Gadget: Hifiman EF2A Headphone Amp

I'm a young guy. I don't have any intention of calling myself an audiophile. My expertise in Hi-Fi audio is at the level of an apprentice at best, but I am on the road. My most recent obsession was how to get the most out of a pair of studio headphones I bought for recording. When I first got them, I tried them out with some favorite tunes but was never impressed with the output. After months of dealing with their lack luster performance I had an epiphany. What if the headphones were just under-driven? The drivers are quite big to be fully powered by a sub-standard on-board sound card.

So I went looking for a headphone amp... something with charm, warmth, enough power and still budget friendly. These filters led me right to the Hifiman EF2A Tube headphone amp. It was easy to setup, just plugged it in via USB and Windows immediately recognized it as the default sound device. And from there it's just a matter of leveling it correctly. This is an important note which I found after doing a little research. Amps don't like to boost overly weak signals, so it's important to max out the volume on the PC first, then use the volume control on the amp to adjust to a comfortable level.

As for the sound... I am more than impressed. I finally understand what all these geeks are talking about when they say "sound stage." With this unit you can clearly hear the stage on which each instrument resides. There is so much space and clarity in whatever I throw it at, it's as if I'm listening to all of my favorites for the first time. The highs are crisp and unbelievably detailed and the lows are accurate and hit harder than I ever expected them to on this set of headphones. Overall I couldn't be happier, and this is still an entry level setup so I can only imagine what the really high end hardware sounds like...

As an aside, if you get this amp, I would recommend replacing the cheap Chinese made tubes with some old new stock made in the USA 6AK5's. You can find them all over the place on Ebay. They're not that pricey and give the amp a little more warmth.

5/5

Feature: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Consumerism

I was at a bar last Friday with my friend Josh. Upon entering, Josh captured the attention of a fairly attractive girl. She said, "Don't I know you from somewhere?" to which he replied, "I don't think so, but I get that a lot." He does get that a lot; he has one of those familiar faces that never seems burdened by internal conflict. The girl, who's name I can't remember at the moment, was with a few friends. They live in NYC and were in town visiting their stomping grounds, the bars that kept them sane while they attended College.

The overall interaction was going well, so well that the aforementioned girl asked me if I'd like to accompany her to a brewfest in the area the next day. I was glad to accept the invitation and immediately pulled out my phone to put in her number. This is when things fell apart... As I mentioned this girl was attractive, but it was her friend that had my attention for most of the night; she was tall, beautiful, but I knew from the start that the only reason she was there was to humor her friends. Her cold demeanor made it clear that she had no intention of wasting her time talking to a guy she'd never see again, and I understood this completely. But, I was not prepared for her reaction when I pulled out my phone. She sneered, she scoffed, she judged me without mercy. All this over my lack of a smart phone.

At the time this seemed like an overly harsh reaction, but it was explained. She works in marketing and her target demographic is young people with smart phones, so it's rare that she'll interact with anyone who doesn't have one. It's clear now that her actions were influenced by her profession and that there was no reason for me to take it personally, but in that moment I felt castrated.

I've always rebelled against what I perceive as consumerist marketing. I have a special hatred for marketing campaigns that insidiously work their way into the mainstream, causing people to feel abnormal for not buying the newest, shiniest products. I don't own a TV, I prefer to listen to music on a turntable, I prefer to read actual printed books. I've always argued that the tangible always outweighs the virtual. You can feel the tangible, you can own it, you can selectively share it, you can pass it on to future generations. The virtual is just a series of 1's and 0's, basically information; you can't own information and you shouldn't be sold information. Information can be shared, but not selectively. When you share information it is replicated infinitely without any practical means of control because information is addictive. We love new information; we love to fill in the framework of our perception of the world with as much detail and color as possible because the more you know about your environment, the more capable you are of navigating it.

And this instinctual addiction is why the marketing campaign that is the smart phone was so organically adopted. It is basically a tool to find and display information that you can carry with you. Now, I have to be clear. I have no problem with information sharing, I actually find the ability to answer questions immediately with google to be quite convenient, but is it necessary in my life? Not in the least bit. I have patience enough to wait until I get home to get my fix of information. I have no interest in keeping up with the social networking revolution. I'd much rather focus on my friends and my environment without distraction.

But, will I be buying a smart phone? I'm not entirely sure... I would love to meet someone like me. Someone who thinks a night spent inside listening to records by candlelight would be a great time. But, I've only met maybe 2 people in my 26 years who feel that way. So I'm faced with a conflict. I love people, I need to be around them constantly, to simply enjoy their company. I feel like every minute spent alone is a minute wasted. Having this particular character trait means I need to be accessible; I need to fit in with the majority. Right now the majority likes smart phones, and tablets, and social networking. So, given the ultimatum to buy into a few consumerist plots or to be alone, I'll take consumerism. I don't have to abandon my convictions completely; I can keep them close to my heart and wait patiently for someone to come along who shares them.