Purchases I Don't Regret: Part One

I've been thinking a fair bit about stuff because of the holidays, and the fact of the matter is that there isn't a whole lot of stuff I really want. There's a ton of stuff I'd like to have--like, I wouldn't turn it down if you offered it to me, but I probably wouldn't go hike twenty miles up a mountain to get it, either (most of this like-to-have stuff is clothing)--but there isn't any particular item that has totally captured my imagination right now. My mother is slightly irritated, because this makes buying me Christmas presents kind of tough. I've been mentally running through the list of things I sort of could want, and I pretty much just don't. I don't need a new cell phone, or a BlackBerry, or a new iPod. Most of these desires are satisfied by great things I've already got, so I thought I'd do a little set of posts (every Friday, I'm thinking) about the things that I've had for awhile and really appreciate--things that were good purchases that have brought me lasting enjoyment.

So, the first item on this list is my truly excellent headphones. I use them with my iPod, which would definitely be on this list had I bought it myself.

I use Sennheiser HD280Pro headphones. I've had them for close to three years, ever since I picked them up for $90 on eBay my sophomore year in college, dreading another flight home with only my flimsy Radio Shack 'phones between me and the ferocious engine rumbles. Three years later, they still retail for $200 (okay, $199.95), so you can tell I got a good deal. The first time I put them on, I felt like I'd never listened to music before. Every instrument is individually distinguishable through these headphones. Sound is richer, better. Because they're circumaural (that is, they go around and on top of your ear), they do a far better job of insulating me from background noise than iPod earbuds, so I can listen to them at a lower volume and avoid blowing out my eardrums (also, sound quality is best at lower volumes).

In three years of heavy usage, they've suffered a few cosmetic blemishes (I am not the most careful human in the world where my electronic devices are concerned, I confess, and I carry my headphones and iPod everywhere, shoved into my purse, so my Sennheisers have a couple of cracks in the plastic shell and a tear in the fabric that covers the right earpiece). But that's all they've suffered. They work like new (actually, they work better than new; it takes good headphones a few hours of cumulative listening time out of the box to reach optimal sound quality), they've just increased their street cred.

Yes, I sit on the subway in my big, puffy DJ headphones, and maybe that makes me look silly. They take up a ton of space in my bag, which means I can't carry cute little clutches and wristlets on a day-to-day basis. But, in my opinion, they're entirely worth it, and I do not regret their purchase for one second. I love them. They're sturdy, long-lasting, and they've vastly increased the enjoyment with which I listen to music. And I got them for less than half-price.