Music - food for the soul
0 - 12 years old
All I think about was to escape the comfort of home and run out towards the world filled with freedom. I'd sign up for multiple CCAs (Core Curriculum Activities) just so that I could head to school when I wake up and stayed in school till the days are over. Freedom, is what I seek.
13 - 18 years old
Girls, of course :)) The better looking part of me exists then, often having girls here and there just to fill my ego, or to justify my "good-looking" face. Having the prettiest or having many girls fall head over heels for me... WAIT, it's simply attention that I seek.
19 years old and counting ...
Quality of life; It's not how long you've live your life, but how much life you've lived, from the span of life given to you. Hence, one of my many needs; my indulgence in audio, my 7 odd years of collection...
My collection thus far
Test-bench
Source + Amp
Alessandro MS1 (Woody-cup mod)
My portables: Meelectronics A151 (Single Balance Armature), Westone UM1 (Single Balance Armature) & TDK IE800 (Dual Dynamic drivers)
And then we have the finalists
Alessandro MS1 vs AKG K601 vs TDK IE800
Outcome
Performance
1. AKG K601 (8.85pts)
2. TDK IE800 (6.93pts)
3. Alessandro MS1 (6.75pts)
The scores were tabulated based on: Bass (5%), Mids(20%), Treble(10%), Clarity(15%), Vocals(15%), Soundstage(20%), Fatique(10%) & Comfort(5%).
S$ per point
1. Meelectronics A151 (S$14.21)
2. Alessandro MS1 (S$14.81)
3. AKG K601 (S$16.95)
$ per point refers to the dollar to performance you are paying for, the lower the better. Do not use this as rule of thumb because I paid ridiculously low price for my gears. AKG retails at S$400 i bought at S$150 and the TDK cost S$220 and I bought it at S$120
Overall
1. AKG K601
2. Alessandro MS1 tied with Meelectronics A151
3. TDK IE800
The above takes into consideration cost and performance at equal weights.
Source: Zune HD
Amp: Objective2 Amp
Interconnects: Canare with Neutrik plug
Songs:
1. Tango De Los Exilagos (Vanessa Mae)
2. Fall in Love (Olivia)
3. Bye Bye Beautiful (Nightwish)
Appendix:
Bass: music on low frequencies with least vibrations that last longer, feels like heart thumping beats to your chest. Drums and Cello
Mids: Where most of the vocal ranges and details are.
Treble: The harsh high notes, like car tyre screeches, they can be absurdly irritating or music to the ears like Vanessa Mae's violin chops.
Soundstage: The sound coming from the space in between instruments. A reproduction of how you would feel like, in a concert hall, or a recording studio
Fatigue: Length of time before you have to let your ears breath. Fatigue is usually caused by muddy bass or harsh treble which irritate the shit out of people.
Clarity: The actual reproduction and separation of details like how a violin should sound like at the crescendo or how Fish Leong would sound like, singing next to you without a mic.
Vocals: Solely concentrated on the reproduction of singer's voice, excluding the influence from the music/effects
Comfort: Design of the cables, headbands, size of the nozzle etc
I'll let the numbers do the talking instead of going into the details :))
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Well, in a nutshell, that has always been how my brain function when it comes to my purchases. The poor needs to very well keep in mind what he needs or wants, and then justify for the purchase. It doesn't just ends there, you'll need to review all your purchases again after the technological changes etc. This is the only part of my habits that, I will ever have the discipline to maintain.
That said, even when bought the UM1 @ a $60 discount, it cost twice as much as I would have liked to pay. Pissed the shit out of me for making that purchase.
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Pardon the blur images, still cannot get used to how my crazy 9.6mps phone camera works.
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