61. When noise cancelling cancels out reality
Noise-cancelling technology is incredible. That’s all I have to say about the technical side of it personally, but you can learn more about it here from the experts at Sony. As a consumer and music lover, to say it elevates the listening experience is just the beginning.
The pair I received last Christmas were the only thing I requested, specifically to be compatible with my electronic drumkit, and I have nothing but good things to say about them. The quality of sound that comes from them has allowed me to hear my favourite songs of years past in a whole new light.
Oh, you didn’t notice that slight note change or hidden backing vocals in the song you’ve been listening to for a decade? Pop on a pair of these headphones and those details will suddenly be crystal clear. There is truly nothing I love more than finding new reasons to love my favourite songs even more. It makes me want to crawl into one of those cushioned headphones and immerse myself in the song, nestling between the synths and harmonies.
However, when donning my irreplaceable headphones, what noises am I cancelling around me? Why must I be sacrificing the sounds of the world, each time I want to partake in my daily listening? Is it worth missing the arguing couple’s shameless screaming match on the footpath? No, it could have been the most interesting part of my day!*
The murmurs of the morning tram, children’s playful conversations next to me at a cafe and tram-stop announcements are all suddenly irrelevant and missing from my environment. For better or for worse. Those kids could have inspired something for my blog, unlocking a part of my mind I haven’t explored in a while. My head down, scrolling through SubStack, I missed the tram stop I get on and off at every morning and night.
And those recommendations from respectfully eavesdropping on the women next to me at the crossing? Forget them! You can’t hear the women yap! You have missed a Melbourne deep cut recommendation that Broadsheet simply couldn’t provide; the locals know best!
Even sitting in the office, once advertised as a “highly collaborative environment”, is whittled down to a space of silence, where non-work-related chatting is borderline frowned upon and spooking someone who has their noise-cancelling ear buds in is awkward and far too common.
We must consider if creating a noise-cancelling listening environment where our podcast host sounds as if they are right next to us is worth missing the natural entertainment, learning and inspiration the sounds around us can bring? So if you’re lucky enough to still have a pair of corded headphones handy (so brat), I ask you to use them instead on your next commute to work or the gym and tell me what you observed!
*I hope the couple worked through the issue, even without the insightful advice I could have imparted (or as my mum would call it, my two-bobs).
There may be a little less writing and a little more dancing soon… make sure you’re following along on Instagram @lottstosay.blog and on TikTok @lottstosay.com where I’ll be sharing fun videos from my upcoming travels!
