Listening to music again

It’s been almost a week with my Shure earphones.  They’ve taken some getting used to.  I didn’t think it would be possible to have the need to research how to use headphones, but I’ve been reading this past week.  I’ve tried them in different positions, sleeves, and techniques, but I’ve been struggling to be comfortable.  I used the smallest rubber sleeves initially, but switched to the smallest foam ones.  I’ve read that the best way to use the earphones is to pull you earlobes forward and out to straighten the ear canal, then insert earphones.

My earphones have arrived

With some additional tweaking, I think I’m finally comfortable.  However, it has introduced another question: when is it worth it to listen to music?  Case in point: I’ll get all set up, start listening to music in the conference room, and then someone wants to talk to me.  I’ll scowl, take the earphones out, talk, then spend 2 mins getting set up again.  Then another question.

Still, I think I’m okay, as of this afternoon.  They do sound pretty good.  I think the best way to describe the benefit is how the music sounds clearer — it could even be described as “crisper.”  I did some work late Thursday night, and I found that I can listen to music on the absolute lowest audible volume setting in a quiet house.  Amazingly clear.  Check back with me in a couple of days.

Speaking of music, I read an article over the summer, How we learned to stop listening to music, by Steve Guttenberg.  It made me realize how I was not so much listening to music, as much as enjoying background noise with a beat. I may not be the only one out there.  So for a change of pace, I’m trying to actually listen to what is currently playing, not just have it playing in the background.  I’m enjoying it more.