hifi audio, home theater 5.1I’ve never lived by myself. Since the dorm days in college, roommates have been part of the package. It has to do with the camaraderie and savings associated with living with others. With the benefits there are also negatives like having to co-exist even if that means not doing something exactly how you’d do it if alone. For example, I love playing video games. Over the years I’ve accumulated the LCD television, stack of titles and HiFi audio components from online retailers in an attempt to make the experience as premium as possible. I use gaming as a way to connect with friends and family I don’t get to see every day. My brother lives out of state and we only see each other a few times a year. Gaming allows us to enjoy a common hobby and talk at the same time. There is a competition element involved too.

With the home theater 5.1 system and routine gaming sessions on the flat panel television after work, it can be loud and annoying for outsiders. I may enjoy the sound of digital machine guns and air strikes blazing out of the speakers in game but it’s not exactly the best background noise for roommates who are doing other things. My two current roommates have never said anything about my gaming but I feel awkward playing so much at volume when they are around. When no one is home, I’m completely comfortable pumping the HiFi audio.
Coexisting is the key to living with others. With that in mind I headed over to Electronics For Tomorrow at http://electronicsfortomorrow.com/. I’ve used this retailer for assorted tech needs in the past and trust their service. It did not take long to find a tool to make my HiFi audio invisible to everyone except me. Featured above, the Active Noise Cancelling Headphones simply plug into the headphone jack at the front of my speakers audio receiver and that’s that. Gaming now will not bother the guy next to me no matter how loud the action is screaming through the headphones.

I actually believe this to be a better way of playing online games when not playing with friends. Obviously there is not a mic attached to the headphones above. I have a Bluetooth headset which slides onto one ear in front of the headphone speaker. It works. As a bonus the HiFi audio headphones work great during exercise as well. There is no buyer’s remorse on this side of the table.