Hello everyone (whoever wasting their time reading this)!!!
My name is Subhabrata Joarder, by profession I am a government employee. I was born and brought up at a village near Indo-Bangladesh border. Though from a village, one thing I have had access to is music from my childhood. I have always listened to my father singing (he is one of the finest singers I have ever herd) at home and in musical functions. My listening journey have started from listening to him. I have always dreamt of being a singer but with a voice like buffalo calf could not peruse. So, instead I became an admirer of others singing.
My listening to recorded music has started at the age of 4-5 years, with an AIWA portable cassette player (Walkman) that my father had. As a child I did not have the permission to touch the player, only to listen when my father played it. From him I have learnt to take care of my gears. My taste of music developed from very early age listening to Tagore songs, Indian classical, western classical, Bengali folks, Ghazals etc. I have been introduced to western pop, rock, metal later by friends. Now I listen to every music at least once depending on how much it pleases me.
At the age of 14 my love for audiophile gear truly began. My father gave me a Sony Walkman of my own. Thereafter all my pocket money was gone to buy audio cassettes. Unfortunately, the Walkman gave up on me just after 2 years. I was without any listening device for at least 2 years thereafter. Then the digital era came, bought a VCD player. Then I bought a Nokia mobile and listened to FM for a period of time. After that I bought a Transcend MP3 player, it served me for good 5 years. In this period, I tried many Philips, Panasonic and Sony headphones with this MP3 player. I have always preferred portable setup than the desktop ones. Listening to music sitting at one place for long is not my cup of tea.
From the very beginning of my listening journey, I was sure about one thing that “I cannot live without listening to music!” Listening to good music helped me whenever the night felt sleepless, whenever the math problem seemed unsolvable, dull mood needed to be uplifted, whenever I am painting or practicing calligraphy (my two other hobbies) or a in fight with the loved ones. I believe with right kind of music, anyone can overcome any hurdle of life with ease, it is an instrument of relaxing one’s soul.
This is all the bright sides of music listening. There is a dark side too………. you will always find yourself light-pocketed if you deep dive in this hobby. My first extravagant buy was a Fiio X1 gen 1 Hi-res player. Thereafter, the urge has grown exponentially over the years. Now I cannot remember how many times I have decided not to go farther deep but failed eventually (thank God, I am still doing it!!!!!!). This habit has taken me so far that I have lost count of how may IEMs, HPs, TWSs, DACs and DAPs I actually have. I still find myself planning to buy a new gear every time I get money or preparing for the same and saving money for the purchase! Currently I have 6 kilo-buck IEMs like UM Mest MkII, Sennheiser IE900, Campfire audio Solaris. I also have budget IEMs like Blon BL03, VE Monk in my collection. The fact is that I love all of my gears equally irrespective of price range they belong.
If you are the one who is starting your audiophile journey, my suggestion is that at first confirm your taste in music. What kind of music you listen to is going to affect the future of your collection of gears. Please do not choose music to listen to music, choose gear according to your taste in music. In the process try not to depend on the reviews on websites and youtube, instead try it for yourself if possible or talk directly to the person who have it. Almost all the heavyweight reviewers online are from western world, if you have taste in Indian music, their reviews can not help you choosing your gear. Always spend your money wisely, not every time expensive means the best. Start at grass root level, with time and experience you will mature yourself. At first no one can tell the difference between a Rs. 2000 IEM or headphone and Rs. 50000 worth one. So be patient. Do not depend on others, make your own choice more.
Ok, I am not trying to bore you any longer. Just feel the music and be happy.
