Campus Trends

Letting the Stress Go

Apurba Jahangir
Photos: Kazi Tahsin Agaz Apurbo

What are you listening to these days? Hip-hop? Rock and roll? Or laying back and listening to some jazz? Doesn't matter! If you are a music fanatic then you know you want the best accessories, the best sound. And that's where your friendly neighbourhood headphones come in. Computer speakers and CD players are good too. But, in my opinion, the headphones are what can really take you away from your world and your day to day stress. It helps you get detached from your surroundings. Plus, it comes in handy when you are stuck in the middle of Dhaka's annoying traffic and your ears are aching from all the cacophony going on around you.

Remember those huge headphones that you use while chatting on skype? Well, they are 'in'! The headphones making the scene these days are 'Beats' by Dr Dre, popularly known as DJ headphones. You will get HD quality sound all the way from these headphones that are the current craze amongst the youth. Though it is hard to find the real ones in Bangladesh, your need for a 'cool' pair of headphones can be met by the Chinese ones or the replicas available here. They have a moderate quality of sound. For people who want to buy the real 'Beats,' just keep in mind that the real one's output jack is 'L' shaped while the Chinese ones are straight. The Chinese Beats will cost Tk 350-700 and the original replicas will cost Tk 3000-4000 while the real ones will cost you around Tk 7000-21000.You can get them at capital's Bashundhara city or Rifles Square. The online shops are also popular these days. Rayan's Computers, Style Lab are to name a few.

In addition, the cheapest and most common ones are 'Microlab'. These headphones are available everywhere--from your nearest grocery store to the most expensive mall in the city. The only problem with them is that they do not have a warranty and you cannot really expect them to last long. You can get them at Tk 250-500. You can also get the apple Iphone/Ipod headphone. You may come across two kinds of apple headphones, one is the real one made by Apple and others are made by different manufacturers. The real ones will cost you around Tk 1000-5000 while the others will cost Tk 500-800. You can get them at the electronic shops at any shopping mall. For the real ones, it is best to visit the authorised resellers like Computer Source Machine located at Alpana Plaza at Elephant Road. But there are other shops as well; you just need to google it!

On the contrary, to get a little sporty, you can try out the all time favourite brands like 'Adidas,' 'Nike,' etc. There are Adidas's Sennheiser HD 25-1-II Headphones, Nike Vapor Headphone which have a sporty look, and the sound is really good. But they are very rare in the local stores in Dhaka. So if you cannot find them, just order online. These head phones might come out real harsh on your wallet costing around Tk 5000-28000. So unless you are a spendthrift, I will suggest you not to buy them.

If you want something a little more over the edge, try out the Bose Quiet Comfort 3 or the Shure SE535 Sound Isolating Earphones. They are not available in Bangladesh, but if you are real gadget fan, you can always order them online. So indulge in the world of music through headphones of your style!