbps rips of their favorite music, which is perfectly fine but I wanted to hear everything as the artist intended.

There’s nothing quite like listening to a Vinyl rip of Dark Side Of The Moon and hearing minute breathing and the hum of the guitars in between the notes.

I started ripping my music collection in FLAC. I wasn’t going to settle for low bit rate music. This movement was spurred by old audiophile forums and a few tracker forums (rest in peace Oink).

The problem I had  with ripping my music in FLAC was that I didn’t have the appropriate gear to listen to them correctly.

After scouring forums for hours, lurking in topics about best headphones and comparison posts I decided I was going to buy a pair of Sennheiser HD555s.

At the time I was torn between a pair of Grados (I can’t remember which pair) but what appealed to me was the closed eared form. I needed to make sure that the majority of the sound coming out wasn’t going to be escaping for my roommate to hear.

I jumped online and began to comparison shop for a pair. I checked MusiciansFriend and other major online music gear retailors but I finally ended up choosing Amazon for the list price and the free shipping at the time.

Anxiously I waited for a week. When the brown box finally arrived in the mail, I quickly ripped it open like some sort of banshee.

I ran over to my computer but then I completely froze.

I didn’t know what I wanted to listen to first.

I’m not sure if you’ve ever had this type of musical paralysis but for those of you that have experienced it, you know how nerve wracking it can be.

I didn’t want to just throw on any music, I wanted to make sure I broke my new pair in on something that I would be able to distinguish the quality while enjoying it.

I finally settled on listening to my copy of Hallucinogen – Twisted. I knew I made the right choice.

Buy this album on Amazon (I highly recommend it)

I laid down on my bed with the chord stretching across the room (it’s about 6ft long!). It was a perfect day, the clouds were blocking out the sun so the room was nice and dark – very loungy.

What I heard  and thought I really can’t describe. I was so happy that I could hear all these small bits of music I never really noticed before. The songs I thought I knew completely changed with new context and depth.

This is where the story gets a little weird and funny. I was so wrapped up in going through my music collection that before I knew it, it was nearly 5 a.m. and I had to be up for work in an hour.

Going off of no sleep, I said screw it and continued to listen to my albums. The clock hit 6 and so I rushed out the door, no shower, no breakfast, only with a really great buzz of listening to music all night long.

I got to work just in time but I still got chewed out, oh well. That afternoon getting home, I did the same thing.

In all, the Sennheiser HD555′s are one of my most favorite purchases ever. They completely opened up a whole new world of music.

I highly suggest you invest in a proper pair of headphones. You’ll be able to hear your music like you never imagined.

I still have my pair today I’ve moved back into using speakers as my main way of listening to music – partly because I can blast my music.

Every once in a while I’ll throw on the old pair and give a few of my favorite albums a listen or two.

I know this may have sounded like a silly affair with my headphones but I can bet you’ve had a similar experience.

Until next time…

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