Music

How inappropriate, a post on music during Ramadhan.

I like to keep things immaculately organized, my mp3 library being no exception. For months I've been meaning to get around to that, I finally got the job done today. Fixed up all the file names and the media info, deleted some music that was shit. And the best program for playing your music - Bang&Olufsen Beoplayer. It's about the only B&O product the majority of the population can call their own (it's a free download from Bang-Olufsen.com).

So a few things I noticed about my slightly smaller than average sized mp3 library:

• Slightly over 700 pirated files for which I never gave the original artists any credit for their work - almost makes me feel guilty until I think that if I'd bought those online it would've been enough for me to buy myself a Hilfiger suit.
• Enough files for me to line up and listen to for 53 hours, and I listen to just about all of them.
• The word 'love' appears more than 25 times in a title in my mp3 library
• I've begun compiling a playlist of tracks to be played in my Porsche - IF and when I ever get it (btw, the current generation of Porsche 911's offer a 13-speaker 7-channel Bose surround sound system, WOW).
• Anyone who listens to music as much as I do severely underestimates the haramness of music.
• I would never let my kids listen to even half the amount of music that I do.
• I never listen to music on ear/headphones (in fact I don't even own a pair) and I'm totally not a fan of portable music.
• I have tried to convince Riyaz of buying a pair of BeoLab 5's just so I could go to this house and enjoy them.
• Only about 1% of my files are from the rap/hip-hop/R&B genres. A strict 'no black music' policy is in effect.
• Most popular arists on my hard drive are: DJ Tiesto (30), Da Buzz (30), DJ Tatana (10), Sash! (15), E-Type (13), Ian van Dahl (10), Milk Inc (24) ....

So you're thinking (like Mudasser Ali) Arif your music palette is revoltingly narrow. Well you're right, and your mother was so fat that when she went to school she had to sit beside everybody.

I also strongly believe my music experience can be enhanced with better hardware. I figured if I'm going up upgrade from 2.0-channel experience, I'm going to go upgrade all the way to 5.1-channel - the minimum threshold for surround sound experience. So I went on a search for 5.1 systems on eBay and I realized that it doesn't make much sense to spend so much money on a Logitech 5.1-channel gaming sound system, might as well go with a copper-wiring type configuration. If we can put a man up on the moon, surely we can connect copper-wiring systems with the pc. That was some flawed logic on my part because all of the guys that worked at Future Shop in the audio/video department weren't really sure about that sort configuration at all.

I finally discovered B&O that makes all its speakers PC compatible with their BeoLink technology. Hurray, the search is over. So how much for some classy looking BeoLab 5's that can eliminate the need for an entire 5.1-channel system with just two speakers using all sorts of ground breaking technology not found anywhere else? 16,000 USD.

That's why now I'm going to try a Bose 5.1-channel configuration connected with a Harmon Kardon receiver.

Perhaps there's an informed audiophile out there who can help me out, or someone who's got 16k USD lying around and is just not sure what to do with it.