The New Yorker Dithering Series should be an interesting one to read. When my over-ear Phillips headphones gave out in March, I began coming into the office with my giant Sennheiser headphones connected to my iPod. My boss commented, "Why on earth would you connect those headphones to your iPod to listen to awful quality mp3s?" Well, mainly, out of convenience (because I had no other headphones and I hate the feel of ear buds) and secondly because they acted as ear muffs in the long winter. BUT, in reality, the sound quality of mp3s fare pretty well today.
When I'm commuting to work half asleep in the morning, I just want to zone out to the guilty pleasure that is Rihanna instead of acknowledging the fact that I'm squished between someone who just delayed our train by catching the doors as they were closing, and the people awake enough to yell at him. The combination of gigantic headphones and a pocket-sized device, complete with days of music longer than I would be able to survive in a desert, get the job done.
This isn't to say that I don't care about sound quality. I still prefer listening to CDs and Vinyl at home (oh, if I could only transport my record player from Seattle to Brooklyn with those huge old 1970s speakers!). When my iPod decided to stop working in April (2009 has proved to be the year that all the electronics I bought in 2005 are calling it quits), I resurrected my Discman. Connected to Sennheisers, the sound is full and enveloping. I was hearing things I didn't realize existed in Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest. Unfortunately, Senor Discman only lasted a week in my New York City commute.
This isn't to say that I don't care about sound quality. I still prefer listening to CDs and Vinyl at home (oh, if I could only transport my record player from Seattle to Brooklyn with those huge old 1970s speakers!). When my iPod decided to stop working in April (2009 has proved to be the year that all the electronics I bought in 2005 are calling it quits), I resurrected my Discman. Connected to Sennheisers, the sound is full and enveloping. I was hearing things I didn't realize existed in Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest. Unfortunately, Senor Discman only lasted a week in my New York City commute.
So, we arrive back at the fact that convenience and portability play more of a function in the consumption of music than ever before. But, perhaps for those still nostaglic for days before, you can go with this?
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