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UPDATED (22 DEC 16):
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As I play the game, I am also watching the anime online. All 180 episodes! I can binge watch!
All for FREE!
Wahahaha! Bad AK! Bad AK!
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I hear friends talking about getting good ear phones so that they can enjoy music on the go many times before.
A friend actually brought me to a shop in the basement of ION Orchard to look at these super earphones before and when I saw the prices, my jaw dropped.
I don't know if you believe me but a pair of these diminutive ear plugs, yes, they look like ear plugs, could cost more than $300 or $400!
How could something so small cost so much? It is simply mind boggling! What is more amazing is that some people actually buy the latest (expensive) ear phones as and when they become available!
When recommended to get a pair for myself, I politely declined, saying that I don't have use for earphones. Actually, that is not true. I do use earphones. I use them when I watch movies on my iPad. I use them when I travel. I use them when I go to the gym (once in a blue moon).
However, my earphones didn't cost me $300 or $400. They didn't even cost me $15, if I remember correctly.
So, what do my earphones look like?
I don't know if they still sell earphones like these. They come in a plastic case with a nifty rotating feature to reel in the cords neatly. I like the neat design very much.
I happen to leave my earphones on my desk today because I used them in the gym yesterday. A friend who was visiting remarked at the "antique".
Well, I must have had these ear phones since I was in college or when I was in National Service. I cannot remember exactly. So, they are pretty old but they still work.
I have shared in various blog posts before on the things I have and some of these things I have had for a long time and still using today. (See related posts below.) These ear phones are another example.
I don't see the need to get the latest gadgets which are usually rather expensive, anyway.
If the older stuff still work, unless there is a very good reason, we shouldn't replace them.
Waste not, want not.
Related posts:
1. Some of my stuff (Part 1).
2. Some of my stuff (Part 2).
3. Some of my stuff (Part 3).
4. How I earned $9,216 with a mug?
5. AK denied Starhub extra income!
Bloggy Award
18 comments:
Haha....ur current ear phones are good enough for your uses.
Those in-ear ear pieces are another league. For the same high quality digital music, using high end ear phones to listen and yours to listen quite different. One example which I experienced for myself is that I can even hear the musicians breathe with higher quality ones which I had never heard before on the same piece of music using other earphones.
Nevertheless, such are indeed wants for most people appreciating music leisurely.
I think for earphones for a certain quality it has to be in a certain price range. (Same for speakers).
I go for high clarity (my song files are lossless), so one of the best value buys I got was Koss UR40 (online shipped for $45). They are studio headphones with no noise cancelling.
There's a significant difference in clarity that is comparable to the next few price tiers, so a value buy for me. (There's obviously better ones in the higher price range but I don't really see the need for general use).
Many other phones are overhyped and paying more for branding like BOSE and Beats. Bang & Olufsen is a brand I recommend but strictly for audiophiles. What's better is that, online even after shipping is usually much much cheaper than local purchases and cards like FRANK allows rebate which gives even more discounts. =)
Indeed, AK,
I have a friend who works in the technical side helping Coporate do up the sound and visual for events meetings.
When renovating, he says he will go for low cost sound system, but the system he looks at cost about 1 k, I thought a tube sound bar of few hundreds will do the trick, no fair since I tone death LOL
He told me to get the real image, right size to appear on TV, you need at least 55 inch Tv.
I told my wife, my wife says siao. I happy, since we will be moving back to our HDb next year and is already having a headache about the possible expense of renovation!!
Talking about ear phones, me and my wife went to try out this Marshall headphones. It's one of those big DJ-ish headphones with leather cupping the ear, gold plated connections and a very matt black finishing with their brand Marshall embossed in gold. We listened to it and had musical organism right there and then. It's different if u can appreciate it.
