- Joined
- Dec 4, 2010
- Posts
- 1,372
- Likes
- 253
[size=11.111111640930176px]A few years ago, after working as a pro musician (drummer/vocalist) for around a decade, [/size]I decided to get some great new headphones to enhance my experience of recorded music and audio, and with my wanting pointed in the direction of the best headphone rig possible, I set off on my quest.
Along the road to my holy grail of headphone rigs, I discovered Head-Fi and researched extensively, met with people, and tried many headphones (including those costing as much as £20,000), headphones that are considered the best in the world. Before I knew it I was back at my place with a highly-recommended headphone model that looked great. I plugged in and really loved the experience. It was like hearing recorded music for the first time - yes!
But after a while I began to wonder if there were better headphones than what I had and if I would enjoy other headphones more, so I resumed my research and discovered there actually were other headphones considered better than what I had, and I decided to buy yet another headphone. Thankfully my headphones didn’t mind my aurally promiscuous ways.
Fast-forward a few more months of the process and I had acquired a flagship headphone rig that looked amazing on paper, one that seemed to quell even the most pernickety aspects of my seemingly unending discernment. But when it came to listening sessions, I soon noticed that I often felt unfulfilled and was back to compulsively thinking about the qualities of the headphone's sound, analysing the depth of the soundstage, the sibilance and quality of the treble, and how much difference the new cable was actually making. Sure, I had the headphone I wanted in all it's ultra-revealing glory but I was not hearing nor enjoying the music. It felt like I had just been chasing my own tail.
However, around that time it occurred to me that there were some times I listened with to the same music with the same headphone (and yes, even with the same EQ settings that my level of enjoyment was absolutely heightened. In that moment I saw clearly and realized just how obvious it was why I had been feeling dissatisfied. To me that one insight was worth more to me than all of the thinking I'd done up to that point.
During my next listening session following the insight, my experience was so different. As I listened, it was as if I was in a studio with the musicians on the recording listening to playback. It was awesome! And as my understanding changed futher, my experience got deeper, way deeper, and exponentially more enjoyable in a way that I'm so grateful to say still continues with headphones, music, and in every other aspect of my life.
So often in our quest for the best in any area of endeavour – whether that be that in relationships, career, or physical health – we can achieve the forms of our wanting such as headphones, cars, and skills and yet still feel that something's missing. Those of us who innocently look for fulfilment in the forms they think it takes are listening to headphones instead of hearing the music of life directly and are missing a more fulfilling experience that can actually make creating what we want much, much simpler and easier.
Have you noticed areas of your life where you're listening to headphones instead of enjoying the music? If so you need only see beyond your thinking and you will hear the music more clearly than you ever have. Right here you can realize that the deeper music of life is only ever just a thought away from anything you are thinking, and when you listen and experience in that way, the music of life shows up freshly and like never before.
Along the road to my holy grail of headphone rigs, I discovered Head-Fi and researched extensively, met with people, and tried many headphones (including those costing as much as £20,000), headphones that are considered the best in the world. Before I knew it I was back at my place with a highly-recommended headphone model that looked great. I plugged in and really loved the experience. It was like hearing recorded music for the first time - yes!
But after a while I began to wonder if there were better headphones than what I had and if I would enjoy other headphones more, so I resumed my research and discovered there actually were other headphones considered better than what I had, and I decided to buy yet another headphone. Thankfully my headphones didn’t mind my aurally promiscuous ways.
Fast-forward a few more months of the process and I had acquired a flagship headphone rig that looked amazing on paper, one that seemed to quell even the most pernickety aspects of my seemingly unending discernment. But when it came to listening sessions, I soon noticed that I often felt unfulfilled and was back to compulsively thinking about the qualities of the headphone's sound, analysing the depth of the soundstage, the sibilance and quality of the treble, and how much difference the new cable was actually making. Sure, I had the headphone I wanted in all it's ultra-revealing glory but I was not hearing nor enjoying the music. It felt like I had just been chasing my own tail.
However, around that time it occurred to me that there were some times I listened with to the same music with the same headphone (and yes, even with the same EQ settings
that my level of enjoyment was absolutely heightened. In that moment I saw clearly and realized just how obvious it was why I had been feeling dissatisfied. To me that one insight was worth more to me than all of the thinking I'd done up to that point.During my next listening session following the insight, my experience was so different. As I listened, it was as if I was in a studio with the musicians on the recording listening to playback. It was awesome! And as my understanding changed futher, my experience got deeper, way deeper, and exponentially more enjoyable in a way that I'm so grateful to say still continues with headphones, music, and in every other aspect of my life.
So often in our quest for the best in any area of endeavour – whether that be that in relationships, career, or physical health – we can achieve the forms of our wanting such as headphones, cars, and skills and yet still feel that something's missing. Those of us who innocently look for fulfilment in the forms they think it takes are listening to headphones instead of hearing the music of life directly and are missing a more fulfilling experience that can actually make creating what we want much, much simpler and easier.
Have you noticed areas of your life where you're listening to headphones instead of enjoying the music? If so you need only see beyond your thinking and you will hear the music more clearly than you ever have. Right here you can realize that the deeper music of life is only ever just a thought away from anything you are thinking, and when you listen and experience in that way, the music of life shows up freshly and like never before.
