Sunday 11 May 2008

When Headphones Go Bad

Yesterday my headphones decided not to work properly.

What was strange was that there was still music coming through but it sounded out of phase, like the bass and vocals were removed.

It seemed like I just got them yesterday too. A blog is useful to check these things. Here it is! Okay, 12th of July. Not so recent then.

Luckily I still have the box and receipt from way back then. Unfortunately the warranty is written in Japanese so I couldn't tell how long it was valid for. Looking online it said Panasonic's warranty was only six months (from an American website).

I thought I'd take it into Yodobashi Camera and try my luck if they'd still fix it.

I had some library items due in the next two days so I thought it'd a good time to bring them back as well. I played the catchers and lost, so I wasn't too pleased. I am REALLY trying to cut back on this.

Expecting Yodobashi to blow me off saying it was out of warranty, the guy just said take it to the basement where the repair section was. Sweet.

While I was there I decided to check out other headphones. Particularly the old retro "over-the-head" cans style.

There was a Kenwood KH-K1000 (Sound Meister Edition) ( Japan only) that i really liked for 29,800 yen. It has excellent overall sound with great sound imaging and deep, clear bass. One thing is, the cans are huge!

I liked a pair of Bose Triport headphones. These were cheaper at 19,750 yen. Some nice bass and a clear sound too. Probably not as good as the Kenwood ones, but they were a little more comfortable around the ears.

I've heard good things about UE in-ear phones, but they are a little pricey here.

I also got some more Don Simon juice from Yamaya as well. Almost got some Canadian Club or Smirnoff. Each bottle is 980 yen. That's amazing. Back home it was at least $25. Damn government taxes.

For now the best option is just to wait for my Panasonic headphones to be fixed, but what am I going to do in the meantime? I may have to wear my Rilakkuma headphones for now.

That should be interesting.

Oh, Happy Mother's Day, mamammy..

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