What would Logan buy: Over the ear headphones

For some reason in my circle of friends and family I have a reputation for researching things extensively. When I buy things, I like to make informed purchases, and know that I'm purchasing something that is best suited to my needs. Because of that, afterwards I generally have a working knowledge of the subject.

I recently had two good friends ask me at out of the blue about which headphones I use, and which ones they should consider because they were "in the market" for new ones. When I responded with some basic questions and followed by a few recommendations one of them laughed and told me that I should do this "professionally".

This prompted me to write these "What would Logan Buy" posts. I thought that as long as I had spent so much time learning about something, I might as well put that information somewhere for others to use so they can make use of it. So here we are. It might be a minor thing in the grand scheme of things, but here are two pairs of headphones that I feel offer amazing value.

Creative Aurvana Live (CAL)

If you decided to start googling what real "audiophiles" think about most of Creatives headphone products, I don't think most people would give this pair of cans (over the ear headphones) a second thought, thinking they'd be garbage like many of rest of headphones that Creative makes. They'd be wrong.

The CAL is actually a Denon headphone that was discontinued (as a Denon), that Creative purchased the rights to continue to manufacture making this CAL a cheap rebadged Denon . If you've never heard of Denon, then I'll just say that they are a highly respected audio company. And like many Denon products they have something of a "warm" and "smooth" sound.

These are closed headphones with a relatively flat response curve. They are known (like many closed headphones) to have a slight emphasis in the bass frequencies. However, they are very clear, and not muddy at all. And like most closed headphones, they isolate you from the sound of your surroundings well. This isolation works both ways. You can't hear people around you (good for using them in a loud environment), and people (or microphones for you recorders out there) can't hear you. And for a closed headphone, they have a good soundstage

These are the first headphones I purchased, and are the ones I use at home. They're very comfortable, have a low clamping force,  are lightweight, and have more than enough clarity for the MP3's and other compressed audio I listen to off of the internet. Plus when I record audio, the microphone doesn't pick up what is playing. I can also wear them for a few hours at a time comfortably. Overall, I'm completely satisfied with the CAL's

Most of the time their street price hovers around $60-75.

Superlux 668b/Samson SR850

Superlux is a kind of obscure brand, that you won't find in your local Best Buy. This is because Superlux was more or less a driver manufacturer for other headphone companies. A few years ago they started selling their own headphones using some of the same drivers they used in other brands headphones. These headphones took the audiophile community "by storm" becoming among the most frequently recommended budget headphones. They are known for a "brighter" or "crisper" sound.

The Superlux 668b and Samson SR850 are actually the same headphone (cans and drivers), but the Samson has a different headband and a non-detachable cable. It is also usually about $15 more expensive than the Superlux. These are both semi-open headphones, so you hear more of your surroundings than you will with a closed can like the CAL. However, this semi-open nature of the can also gives these headphones a very wide soundstage. The "soundstage" is what audio nerds use to describe how well audio equipment gives the illusion of space. So if you close your eyes and listen to something, can you picture where the sounds are coming from? Are the sounds all coming from the same space, or different places? A large soundstage gives great immersion, and can really surprise you at times.

These are also known for having a very very flat response curve. This means that there is not really a frequency range where the headphones make any frequency noticeably louder or softer than the other frequencies. This is a good thing because it means that it very accurately represents how the original audio that you are listening to was recorded. It might however not be what you are used to because its a common trend right now for headphones to have extremely to moderately inflated bass. So if you're expecting a "Beats by Dre" type of experience these headphones might not be for you.

One of my friends with an ear for music got these recently, and loves them. He said that these are a "game changer" for how he thinks about headphone audio. In fact, he says that he immediately started paying for higher bitrate music, and is re-recording all of his CD's into lossless formats because the headphones are actually accurate enough for him to hear the compression artifacts found in lower bitrate MP3 audio. He also now defines music in terms of if he can hear the squeak of the bass drums pedal, or the guitarists fingers moving on the strings.

Another friends previous "best" headphones he had ever heard were the famous Koss Porta Pros. He now owns the 668b's and says there is no comparison

Oh, and the price? These two hover between $36-58.

What would I buy now?

I currently own one of them, and a variation of the other (superlux 681 Evo, bought when the 668b's were twice their current price). So in that sense my money is already "where my mouth is" and feel that neither of these are bad choices.

The main deciding factors for me would be price, and the "features". If you need your headphones to block out more sound because of the environment then the CAL makes the most sense in my mind. The Superlux does have the edge in soundstage and clarity though. Also, the removable headphone cable is a small feature, but I love it. It makes it easier to transport the headphones, and provides the advantage of not pulling the cable out of the headphone if you trip on the cable.

All things considered though if I were to do it over again I would start with the cheaper Superluxes. They provide a remarkably low price of entry into the world of "high quality" sound. Once you have those, you can assess your needs and find out if you were a hidden audiophile this whole time and want to invest more into audio equipment or headphones.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to tell me what you think about this post and/or the headphones in the comments :).

What would Logan buy: Kitchen knives

When people find out I know anything about knives, one thing I commonly hear is "All of mine are total junk" usually followed by something like "I'd get something different if I knew what to get". This post is to help people with questions like that. Where the topic is something they're mildly interested in, but want a simple recommendation instead of a long lecture about the reasons why.

