Headphone Listening
I have always enjoyed headphone listening, though until recently most of my home listening has been via speakers. It’s quite a solitary thing listening through cans, although it is more immersive, of course.
When I sit down and listen to music, I want to be immersed. I’m not talking about background music, while I am doing something else, but JUST listening to music.
I’ve tried IEMs. I have a set of AirPods Pro 2. They’re pretty decent, but I’m not comfortable walking about with them as they tend to fall out, and it’s super easy to lose them.
I got my first good pair of headphones about thirty years ago, when I got some Sennheiser HD25s. They were about £250 back then - around 1995.
A couple of years ago, I bought a pair of Apple AirPods Max. They’re pretty good, and the Active Noise Cancelling is superb. The best I’ve heard. Thing is, they’re Bluetooth, so they’re not lossless.
Having upgraded the hifi and invested in a Home Cinema system, I wanted to get some wired headphones. Firstly, I got a pair of AKG 701s. Pretty good, but perhaps a little bright.
Next came the HifiMan Ananda Nanos. These are currently my go-to headphones when listening at home. I am really pleased with the audio, plenty of bass for me, with a good midrange and treble that’s clear but not too bright or sibilant.
I wanted something for mobile use, and I found a decent budget pair - JBL 720BTs. They have an option for wired use, though, and after a short while with the Apple DAC Dongle, I got a Fiio KA13 DAC, which is a definite improvement.
For Christmas this year, though, I was given a pair of Fiio FT1s. I wanted these as they’re a closed-back headphone, which is, of course, necessary when out in public.
Cold & Dark Again
I”m sitting in a local coffee shop typing this. My wife and I bought each other a folding keyboard and iPhone stand for each other for Christmas.
I’m typing on it now. It’s quite ok. Easy to type on - certainly better than using an on screen keyboard that’s for sure.
It’s warm in here, and I have a hot coffee. I’m looking out through the window and it’s cold and dark outside. I’ve got another 25 minutes in here before I venture outside again though
Lucky For Some
Yes, I’m looking at you lucky buggers that get a break all the way from the weekend before Christmas to the weekend after New Year’s Day.
I went back to work on Boxing Day and will be working through to New Year’s Eve. I don’t always stay up to see the New Year in these days, but I finish just before 9 pm, so it’s an option to do something if I wish. I’m then off for four days, and go back to work on January 5th. Just happens that my long weekend off falls on those days.
This Evening’s Listening
Judith Owen - Happy This Way
Coffee & Cake
Having my lunch break. It’s dry outside, although it’s rather chilly at only 42°F
#BoxingDay
Christmas Eve
After a quick trip to the local shops, at the end of the street, and a quick breakfast, we got home and stayed there! The current temperature is 40°F, but a nor-easter is making it feel like 27°. It’s dark by 4 pm in any case!
Some music listening, a pork stir-fry for dinner, and some time spent updating a couple of WordPress sites have been my activities for the afternoon.
Here’s a photograph I took yesterday at Paddington Station.
A Rare Treat
Once upon a time, these were a regular thing, but these days, I only seem to have them at Christmas!
This Morning's Listening
Sad & Beautiful World from Mavis Staples, the last surviving member of the Staple Singers, who started out in 1950. Mavis is 86, but you wouldn’t think so, when you listen to her singing.
Cold And Dark
There is a coating of frost on the cars parked in the street. It’s still dark after 7am. The temperature is just edging 40°F.
I’m waiting for the bus to work. I am not relishing the day ahead.