Listening to music has always been serious business for me. I started playing the violin professionally at the age of 5, eventually becoming the youngest girl to solo with the Chicago Symphony when I was 12: 8 sold-out concerts of 5,000 people each in Orchestra Hall. I became the youngest Principal Second violinist of Civic Orchestra of Chicago at the age of 17 and at age 18, I was Principal Second of Annapolis Symphony and Concertmistress of Annapolis Theater Orchestra. I had performed live on several radio stations.
One of the ways I was taught to study music – whether for solo or orchestral work – was to listen to tons of different recordings of a given piece. One local conductor even skeptically asked me if I had ever listened to a recording during an audition. I was tasked to listen for stylistic differences, tempos, even pick between different cadenzas.
Listening to music has inarguably become easier with MP3’s, except the quality of sound output of an MP3 player just isn’t the same. I know a famous Southern rocker who said he would never get an MP3 player, because the sound transmitted was just too squashed. It’s true. I had voiced that I used to love the Beatles so much, but I just wasn’t as moved in recent years. He suggested I listen on original vinyl. Point made.
But I travel a lot! I can’t always be sitting by my turntable. . . which is why I was so happy to be hosted to experience Audio-Technica’s Solid Bass over the ear headphones. The very design of an over the ear headphone seems to create a more stereo-like chamber with your ears, giving music lusher, richer and less tinny tones.
The headphones are very comfy and cushioning. I read different reviews of that online, but maybe some reviewers have elephantine ears.
To see how the bass was enriched with this product, I set my iPhone to bass booster in the music settings. Then, I started playing music that features probably my fave bass player: Ike Turner. Hey! Wanna yell at me over Tina? I’m here all day. The bass came out warm, clear, defined and yet not cheaply thumpy like a street boom box would be. I found myself singing along with my music more, enjoying it more. I also noticed rich sounds playing The Fifth Dimension, also known for funky bass lines.
They acoustically help seal off sound leakage, which is good if I want to play “Go Where You Wanna Go” a few times in a row. They fold flat, so that’s not bad in a purse or backpack. You can still answer calls on your phone while wearing the headset.
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