EDM - Electronic Dance Music (2017 and before)
When I was still in primary school, I used to watch lots of YouTube videos on games like Minecraft. Back then, a lot of these videos had intros or bgm with EDM. It was these video that introduced me to modern EDM.
The first EDM producer that I really liked was Tobu from NoCopyrightSounds. If I remember correctly, their song “Hope” was the one that attracted me into listening to EDM. Since then, I started to search for more EDM that appealed to my taste. In my early secondary school days, I’d put on earphones and blast EDM through them during commute between home and school.
Subsequently, I discovered other EDM producers like Snail’s House and Subtact. They both produced EDM in this subgenre called future bass, which became one of my favorite EDM subgenres later on.
Power Metal/Heavy Metal (2017 to 2019)
During my mid-secondary school days, I was in kind of an “edgy” state where I tried to be unique and different from my peers. I was also looking for music that has more force and passion than EDM. Metal music was exactly what I was looking for. Though I didn’t like metal that much at first, it grew on me the more I listened to it. The energetic drumming, insanely satisfying electric guitar riffs (with distortion), and the powerful vocals were what finally made me stick to metal.
My favorite metal bands are DragonForce and Sabaton. Both of them produce power metal which is a subgenre of heavy metal that combines speed and melody. I also listen to some other more famous bands such as Metallica and Avenged Sevenfold.
Me trying out metal music was the single most influential event to my taste in music. Nowadays, I still frequently listen to power metal even though my preference nowadays has shifted to Japanese-influenced symphonic metal.
Symphonic Metal/J-pop (2019 to now)
Anime influenced me in many aspects including music. In 2019, I started playing the rhythm game “osu!” which is heavily influenced by Japanese culture, just like many other rhythm games such as Muse Dash and Cytus.
Osu introduced me to a number of Japan-based metal bands such as Imperial Circus Dead Decadence (ICDD) and Ariabl’eyeS. Since I was already interested in metal, these bands quickly became my new favorites.
The new favorite bands of mine are slightly different from the power metal bands mentioned above as they also utilize classical orchestra instruments such as string instruments in addition to metal music instruments. The combination of metal and symphonic melody fascinated me as someone who used to practice violin and participated in an orchestra.
Some other bands that produced symphonic metal which I really like include Dragon Guardian and Unlucky Morpheus.
Apart from symphonic metal, osu made me interested in J-pop also. I discovered the band ツユ(Tuyu) which produces this pop-rock type of music. Their works are both beautiful and inspiring (especially when there’s a guitar solo).
And of course, I do listen to anime songs, specially ones that have a rock characteristic such as Alchemy from Angel Beats! and God knows from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
Earbud & IEM Collection
I own a small number of flathead earbuds and IEMs. All of the music equipment I own are usually considered budget and entry-level by the audiophile community. I don’t look for high-end earphones because first, I’m a broke university student, and second, I believe music is highly subjective, and I don’t think looking for absolute fidelity in music is necessary. Moreover, I mainly listen to metal, which already has a great amount of distortion on the part of electric guitars so I don’t think having a bit more distortion would be noticeable (in fact I definitely can’t tell).
You may have noticed that I only own earbuds and IEMs. Why no headphones? To tell the truth, I used to listen to music on headphones but there’re a few things that I just can’t stand. Because I wear glasses, when I have my headphones on, no matter if they’re on-ear or over-ear, they still press my glasses toward my skull and I’d feel pain after some time. Another thing I can’t stand is headphone hair. When I wear headphones for even an hour, a dent in my hair will be created and it’s very difficult to get rid of without washing and drying the hair.
Here is a list of earbuds and IEMs I own:
- Moondrop: Chu, Lan, NekoCake, Aria
- NiceHCK: Vido, B40, B70, EB2S
- Faaeal: Iris 1.0, Iris 2.0, Snow Lotus 1.0
- KBEar: Rosefinch
Earphone Recommendations
This session is highly subjective so take it with a pinch of salt. Your own music preference is what matters the most to you.
Amazing Budget Flathead Earbud: NiceHCK Vido (~USD $2)
- Pros: Warm-neutral tuning. Full sounding. Open soundstage. Literally cost only dollars.
- Cons: At its price, I can’t find any real dealbreaker without nitpicking.
- Nitpicking: Questionable build quality. When music gets too complex, sound becomes slightly blurred. No isolation.
NiceHCK Vido is a pair of earbuds that I highly recommend anyone to try out. I simply can’t express how good it is. At such a low price, it delivers much more than you’d expect. I’d go as far as to say if you don’t mind its form factor and the cheap plastic body, it can be your end-game earphone. It’s just that good. Remember to put on a full foam for it to have a good fit in your ears. It lacks bass and has harsh treble without full foam on.
Fun Sounding Flathead Earbud: Faaeal Snow Lotus 1.0 (~USD $10)
- Pros: Warm sounding. Well-defined highs. Wide soundstage. Perfect vocals. Comfortable to wear.
- Cons: Lacking sub-bass. Almost no isolation.
First things first, I thought the Snow Lotus would be difficult to drive when I first looked at its specifications. It has an impedance of 64 ohms which is much higher than most earbuds at its price point. It turns out that the Snow Lotus is as easy to drive as my Moondrop Lan. They produce very similar loudness when plugged into my PC at the same volume setting. The Snow Lotus is a very fun-sounding earbud with lovable sound signature. Though lacking sub-bass, its bass is plentiful and easy to enjoy. One thing to note is that I put a donut foam on it to amplify its bass (also reduce leakage) while also increasing comfortability. The Snow Lotus is currently my daily driver along with the Moondrop Lan.
General Use IEM: Moondrop Chu (~USD $15)
- Pros: Universally tuned. Bright sounding with a small amount of bass. Great isolation. Vibrant treble.
- Cons: Treble is sometimes overwhelming. Paint prone to chipping. Average build quality.
While I do like the Moondrop Chu, it’s not my favorite budget IEM simply because it lacks bass in my opinion. With similar tuning but more bass, the Aria is a good choice, but it is 4 times more costly so the value is much lower. Additionally, the Aria also suffers from quality control issues and its paint is also as likely to chip as the Chu. At twice the price, the Moondrop Lan is also a good alternative to the Chu. It features pretty much the same tuning but with a more refined treble, so less shouty. It also has a stainless steel body with no paint so there’s no risk of paint chipping. Though to be honest, the Lan just feels like a better-built Chu with very small to minimal differences between their sound.
Basshead IEM: KBEar Rosefinch (~USD $20)
- Pros: Very warm tuning. Powerful sub-bass and bass. Dark sounding yet the treble is clear. Great isolation. Non-fatiguing.
- Cons: Bass sometimes bleeds into mids. Can be too boomy for non-bassheads. Bulky size.
The Rosefinch is my go-to for listening to basslines and music that utilize plenty of bass such as EDM. Bassheads will find this IEM much more fun-sounding and engaging than neutral or bright IEMs. There’s nothing more I can say about the Rosefinch because its role is so specific and it fulfills its role so perfectly.
Again, all information shown here is subjective. You may or may not agree with me based on your music preference.
Last updated: 2023/03/17