[muckluck]

Just out of curiosity, but when I wear hi-fi equipment outside, people ask if my cans are loud before anything. People swear that louder is better, and I was just wondering if this was the common view on headphones, or just a distinct group of people that happened to live by me. People also think that their $5 pair of Coby headphones, or $10 sonys are the best headphones around simply because they are loud. It is the same situation with any type of audio gear. Now my question to the head-fi community is this: Does everyone else talk to people who also share the opinion louder is better? If so why do you think that is?

 

[MrEcted1]

No way! I listen to my music at a suprisingly low level and still enjoy every second of it. It's all about quality, not noise.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by muckluck Just out of curiosity, but when I wear hi-fi equipment outside, people ask if my cans are loud before anything. People swear that louder is better, and I was just wondering if this was the common view on headphones, or just a distinct group of people that happened to live by me. People also think that their $5 pair of Coby headphones, or $10 sonys are the best headphones around simply because they are loud.

I know what you mean... either that, or it's "do those headphones have a lot of bass?" "Wow, they have WAY more bass than those other headphones."

I think partially that people just don't know what's good and what's not... see my post on headphone companies and advertising.

 

[Riku540]

I don’t agree… especially since I’m a fan of IEMs as well and one of the core proposes and values of IEMs is sound isolation so you don’t need to listen louder to hear better... I think the uneducated crowd commonly associate louder is better because they do not know that IEMs, or even noise canceling exist. Also a lot of people don’t realize that headphones have open vs. closed types, and that they are meant to be used in certain environments. It may be common knowledge to us enthusiasts, but the rest of the world can surprise you a bit. Personally I would never believe deafening myself is better… O.O

 

[Heyyoudvd]

God, I hate bassheads.

Not only are they annoying, but these people have actually managed to ruined rock concerts. Because of the widespread obsession with eardrum-tearing bass, concert venues always have to crank up the low end so that you feel it in your chest, adding way too much white noise to the music and sacrificing a lot of clarity and audio fidelity in the process.

 

[muckluck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riku540 Personally I would never believe deafening myself is better… O.O

That is what I never got! Music at such high volumes is harsh, distorted, and gives me a big headache, and that's why I asked if anyone knew why people liked such loud music.

 

[MIKEp]

some people just prefer to have the music pounded into their heads instead of just listening to it

.

 

[MIKEp]

whoops.

 

[MIKEp]

double whoops.

 

[allenf]

No.
If you hang out here long enough (about 24 hrs), you will get enough information to put together a headphone system that will do shatteringly loud and very clean. It's nice to have the headroom but...it's nice to have the ears to appreciate that headroom too!

 

[allenf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIKEp some people just prefer to have the music pounded into their heads instead of just listening to it .

That was me aged 18!

 

[muckluck]

Has anyone else had the experience of a car down the street listening to techno shaking the windows on your house? I have seen people but a big couple of hundred watt 12 inch sub in their car, and leave in the stock speakers. All you hear is this muddied distorted monstrosity they like to call "music".

 

[acidboy84]

That true... Sigh only if we can educate the common public what music really is.

 

[philodox]

Well, I am one of the exceptions. I am definately a lover of good sound and no basshead by any stretch, but I like to listen to my music loud. This is part of the reason that I immediately write off bright headphones as if you crank them up they can get quite painfull. To me, when music is played with authority there is a body and dimensionality to the music that is just not there when played quietly. I love the way that live music sounds [as long as I'm not right next to the loudspeaker

] and this is the best way that I know to reproduce it.

Listening to a little Thelonious Monk right now with my 'amp turned up to eleven'...

 

[ken36]

No.