There's something incredibly sexy, even perverted, about listening to a woman's voice on my favourite headphones. As if the the microphone her voice was recorded with is instead my ear, and she is singing but inches from it.
Right now I imagine Imogen Heap doing so while I listen to Frou Frou. Normally I find myself conflicted with the term 'audiophile.' As if anyone who likes music (read: everyone) isn't an 'audiophile.' But the term seems very applicable in this context. Hearing a singer on headphones IS sensual.
Maybe that sounds creepy. I'm not even talking about a physicality or a personality or any other sexual experience. Only that which comes from another human voice, and one that is obviously beautiful if you choose to listen to it on demand.
One thing I learn about headphones is that the music is the most important part of the process. The quality of the recording is paramount. Not the number of kb/s, but the equipment that was used to make that recording. When I hear Daniel Belanger in a way that makes me feel like he's in the room with me, it's because of what was used to record his wonderful voice.
Sometimes I find myself longing for other voices I love to be recorded with better equipment. The sounds of Blankey Jet City and Thee Michelle Elephant Gun are betrayed by their own recording equipment. I feel left out, because I can never heard them live.
The Headphone Experience makes you love the human voice, and makes you disappointed when it is not done justice. More than any other instrument, headphones make me love vocal chords. Forget 'soundstaging,' I like this feeling.
Right now I imagine Imogen Heap doing so while I listen to Frou Frou. Normally I find myself conflicted with the term 'audiophile.' As if anyone who likes music (read: everyone) isn't an 'audiophile.' But the term seems very applicable in this context. Hearing a singer on headphones IS sensual.
Maybe that sounds creepy. I'm not even talking about a physicality or a personality or any other sexual experience. Only that which comes from another human voice, and one that is obviously beautiful if you choose to listen to it on demand.
One thing I learn about headphones is that the music is the most important part of the process. The quality of the recording is paramount. Not the number of kb/s, but the equipment that was used to make that recording. When I hear Daniel Belanger in a way that makes me feel like he's in the room with me, it's because of what was used to record his wonderful voice.
Sometimes I find myself longing for other voices I love to be recorded with better equipment. The sounds of Blankey Jet City and Thee Michelle Elephant Gun are betrayed by their own recording equipment. I feel left out, because I can never heard them live.
The Headphone Experience makes you love the human voice, and makes you disappointed when it is not done justice. More than any other instrument, headphones make me love vocal chords. Forget 'soundstaging,' I like this feeling.
