I've just posted a blog on my Top Two Noise Canceling Headphone picks, plus a narrative of how I got to these choices. I hope more than a few can identify with my journey, my odyssey to arrive at the best headphones. A number of useful tips are included. Check my blog post from this link.
This blog talks about making the most of your premium headphones.
My top picks for best headphones are the Bose Quiet Comfort QC3 Acoustic Noise Canceling on-ear headphones, and the Sennheiser MM450 Bluetooth, noise canceling on-ear headphones.
These are both premium headphones, costing in the range of SGD 650 or USD 520. My story on how I selected these two are in my earlier blog.
Why pay the premium for superior noise canceling headphones? You get better enjoyment of your music - richer and fuller sound. You get transported from a noisy cafe or a busy cabin full of business or leisure travelers into your own personal space - a sound room with proper acoustics and insulation so the outside world is muffled, and your music is delivered with higher purity and little extraneous noise. You can listen to a podcast or a lecture as if you're in the recording studio or an upscale auditorium. For better inner peace, relaxation, balance. Also for flexibility, to get more work done, to be ready to fully participate in conference calls on-the-go.
Five tips to make the most of your noise canceling headphones.
1. Use them! Yes, that's the first step to enjoying them! Of course you didn't buy expensive, premium headphones just to keep them in a drawer. But not a few people have that mentality of "keeping the exquisite bone China in the display cabinet for those special occasions", and end up rarely using them. Worse, many times that thing that doesn't get used gets destroyed! And then you really can't enjoy them! I would liken premium headphones that are well used and cared for to a leather-bound Bible that ages beautifully when read often, because the natural oils on the hands and skin nourish the leather and prevent it from cracking. Should be the same with the leather ear pads.
2. Get a full charge of your battery, then you're ready for a day of listening or talking. Both the Bose and Sennheiser models won't give any issues on battery power as they have very adequately sized batteries and provided, like iPhones and iPads, you charge them everyday. Both headphones use lithium ion batteries, as many high tech equipment today, so they won't suffer loss of capacity even with partial and frequent charging. I've used my Sennheiser for three years now, trouble-free. Don't overcharge them though. Once fully charged as indicated by the charger lights, disconnect them.
3. Always use the carrying case provided. They're designed to protect the headphones. Yes, they add bulk when carrying the headphones, but the case will prevent the headphones from being squashed, the cables from being pulled and damaged, the headband from being cracked and the ear pads from being torn or frayed, plus with the carrying case, you'll have your charger ready just in case. And keep your airline adapter plug in the case so for a flight, you'll not need to remember to pack that small thing, or feel sorry that you forgot it.
Always having the carrying case does mean you may need to adjust the size of your carrying bag for ladies, or your man bag. For me, since I got used to it in Singapore, I always have a man bag even while walking in a mall after having driven there in my car. It's simply because I savor the times I can spend in a Starbucks (ATC, Evia), a Seattle's Best (Serendra - Bonifacio High street) or Toast Box (Greenbelt 5) with my iPad or book, and with my noise canceling headphones. With my bag of gadgets, I can spend time wherever I'm at, even if my gracious wife would like to go shopping or browsing at Fully Booked. If I'm in Singapore, I definitely have my bag with me at all times, and there are so many nice cafés to visit! The culture of straight, masculine men carrying man bags is the same in Hong Kong as in Singapore, and I see it catching on in the Philippines as well, albeit slowly.
When carrying around luxury headphones, if doable I'd suggest not going around in a backpack (which is rather crude) but use a messenger bag. My personal choices are my Bally leather messenger bag, and my Louis Vuitton messenger bag. LV and Bally have a lot of other nice bags, and so does Coach. I seldom use my Coach now since that messenger bag is rather small (it was my first), but they currently have nice selections. Check my blog on luxury product shopping before scooting off to buy one.
4. Make it a habit not to pull on the cable wires. Consistently pull by the head of the cable, whether the headphone cable or the charger cable. Never swing or dangle headphones by their cables. It's just good practice. Aside from preserving your cables, you'll automatically and subconsciously care better for your stuff.
