Hello all,
 
I've been a long time browser of these forum's. But I have only recently become interested in going as far as posting. I would like to begin reviewing products, as I have a history of journalism and a love of music. What better way to combine my skills and hobbies?
 
I hate to admit it, but up until a few years ago, I was you average Joe when it came to music. In fact, I used to scoff at people who shelled out cash for the super expensive headphones or audio setups. I was happy with using my phone, and some shoddy headphones to listen to MP3's that were obtained from my youth, when Napster and Limewire ruled the day. I dare say I was happy listening to my $9.99 special Skullcandy IEM's. and whatever cheap headphones I could find. Yet for some reason, I could not understand why when I went to a event, or some place with a good audio setup that the music just sounded so much better. I just assumed it was the limitation of portable audio.
 
Then it happened, through a work contest I won a set of Bose (I know, let me finish) IE2's. In my brain I had always known Bose as the king of audio. After all, they were in pretty much every car's premium audio from the factory at the time. It turns out that in the end, maybe they are just the king of advertising and celebrity endorsement. Either way, these Bose were a far-cry from my usual skull candies. They were so much clearer, less muddy, musical separation was great. This is when it began.
 
I continued to use the Bose IE2's for a few years, but eventually, the cord began to fray at the connection to the monitor, It was time to replace these headphones. I couldn't go back to my Skullcandys. But I didn't know where to start. This is when I found myself looking at headphones on amazon and looking for reviews online for the ones that interested me, which lead me to this site. Since then I have kinda exploded my habits. And I can now hear the actual difference between headphones, and between other equipment as well. This is why I've decided I'd like to try my hand at writing reviews for audio equipment.
 
In the recent years since my Bose IE2's I have purchased many new products that make me realize there is a whole new world beyond the Bose systems. I have since purchased, owned, or otherwise borrowed for lengths of times from friends many products. In my current arsenal, I have the following (In no particular order)
 
-RHA 750i
-Frayed, but still working Bose IE2's
-Shure SE-215
-Shure SE-425
-Sennheiser HD598
-Beats Solo 2
-Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro
-Fiio X1
-Fiio E11k
-Lumia 1520
-Rooted HTC One M8 with customized sound
-Rooted Zenfone 2 with customized sound
-Onkyo TX-NR626 w/5.1 audio setup
-Jawbone JAMBOX (original)
-Otherwise un-noteable gear
 
I feel that this gives me a decent start to begin writing reviews. I find it also worth mentioning that as the quality of my headphones went up, the more I realized that they were simply amplifying the terrible quality of my audio source. As such, I now listen to mostly Lossless FLAC files (Obtained Legally this time!) as well as high quality MP3's. I am a subscriber to both Spotify and currently on a trial for TIDAL's lossless service, Can't decide if I like this well enough to justify the cost.
 
Musical taste is a vast range (thus the many different headphones). I find I mostly enjoy music with a lot of instruments, Heavy brass is always enjoyable. But this is more just my favorite option. As of writing, I cannot think of any prime examples of my musical taste that would show you what I primarily listen to. 
 
In short, for those who did not want to read my life story, here is the shorthand. I am an audiophile with an affinity to journalism. And I look forward to writing reviews to help others like me evolve!

That's quite the journey and headphone inventory.  Indeed, this is the kind of experience that makes one qualified to review these products.  Welcome to Head-Fi!  

Thanks! It didn't really dawn on me the cost of my current gear until I wrote down each piece in this post... Thank god my wife doesn't open the bank statements!