I've mentioned elsewhere in this forum before, with my Cochlear Freedom, I enjoy music to the fullest. Since I have memories of music from before I went deaf (at age 9,) I was in a unique situation to "compare" the sound of the music before/after. It pretty much SOUND the same, but the language comprehension of "new music" is harder than something one has already heard before. People sing in a way that is so different from the way they speak. Words and syllables are drawn out or enunciated in a different way. I have found that reading the lyrics along with listening to a song is a great way to "learn" a new song, and usually after doing that once or twice, I have no problem understanding the song or even recognizing it if somebody has it playing. Some songs come through clearly the first time I hear them, others are just a bunch of jibberish. One thing I find that holds true - the MUSIC that accompanies songs needs to be in such a way that it doesn't overpower the lyrics. Whereas hearing people can "selectively" listen to what somebody is singing, us folks with CI's hear whatever is the loudest. If that's the music, then the lyrics get lost in the background.
I LOVE classical music, and even alternative styles like Yanni where I can just lose myself in the MUSIC and not have to worry about listening for the lyrics.
And then there's the day I just wanna listen to Sting or Randy Travis, or any plethora of musicians (including my favorite Oldies from before I went deaf - like ABBA and The Mama's and the Papa's) that I love. If you have trouble understanding the lyrics though - stick to listening to just music itself.
I have an iRiver MP3 player that I plug directly into my CI with my personal audio cable, and I love it. I use it almost daily. I also have a Motorola Razr cell phone and I love it too.