5. Very importantly - Load your iDevices with lots and lots of music you love, and have different kinds of music for different occasions, and even podcasts for music and talks. My choices:
MUSIC FOR ENJOYMENT. I deeply enjoy contemporary and gospel Christian music, and the compilations by WOW and Passion of various artists and their top songs fill my music libraries. Their many albums are available on iTunes.
I need to share that I am so blessed that God enabled me to travel to so many places in Asia and Asia-Pacific (from Australia to Japan, China, Korea, HK, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia), to many states in the continental U.S., to some key cities in Europe (from Paris, Amsterdam, Innsbruck, Venice, Florence, Versailles, Keukenhoff, Rome, Brussels), to a few in Argentina (Buenos. Aires, Ushuaia) and a number of islands in Antarctica (King George, Deception, Paradise, Antarctic mainland at. Brown Bluff, etc.). And to more places I don't mention here. This is not bragging - but it's my personal memoir of God's great blessing and faithfulness to me.
Of all the travels, one of my most cherished seasons was in September to December 2009 when I was flying business class every two or three weeks from Singapore for a weekend with my family in Manila, before they relocated with me. I would fly on a late Friday night flight to Manila, and fly back to Singapore late Sunday. I'd often take PAL as it was more prudent on cost versus SQ, and I would find the flights totally enjoyable with the very friendly and personable flight stewards and stewardesses on Philippine Airlines. The cabin wouldn't be the best, especially compared to when I fly business class on Singapore Airlines on the mid-length flight to. Manila, but certainly the cabin is comfortable enough, and the food presentation, serving and taste are truly wonderful, and the staff cheerfully conversant (kudos to PAL). It was also very pleasant that on many of those flights, it would be just me or I plus one or two more occupying the whole business class section. The flight duration is also very suited for me to enjoy a good meal, then rest and draw inner peace after a heavy work week. I share this story because my Christian music has accompanied me on all those flights. Once the meal is done and the lights are dimmed, I would bring out my noise canceling headphones and enjoy Christian music while reading my Bible or a Christian book. And on those flights, in a cozy and private space in business class. I have enjoyed many of the most wonderful times of extended personal worship to God. Irreplaceable times! Such a blessing I am thankful for! And the headphones do add to that feeling of quiet solitude 30,000 feet in the air.
MUSIC FOR READING or journeying. I also have many albums of Ryan Farish, and a few songs of Davol, Kopas, and The Essence. These are mostly electronic music, and though I don't like that genre name, I enjoy the music without words but strong on mood and emotion. I find they add depth, mystery and enjoyment while reading my Christian novels or books on Creation and Christian apologetics. And when in a lively cafe or busy airport or plane, the music together with the noise canceling headphones blocks out much of the unwanted sounds, and it lets me enjoy or concentrate on what I'm doing.
Lately I've also greatly enjoyed a number of music podcasts from Eric Prydz - Epic Radio, and also the Panda Lounge Music Show. I find their podcasts really good while reading or driving (no headphones when driving!), and they're free on the podcasts store of Apple! Plus, unlike individual songs, these podcasts give you 40 minutes or an hour of continuous stringed music, so they're really good.
I'm curious on what others listen to while reading. I also have musical scores from movies, and choice classical music, though I listen to these less when reading now. Share with me what you listen to while reading?
PODCASTS FOR CHRISTIAN TALKS and for NEWS. You're not limited to music. My favorite podcasts now are Reasonable Faith and The Defenders Podcast by Dr. William Lane Craig. He has what seems like a couple of hundred podcasts, and I find the discussions very engaging, intellectually stimulating, plus I appreciate the commentaries on current affairs. So I started to go through his podcasts one by one from the beginning. When I'm not listening to Christian podcasts, I would listen to BBC World News or Tech News updates. All these are available for free on Apple podcasts.
Well, that's it for now. A long blog post, but I hope this will help you make better use of those premium headphones.