The price tag? $329. I don't mind buying it if I listen to music a lot. But I don't. The weather locally is just too warm for those headphones that cups the ear completely. But recently I saw the same one selling at another store for 269...hmm maybe I can buy it for arbitrage lol
Hi all,
I guess I have to be thankful that I am not musically inclined. Haha... I still find it hard to believe that something so small could cost so much. Yes, I know that we have to pay for the R&D etc. LOL.
Well, I guess we have our own poison. ;)
Hi AK, for earphone, you need to test at the shop with your own to tell. It can be a hell lot of differences to your Quality of Life. I once try a branded one in taipei. I can literally hear someone behind me knocking. The sounds tricked me 3 times to turn my head around. That's how clear it is. Is another level of enjoyment which if you can afford to try, from my personal.experience. btw Beats brand to me is normal actually. And i do not know much about musics.
Hi Cory,
LOL. I believe you. Really, I do. :)
I think I better not experience it for myself. I don't want to be tempted to buy one.
See what happened after a good friend gave me his old iPad so many years ago? I went and bought 2 iPad2s for my mom and niece soon after! More recently, I bought 2 iPad Minis for my mom and myself. All refurbished by Apple but they still cost me quite a bit of money. -.-"
I must remember the Lord's Prayer. "And lead us not to temptation..." ;p
Haha it's because it's small, that's why it's expensive. I have a pair of $200 earphones which isolate some noise and gives me some tranquility in this busy city. For me, the peace offered is priceless.
But better not to know luxury. Ignorance is bliss :)
Cannot imagine getting a pair of earphones for more than $10. Let alone those in hundreds of dollars.
Thankfully I'm not musically inclined. As long as it works, I'm a happy lad.
Mine is a S$30+ headphones from popular bookstore to listen to my financial podcasts clearly.
mine is $0. it come with mobile phone which I renew every year. hhaa earphone is $0 but the phone is not cheap :(
I know exactly which shop you are referring to - my jaws also dropped when a friend brought me there. Lucky for me, I don't even use the free ear piece from Apple as it gives me an ear ache.
May I scare you by telling that in the future, you may shell out thousands ( read $10k) for a pair of ear piece?!? What more, it uses the expensive round batteries only and requires a chance every week or so!!!!
just curious. ak using atas iphone, samsung or?
Hi OT,
I never pay for my mobile phones de. Samsung Galaxy Ace. Free phone from re-contract. ;p
I remember the brand now BOSE. Ofcourse there are many models so need to try out as not all may be good. As said is quality of life and is for music. I do not have musical inclination but i can clearly hear the differences.
interesting, during my NSF days my bunk mate brought me to this shop, and I bought a Koss for 200+ after trying it. I still remember plugging it to my ipod and blasting metal tracks to "wear in" the headphones, and no I wasnt wearing it during the process!
nowadays I get by with just a simple pair of earphones. I suppose it was because it was army, so I had plenty of time to sit/lie around listening to music then
Hi Ak,
How do we evaluate if one is cheap or expensive? I remembered that I had bought a blue swimming trunk from Montmartre at only €5, it looked very good and the price was very cheap. It was okay, until it was soaked. It was too sexy from the front when leave the water. I ended up spent more time in the water and more night swim. It however lasted for 2 years before i replaced it. S$4.50 per year.
I had later bought another Nike trunk at S$25, it gave me better protection and total peace of mind, I am still using it 5 years later. $5 per year.
Hence, if it ended at the similar figures, why not getting
a better one? Anyway, I would prefer spending less time evaluating the trivial decision. Haha...
Casey
Hi Casey,
Swimming trunks? I used the one issued to me by the SAF for almost 10 years. That was free of charge. LOL. ;p
I like to get value for money but I am also under no illusion that its determination is an objective exercise. In fact, it is most probably very subjective.
If a pair of $300 high tech earphones should be marked down to clear at $150, someone who has been thinking of buying the earphones should probably buy them. A 50% savings would represent great value for money for him.
However, for someone like me, I would still think that the earphones are too extravagant but I would acknowledge that paying $150 is better than paying $300 for the same thing. ;)
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