Man of Many’s Staff Favourites – 1 March 2025

What caught your eye this week? While much of our attention was fixated on announcements of the political kind, some interesting new developments in the product space did spring up through the cracks. For the Man of Many teams, the arrival of a heritage-inspired MoonSwatch gave us something to smile about, while Amazon’s James Bond acquisition had us feeling an odd mixture of intrigued and queasy. It’s been a mixed bag in the office this week, but alas, the weekend has finally arrived and so too has the latest edition of Man of Many’s Staff Favourites. Get into it.

KFC Zinger Nachos

Nick Hall – Editor-in-Chief

Some things just simply go together. Like peas and carrots or salt and pepper, once we find a culinary kinship between flavours, we rarely see them apart. Iconic fast food chain KFC has just created another perfect pairing with the Zinger Nachos.

Now, I’ll admit, I had some reservations over whether the fried chicken would be able to recreate the authentic flavours of Mexico and to be fair, they didn’t, but this still taste great. It’s not gourmet cuisine, nor is it a real nod to the spicy, paprika-heavy notes of the South American nation, but rather a perfect ‘I’m watching the football and drinking cans of Miller Lite’ kinda-meal. My verdict? Tremendous.

Favourite Article of the Week: New OMEGA x Swatch MOONSWATCH 1965 Revealed

The ‘Let Them’ Theory

Scott Purcell – Co-Founder

I’m writing this on a Thursday morning this week, and I’m pretty excited as I’m heading along to one of Jordan Shank’s in-person seminars tonight in Darlinghurst. For long-time followers, you’ll know I’m a big fan of both his comedy and self-help videos. Well, it was this week, in one of his videos, that he put me onto the ‘Let Them’ Theory, a book written by Mel Robbins.

Steeped in stoicism, it’s all about not worrying about the things, people or changes in your life that you can’t control. Simply repeat to yourself, ‘Let them’. As someone who is often stricken by worrying about what other people think and feels a deep need to make sure that everyone is okay, this book tackles the power you give to other people and takes back control of the one thing you can control—yourself. I’m only a few chapters in, but I’m already enjoying being on the pathway to being free from trying to stop managing everything and everyone around me (promise I’m not that bad! I hope!). One of the lines I loved is: “It’s not your responsibility to make sure everyone else is never hurt”. Let them, and let me.

Favourite Article of the Week: 3 Best Foldable Phones You Can Buy Today

Sennheiser’s HD 505 Headphones

Dean Blake – Tech and Entertainment Journalist

Growing up in a household with music interests ranging from ZZ Top to K.D. Lang to SlipKnot to Dr. Dre does a good job of teaching you to appreciate sonic variety, and while I’ve tried quite a few headphones over the past few years, I wouldn’t say I’ve found a stand-out pair of cans that deliver crisp, punchy sound regardless of what I throw at them. Well, this week I’ve been using Sennheiser’s new HD 505 headphones, which dropped a few weeks ago, and I think I’m hearing colours.

As per usual, Sennheiser has totally knocked the audio quality out of the park – the highs are bright and clear, while the mids punch through the mix to take centre-stage, as they should. I kicked up the bass a bit while listening to Tool‘s 2020 magnum-opus ‘Invincible’ (one of my favourites) and it delivered some of the clearest, most impactful bass I’ve heard in a mix – all without totally overbearing the rest of the instruments.

The HD505’s are also refreshingly simple. There’s no buttons dedicated to media control, or volume wheels, or anything of the like. In fact, there isn’t even bluetooth – the unit itself has a long, detachable 1.8m cable which terminates in a 3.5mm audio jack, with an optional 6.5mm adapter if you want to hook it into something a bit more serious. This does mean you can’t use it with many modern devices without an adapter.

They’re an open-back design, which comes with all the pluses and minuses you’d expect. It enables the music (or whatever you’re listening to) to naturally breathe, rather than feeling contained as it often does in closed-back headphones, though this also means the HD 505’s let in sound from outside of the cans quite easily. In fact, it also bleeds sound out when the volume is kicked up – something my Man of Many colleagues warned me of – so beware using these in ‘social’ situations.

Still, the 505s are one of the best pairs of headphones I’ve used so far, and while they’re fairly expensive at AU$449.95, it’s hard to say the quality isn’t there. They’re not really meant for use on public transport, rather, they’re for studio or enthusiast use. I’d suggest setting some time aside with one of your favourite albums, plugging in, and enjoying yourself. That’s what I’m doing.

Favourite Article of the Week: After ‘Shōgun’, Cosmo Jarvis is Breaking Out