And if you can, share with me what you listen to when reading by leaving a comment.
Take care!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
This blog talks about making the most of your premium headphones.
My top picks for best headphones are the Bose Quiet Comfort QC3 Acoustic Noise Canceling on-ear headphones, and the Sennheiser MM450 Bluetooth, noise canceling on-ear headphones.
These are both premium headphones, costing in the range of SGD 650 or USD 520. My story on how I selected these two are in my earlier blog.
Why pay the premium for superior noise canceling headphones? You get better enjoyment of your music - richer and fuller sound. You get transported from a noisy cafe or a busy cabin full of business or leisure travelers into your own personal space - a sound room with proper acoustics and insulation so the outside world is muffled, and your music is delivered with higher purity and little extraneous noise. You can listen to a podcast or a lecture as if you're in the recording studio or an upscale auditorium. For better inner peace, relaxation, balance. Also for flexibility, to get more work done, to be ready to fully participate in conference calls on-the-go.
Five tips to make the most of your noise canceling headphones.
1. Use them! Yes, that's the first step to enjoying them! Of course you didn't buy expensive, premium headphones just to keep them in a drawer. But not a few people have that mentality of "keeping the exquisite bone China in the display cabinet for those special occasions", and end up rarely using them. Worse, many times that thing that doesn't get used gets destroyed! And then you really can't enjoy them! I would liken premium headphones that are well used and cared for to a leather-bound Bible that ages beautifully when read often, because the natural oils on the hands and skin nourish the leather and prevent it from cracking. Should be the same with the leather ear pads.
2. Get a full charge of your battery, then you're ready for a day of listening or talking. Both the Bose and Sennheiser models won't give any issues on battery power as they have very adequately sized batteries and provided, like iPhones and iPads, you charge them everyday. Both headphones use lithium ion batteries, as many high tech equipment today, so they won't suffer loss of capacity even with partial and frequent charging. I've used my Sennheiser for three years now, trouble-free. Don't overcharge them though. Once fully charged as indicated by the charger lights, disconnect them.
3. Always use the carrying case provided. They're designed to protect the headphones. Yes, they add bulk when carrying the headphones, but the case will prevent the headphones from being squashed, the cables from being pulled and damaged, the headband from being cracked and the ear pads from being torn or frayed, plus with the carrying case, you'll have your charger ready just in case. And keep your airline adapter plug in the case so for a flight, you'll not need to remember to pack that small thing, or feel sorry that you forgot it.
Always having the carrying case does mean you may need to adjust the size of your carrying bag for ladies, or your man bag. For me, since I got used to it in Singapore, I always have a man bag even while walking in a mall after having driven there in my car. It's simply because I savor the times I can spend in a Starbucks (ATC, Evia), a Seattle's Best (Serendra - Bonifacio High street) or Toast Box (Greenbelt 5) with my iPad or book, and with my noise canceling headphones. With my bag of gadgets, I can spend time wherever I'm at, even if my gracious wife would like to go shopping or browsing at Fully Booked. If I'm in Singapore, I definitely have my bag with me at all times, and there are so many nice cafés to visit! The culture of straight, masculine men carrying man bags is the same in Hong Kong as in Singapore, and I see it catching on in the Philippines as well, albeit slowly.
When carrying around luxury headphones, if doable I'd suggest not going around in a backpack (which is rather crude) but use a messenger bag. My personal choices are my Bally leather messenger bag, and my Louis Vuitton messenger bag. LV and Bally have a lot of other nice bags, and so does Coach. I seldom use my Coach now since that messenger bag is rather small (it was my first), but they currently have nice selections. Check my blog on luxury product shopping before scooting off to buy one.
4. Make it a habit not to pull on the cable wires. Consistently pull by the head of the cable, whether the headphone cable or the charger cable. Never swing or dangle headphones by their cables. It's just good practice. Aside from preserving your cables, you'll automatically and subconsciously care better for your stuff.
