Great bass response, maybe a little too much, though... and the treble is a touch low. Nothing a well-tuned equalizer can't solve, though. So, for the price ($71.99), these seem like awesome earbud headphones.
I hate Sony. So I wrote them the following letter:
Daniel N. Fishman [Address Censored for Privacy Retention Purposes - Nosy Bastards!] Boston, MA 02115
September 19, 2007
Sony Electronics Inc. 12451 Gateway Blvd. Fort Meyers, FL 33913
To Whom It May Concern:
I purchased a pair of Sony earbud headphones (MDR-EX71SLA) in January of this year. Four months later, 30 days after the manufacturer’s warranty had expired, the headphones stopped working (the right earbud no longer produced sound). I took the headphones into the Sony Style store in Copley Place Mall in Boston, Mass., where I had purchased them four months prior. The manager gave me a new pair without my receipt or the box in which they came, no additional questions asked. Great, I thought. Four months later, 30 days after the new manufacturer’s warranty had expired on the new headphones, the right earbud stopped working in the exact same manner in which the previous pair had. I went back into the store, on September 18, 2007, and spoke to Nick Hiatt, manager on duty for the evening. The staff was not helpful in the least; I waited 15 minutes for Mr. Hiatt to hurriedly tell me that there was nothing he could do for me – even though I had purchased an obviously faulty product designed to break down just past the warranty deadline. Even with the receipt and the original packaging (which I was sure to keep the second time around) in which the headphones came, I was denied satisfaction. Mr. Hiatt commented that I should have purchased the extended care program when I first purchased the product (insurance on a $50 pair of headphones!) Typically, these programs are a scam, designed to earn the manufacturer a lot of extra money while costing them very little in turn. Usually, the offer of a service plan means that the product is of high quality and the insurance is unnecessary (and thus profitable), or that it’s a faulty product and the insurance provides an endless line of inferior headphones to replace each broken pair – I trusted that coming from a familiar brand, supposedly known for its quality, that the extended service plan was merely a safety net for higher-end products of much greater value. I figured there was no way the headphones would stop functioning so quickly outside the manufacturer’s warranty under normal use. I was wrong. I will gladly pay more money for a more reliable brand that believes in a quality product and the utmost customer satisfaction. More often than not, however, those competing brands are even less expensive than Sony. It is dishonest to operate as a company that relies on the ignorance of the consumer to spend money on a Sony product that is inferior, just because of name recognition. I assumed Sony to be a company worthy of trust, and blindly (see: ignorantly) went to the Sony store looking for a moderately-priced, quality product without any prior research. I refuse to make the same mistake of being an uninformed consumer again. After reading several reviews from magazines, websites, and consumers, I made an informed purchase from a competing brand that makes similar products of a much higher quality. Not on a single one of those reviews did I see a Sony product rated in the top 5, or even top 10. I see which direction the Sony Corporation has gone in, and it disappoints me greatly. The basis of running a business is to respect the customer; it is nice to see that Sony has left the consumer behind in the name of cost cutting. Congratulations! I will never purchase a Sony product again – not for myself; not for my business; not for my friends, family, or even my enemies (as punishment). Never. Good luck in years to come – your business will surely continue to thrive with its ever-dissolving customer base.
No, Infected Mushroom is not an STD. They're a band. From Israel. Crazy, angry, Jew techno. Incredible.
Friday night, I went to axis right after work, planning to see Infected Mushroom.
Sold out.
My friend Nicole, working inside, said they would be releasing about 200 tickets at 10 PM, so we stayed in line. We were maybe 15-20 people back from the front of the line, so we figured we were safe. No worries. 10 PM rolled around, still "sold out". Apparently, they thought fewer people on the guest list/will call would actually show up.
So, we waited.
And waited...
At 11:45, we left. We decided to just give up and go home; we missed the concert, oh well. Next time, buy tickets in advance (though it wasn't really that easy, because I was PISSED).
5 minutes after we left, Nicole text messaged me saying they were FINALLY selling tickets. The price was now $30 (up from $15) and going up every few minutes. We rushed back, got in line, and were told to wait. They requested the miniature, purple tickets they had given us to hold our place in line -- we had thrown them out when we left out of frustration (plus, we figured they were useless, and they had only given them to us to get us to vacate the front of the building).
After pleading with the bouncer, who remembered us from earlier in the evening, Barone, Steve and myself got let in. We were the last 3 people allowed into the bulding. We walked up to the ticket window, and who was there? Nicole. She gave us free tickets.
We were finally inside, a bit disoriented, loud house music playing on the PA; we made our way near the stage. We had arrived just in time to see Infected Mushroom take the stage for their first song (drummer, keyboard/synth guy, metal guitarist who looked like Slash from GNR, and bald-headed, crazy, lead singer who looked like Shrek (only white, not green)).
