I'm not really sure at what point I fixed on the idea of getting a pair of Bose Noise-Cancelling headphones. I think it was probably sometime during 2007 or 2008, aka the Airmiles Years, in which I was back and forth - lucky me - to London, Budapest, Athens, Tokyo and LA with quite substantial frequency, and seemed to see people everywhere with these wonderful headsets. And for Christmas last year I got a pair, at last! They are everything one might dream of, and more.
I think they make a rather strange status-symbol, though. Wearing them on a plane really is tantamount to being able to switch off completely, and ignore safety announcements, flight attendants, children, drunks etc. Admittedly the technology is such that the headphones are not in a position to block fully the sound of someone talking to you - probably just as well - but the reduction in low-level hum is little short of miraculous.
As for the sound quality - the first thing I played through them was Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto, and it was quite an experience. This is a piece I know pretty well, but it was like listening to it entirely anew. The colours that these babies bring to your ears are astonishing!
No comments:
Post a Comment