5. Very importantly - Load your iDevices with lots and lots of music you love, and have different kinds of music for different occasions, and even podcasts for music and talks. My choices:
MUSIC FOR ENJOYMENT. I deeply enjoy contemporary and gospel Christian music, and the compilations by WOW and Passion of various artists and their top songs fill my music libraries. Their many albums are available on iTunes.
I need to share that I am so blessed that God enabled me to travel to so many places in Asia and Asia-Pacific (from Australia to Japan, China, Korea, HK, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia), to many states in the continental U.S., to some key cities in Europe (from Paris, Amsterdam, Innsbruck, Venice, Florence, Versailles, Keukenhoff, Rome, Brussels), to a few in Argentina (Buenos. Aires, Ushuaia) and a number of islands in Antarctica (King George, Deception, Paradise, Antarctic mainland at. Brown Bluff, etc.). And to more places I don't mention here. This is not bragging - but it's my personal memoir of God's great blessing and faithfulness to me.
Of all the travels, one of my most cherished seasons was in September to December 2009 when I was flying business class every two or three weeks from Singapore for a weekend with my family in Manila, before they relocated with me. I would fly on a late Friday night flight to Manila, and fly back to Singapore late Sunday. I'd often take PAL as it was more prudent on cost versus SQ, and I would find the flights totally enjoyable with the very friendly and personable flight stewards and stewardesses on Philippine Airlines. The cabin wouldn't be the best, especially compared to when I fly business class on Singapore Airlines on the mid-length flight to. Manila, but certainly the cabin is comfortable enough, and the food presentation, serving and taste are truly wonderful, and the staff cheerfully conversant (kudos to PAL). It was also very pleasant that on many of those flights, it would be just me or I plus one or two more occupying the whole business class section. The flight duration is also very suited for me to enjoy a good meal, then rest and draw inner peace after a heavy work week. I share this story because my Christian music has accompanied me on all those flights. Once the meal is done and the lights are dimmed, I would bring out my noise canceling headphones and enjoy Christian music while reading my Bible or a Christian book. And on those flights, in a cozy and private space in business class. I have enjoyed many of the most wonderful times of extended personal worship to God. Irreplaceable times! Such a blessing I am thankful for! And the headphones do add to that feeling of quiet solitude 30,000 feet in the air.
MUSIC FOR READING or journeying. I also have many albums of Ryan Farish, and a few songs of Davol, Kopas, and The Essence. These are mostly electronic music, and though I don't like that genre name, I enjoy the music without words but strong on mood and emotion. I find they add depth, mystery and enjoyment while reading my Christian novels or books on Creation and Christian apologetics. And when in a lively cafe or busy airport or plane, the music together with the noise canceling headphones blocks out much of the unwanted sounds, and it lets me enjoy or concentrate on what I'm doing.
Lately I've also greatly enjoyed a number of music podcasts from Eric Prydz - Epic Radio, and also the Panda Lounge Music Show. I find their podcasts really good while reading or driving (no headphones when driving!), and they're free on the podcasts store of Apple! Plus, unlike individual songs, these podcasts give you 40 minutes or an hour of continuous stringed music, so they're really good.
I'm curious on what others listen to while reading. I also have musical scores from movies, and choice classical music, though I listen to these less when reading now. Share with me what you listen to while reading?
PODCASTS FOR CHRISTIAN TALKS and for NEWS. You're not limited to music. My favorite podcasts now are Reasonable Faith and The Defenders Podcast by Dr. William Lane Craig. He has what seems like a couple of hundred podcasts, and I find the discussions very engaging, intellectually stimulating, plus I appreciate the commentaries on current affairs. So I started to go through his podcasts one by one from the beginning. When I'm not listening to Christian podcasts, I would listen to BBC World News or Tech News updates. All these are available for free on Apple podcasts.
Well, that's it for now. A long blog post, but I hope this will help you make better use of those premium headphones.
And if you can, share with me what you listen to when reading by leaving a comment.
Take care!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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