Yuzu is right. We do need lots of earphones.
This story starts out in one place but heads in a totally different direction. Stick with me. It will be worth it, I promise.
I had seen / heard Yuzu online discussing the value of different headphone design and technical specifications. I don’t understand a lot about levels, frequencies and decibels but I can decipher the difference between good and crap.
I thought I might try some of these headphones that Yuzu had in his tiny little collection of 50+ for competition days. Obviously I can not afford thousands of dollars so I tried to go with the most expensive I could afford and that would double as exercising earphones.
First, I bought Beats Powerbeats3 Wireless Earphones. Cost around $250AUD. They were pretty bad - uncomfortable fit when worn with the sunnies and a cap whilst walking and not good at blocking out traffic noise. Waste of money – just sitting in a side drawer, unused.
Then I bought Jaybird Tarah Pro (more expensive - $300, more fit options et.). Could not find a good fit. Too many equaliser options. Could not find the right sound. Just nah. Too hard basket. Sent them back.
After trying these two I kinda gave up trying the stuff that Yuzu uses. Got too hard, spent too much money.
Today, I just ran into Big W at lunch time (kind of like a cheap department store) to pick up a set of cheap earphones so I could go walking. Nothing spesh, just really cheap, plug it into the phone, chuck it in the ear holes and walk out the door type earphones. They are ($34) Sony MDR-EX15AP combined with my old Samsung Galaxy S9 straight out of the box – no mucking around, no changing settings – just plug them into the phone and straight into the ear holes. Got them home and thought I would give them a go whilst watching Skate Canada Origin.
These cheap ass headphones have just blown my bloody mind!!!!!
I have so many thoughts running around in my head right now I just have to write them down.
I have bass! Which means I can now hear that the Origin music has drums!
THE SOUNDS!!!! I CAN HEAR THEM ALL!
The sound of the first jump landing in time to the music!
And the sound of the crowd going crazy!
AND ALL THE OTHER SOUNDS DURING THIS PERFORMANCE – there are so many sounds and instruments in the music!!!!!
They go all the way through the performance – it’s like a shower in sound.
The drums, the flute, the violin, the shuu…pahh of the landings, the cutting of the ice with his skates, the silence of expectation, the sound of my heart beating with every single tiny note of this music.
I have the volume up as loud as it will go and I am IMMERSED in the sound of Origin. No, not just the sound – the experience of Origin. Is this even a tiny part of what it is like to be in the physical vicinity of Yuzuru Hanyu?
How in any world can Yuzu even concentrate when the audience is that loud! The sound of the crowd fills my heart with joy and makes me feel like I am right there in the stadium, cheering Yuzu on at every jump.
The sounds make me feel as If I am walking through every single step of this performance, like we the audience are trying to lift Yuzu’s axels on the wings of a wall of sound – like we are giving him that extra turn or centimetre just so he does not have to put that effort in.
I have listened / watched once already just for the sound quality of these earphones. Then again to listen to the Origin music itself as it was composed. Then again to catch all the individual instruments and how they fit together. Then again to enjoy Yuzu’s performance whilst skating to the Origin music. Each time my heart is filled to overflowing with so many emotions.
JOY at an art so expressive ·
Unexpected DESIRE at how beautiful this man is – I had not seen it before but boy, oh boy, do I see it now! I cannot take my eyes off his beautiful form.
A Guttural and visceral reaction at the FIERCENESS of this program.
So many more emotions that I just cannot put into words right now.
An observation – I don’t know if what I am hearing is coming directly through the video channel or if it is the sound from within the auditorium. But I think that if Yuzu wanted a job after retiring he could go around to all the venues and keep their sound system in tip top shape.
Anyway back to the orgasmic experience that is hearing all the sounds: The sound of the violin at the start of the step sequence! I cannot believe I used to live in a world where I could not hear all the sounds in a performance.
I have never been to an ice show or figure skating event. Since I discovered Yuzu just a couple of months ago I have been wondering what it would be like to be there in person. I wonder if it is worth paying so much money just to go watch this man on the ice for a total of 6 or 7 minutes. I wonder if I might just get exactly the same experience just watching it on TV. It would be cheaper and I can do it in my jarmies whilst drinking Sunkist and eating chocolate.
But, thanks to these Sony earphones I have changed my mind – I HAVE TO GO TO WHERE YUZU AND THE CROWD ARE. I have just heard what it must sound like inside the stadium. The crowd is deafening. Overwhelmingly deafening. It makes me wonder how Yuzu can even concentrate on what he is doing when the crowd is that loud!.
Right, that’s it – now going to go listen to Seimei!
And Yuzu, if you ever read this – I understand now why you have so many earphones. This is truly a life changing experience! I never knew there were so many sounds in the world. :)