N.O.W. teaches nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment and stillness. As the user brings attention to listening, N.O.W. helps to quell unwanted thinking—the source of all stress and discomfort—and replace it with stillness.
As a teacher of stillness N.O.W. likes to be quiet. It would be inappropriate if N.O.W. shouted for attention like an advert or your mobile phone’s notification sounds and vibrations.
Instead, N.O.W. is like a trusted friend who speaks to you in a quiet voice.
N.O.W. has been carefully designed to present the user with a somewhat soft volume level when first powered on. Our intention is that the user should “lean in” or “listen up” and bring their attention to the listening experience. In other words, listeners could meet N.O.W. half-way. There are wonderful rewards in store for doing so.
The volume level of N.O.W. at power on is a feature of sublime beauty. Somewhat quiet, it requires “intentional attention”—N.O.W. begins teaching you how to be present from the first moment you hear it.
This initial “power on” volume is ideal for listening in the quiet of one’s room without music, TV or computer sound sources playing. Imagine sitting in a rural cottage with windows open and the sound of birds and wind reaching your ears at about the same level as the tones of N.O.W. Or, if you’re an urbanite, imagine sitting in a secluded area of a metropolitan park with the noise of traffic and sirens receding into the distance.
Of course we know that life is not always like a quiet country porch or bucolic urban park. If you find your present surroundings to be just a bit too loud to fully enjoy the subtleties of N.O.W. we have two suggestions:
One, N.O.W. is equipped with a two-step volume+ button. Each momentary press raises the volume of N.O.W. by 3dB. This is generally regarded as the smallest volume increment an untrained listener will perceive. So, trust me, there is a subtle volume increase, but not a significant change. If you push the volume+ button twice, and you still think N.O.W. is not loud enough, we have a second solution:
Simply hold one N.O.W. speaker in each hand and bring them closer to your ears. You can make a significant change in perceived volume by doing so. In fact, some people actually enjoy moving each N.O.W. speaker to and fro, closer and further away thus achieving a dynamic balance between them. It’s like an exercise in sonic Tai Chi!
Whatever you hear, know this – what you are hearing in any particular moment is only being heard by you (or those with you sharing the experience). It never has been heard before. It will never be heard again. It is your unique new N.O.W. moment—and the volume of the tone sequence is perfect for that moment.