Not only did we get in for free, but we missed NOTHING (except opening local DJs). IM played from 12:15 until 2:00 AM, assaulting my eardrums with angry Jew trance. What was going on in the crowd, I cannot even describe. I wish my pictures turned out alright, but, alas, they are garbage.
I danced my face off, completely sober, and sweat through everything I was wearing (though it was so hot and we were packed in so tight, it was probably sweat from not only myself but every other attendee surrounding me).
Here's the song they opened the night with (though live it's way more intense [the lyrics are ridiculous]):
When the show got out, my ears were ringing. They were still ringing Saturday at work. I didn't regain my hearing until Sunday afternoon. For awhile, I was legitimately frightened that I had permanently lost my hearing. It was quite scary.
Speaking of Sunday, the Lions won. 1-0. Undefeated. Keep it up.
Tonight was Old Man Rusteika's 21st birthday (and Lucy's 20th birthday). Tim was HAMMERED drunk (and so was Lucy [good luck to her at work tomorrow morning]). That pretty much wraps things up.
A view of the park on the way in. At this point, I'm shaking with excitement like a small child awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus. Except Cedar Point is real, and fucking Santa Claus isn't. Stupid kid. I'm way cooler than you.
Ride #1. It swung back and forth like a pendulum, while the end of it spun in circles. I vomited 11 times before, during and after this ride. I don't remember what it was called, but the name was super hanky, as can be expected.
Ahhh, yes, the Mantis. We were walking by it and the wait was approximately 10 minutes, so we had to ride it. You stand up during the ride and it puts a ton of pressure on your knees and balls. It really hurts, and I regret riding it every time. I can't wait to ride it again next time I go, so I can regret it.
The giant first hill of the Millenium Force. Possibly the best roller coaster ever. It's like the Jr. Gemini or the Blue Streak, except exactly the opposite. Fun.
The Mean Streak. It's called the mean streak because it's the most painful rollercoaster ever designed. It is or was the largest/fastest wooden roller coaster in America (the world?), and I sustained permanent kidney damage from riding it. There was literally no line, though, so how can I turn it down? A little bit of internal bleeding is worth it. Honestly, it feels like each kidney has a separate jackhammer going to town on it, for about 3 minutes.
This ride is seriously sweet. The "Top Thrill Dragster" (their marketing team is really genius). It launches you from a complete stop to 120 mph in about 2 or 3 seconds, then you go up that hill, and back down at probably 90 mph. It lasts 30 seconds and is the best 30 seconds ever. If you ever go to Cedar Point and don't ride this, you are an idiot.
This is the launching area for the dragster. I don't know why I took a picture of it, and now you have to look at it. Enjoy.
The Raptor. The last ride we went on, it made us all incredibly dizzy and might have given Colin a concussion. We rode more rides than those pictured here, but it was a long day of extreme heat, and a great deal of sweating that resulted in a high degree of lethargy.
Notice said lethargy. I think I might have caught Dan picking his nose. That's awesome.
Pizza buffet. Dan decided to get peach slices with his pizza and salad. He did wash his hands after picking his nose, by the way. He's classy like that.
Look at how beautiful Dan's plate is. Very colorful, well-balanced, and an excellent presentation. Canned peaches have never looked so good. That's chicken, bacon and ranch pizza, too, if you're keeping score at home. Delicious.
Believe it or not, those are all the pictures I took at Cedar Point (and the pizza buffet). I didn't even take pictures of other stuff at home. I need to get better about that so you can share in my fun.
The last 10 days have been maybe the most successful trip home since I moved to Boston in 2004. I saw (almost) everyone I wanted to see, spent quality family time with both mom and dad, made it to both East Lansing (Mich. State) and Ann Arbor (U of Mich.), saw the Lions, the Tigers, went to Cedar Point, got some rest, ate way too much, and didn't exercise enough.
Every time I leave home after a visit, I experience overwhelming guilt. Mom gets very sad when I leave, and it makes me feel awful. Dad gets sad, too, and Paula always cries (she's a crier). Most of the guilt is associated with the feeling that I'm abandoning my family - some of it is associated with the amount of unhealthy eating I've done without any exercise to counterbalance it (see: leading cause of obesity). After every visit, I feel terrible until life returns to normal (after about 2 days). I don't know if this guilty feeling is called for, but it happens - without fail - every time I come back to Michigan. In a way, I think it's my inability to forget where I'm from and who matters most. This is a good thing.
Even if I say, "Soda", I will always drink pop. No matter where I end up, Michigan will always be home. Until Christmas time, I bid you adieu, O' Wolverine State. Farewell.