Oh, and a quick note about kitchen knives. PLEASE do not keep them in a drawer, or put them through the dishwasher. A drawer is a bad storage place for knives because 1) the knives knock against each other dulling themselves, and 2) its not really safe to reach into a drawer of unsheathed knives (particularly if they are sharp like they are supposed to be). And the dishwasher can do all sorts of things to knives. The water and heated drying can warp the handles (particularly wooden handles), get water into places it shouldn't be at cause rust, and even dull them.

The proper way to store a sharp knife is to keep it in a block, or on a magnetic strip. Each of these keeps the blade away from anything hard that could dull it, and keeps everyone involved fingers and toes where they are.

Buying a set actually usually just gets you a large block of knives most of which you don't actually use. Because of that, I actually just recommend buying a few knives you know you'll use. You can buy a block separately, or even build one like I did HERE.

Well, here is what I recommend. There are VERY expensive kitchen knives out there, but most people they won't really appreciate them (or take care of them). Thankfully, these knives are not expensive. These knives though are good "enough" and have great value.

Chefs knife

You'll want a "main" kitchen knife. Usually this is somewhere between 7 and 10 inches long, has a tall face (blade is "tall" when viewed from the side) and a good belly (unsurprisingly the "curved" portion of the blade). You'll use this one for slicing tomatoes, potatoes and most other kitchen tasks.

My wife and I have two Chefs style knives. An 8in French (traditional) chefs knife, and a 7in Santoku (Japanese chefs/cleaver hybrid). Of these two knives, I personally find myself reaching for the santoku more often. It is thinner, and the handle is more comfortable in the pinch grip that my wife and I tend to use. You might have a different preference though.

Here is the first knife I bought. Bought it after lots of research for a "budget" kitchen knife led me here. The knife is made by Victorinox (the company is better known for its "Swiss Army" knives) and has a great handle texture. Its never slippery even when wet, and isn't ever going to warp, crack, etc.

Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife

Here is the Santoku with the slightly different handle.

Victorinox Swiss Army 7-Inch Fibrox Granton Edge Santoku Knife

Paring knife

This is a small knife that while not as frequently used, it is very useful when you must use it.

I actually haven't purchased a specific paring knife. I have a half decent pampered chefs knife that was gifted to my wife and I for our wedding, and that sees most of the paring knife use. That said, unless we're taking the top off of a strawberry our paring knives don't see much use.

Since I've had good results with the other Victorinox Fibrox knives, even though I don't have any personal experience with their paring knife I feel good recommending it.

Bread knife

If you eat unsliced bread frequently then a real and bread knife is super useful. If you don't, then your chefs knife will work for the few times you actually need to slice bread. These are usually 10-12in long, and commonly have a serrated or waved edge.

With just those three types of knives you'll be set for most of what happens in the kitchen. Keep them sharp, and I doubt you'll have any complaints about them.

Here is the bread knife I have. Once again, for the record, these knives have gone up quite a bit since I purchased them. Still though, they're a decent deal.

Victorinox Swiss Army 10-1/4-Inch Fibrox Wavy Bread Knife

What would I buy now?

I would be recommending the Victorinox knives right now if the prices had remained where they were two years ago. I purchased each of the Victorinox knives I have now for roughly ~$23. If you've been checking the links in this post, you'll notice most of them going for roughly double that now.

In light of the price hikes on victorinox knives I don't think I would actually buy them right now. I know I mentioned that knife sets should generally be avoided, but there is one that I'll say is worth it. The Ethan Becker Signature series knives are totally worth the (low) price of ~$57. This set though is a far cry from the usual Wal-Mart set that contains a cheapo chef knife, 3 utilities you'll never use, and 8 really dull steak knives. In fact, when they were released they were selling for $150. So buy them while you can at that low price.

This knife set was designed by Ethan Becker. Most of you will have no idea who that is, but trust me, its a good thing (Ethan Becker is Co-Author to the world famous "Joy of Cooking", and a renowned knife designer and maker of more than 25 years. He also happens to make my favorite camping knives, but that's for another post). Also, these knives are manufactured by ESEE. Again, I don't expect people to know most knife manufacturers by name. But they are known for two things. World class knives, and an unlimited lifetime warranty that TRANSFERS between owners. So no matter what, if there is a problem you get a new knife free of charge.

ESEE Knives B1109 Ethan Becker Cooking Knives Signature Set

I recommended that my mom get this set, and now I can actually recommend them on the quality of the knife because I have actually handled them. I have more knifes than most folks, and I can say that this knife set by FAR is the sharpest I've used (out of the box).

The only "reservations" I have about these knives are that the sizes are a bit off from what most would say is "standard" (largest is 7 inches). Also, the handles have some orange on them. That may be a deal breaker to some if it doesn't fit into the motif of your kitchen.

So if you've been hankering to try some better kitchen knives, I'd spend the ~$60 on the set of 4 of Ethans ESEE made knives. And maybe throw in a paring knife and a bread knife if you feel the need.

As you know this is the first of my posts like this, so let me know what you think of it in the comments :).

That's it.