[SactoMan101]

Ray Rivera
New York Times website
June 27, 2009

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Quote:

My wife and I were on a crowded 1 train last year when a young red-headed woman turned to the woman seated next to her, who was playing her iPod way too loud. “Hey, mind if I listen?” the redhead said, and without waiting for a response, plucked the woman’s left earbud, placed it in her own ear, and began bobbing her head to the music. The iPod owner looked mortified. The car grew silent save for the blare. I looked at my wife, who had heard me rant about this so many times she knew exactly what I was thinking: At last, someone was taking a stand. Of all the daily discourtesies we endure, none to me is more irksome than headphone leak. You know, that treble-drenched drone emanating from iPods halfway down the subway car. What puzzles me is why people do not complain more often, why we don’t rise up in numbers and insist these people turn their music down, or else. Where is Howard Beale when we need him?

This commentary is good reason why iPod/portable media player owners need to invest in a decent set of IEM's, if only to stop "broadcasting" their music to everyone nearby. When you can get the JVC HA-FX33 "Marshmellow" IEM's for under US$20 from most retailers or the JVC HA-FXC50-B for under US$30 at Amazon.com, there's no excuse for still using the original iPod buds.

 

[QQQ]

$20 is way too much to spend on headphones for most ibuds users.

 

[mrarroyo]

Lets not even go into going deaf for listening at such loud volumes.

 

[virometal]

^ absolutely, audiology has a bright future.

 

[tenzip]

I've been very tempted to buy the canned air horn and keep it handy in the car for when I pull up next to a "thumper" car. Haven't done it yet, but I'm still very tempted.

FWIW, I've never been a passenger on a subway/light rail, so I don't know how loud the ambient is, but I'd expect it to be relatively high. I'm surprised that people playing their headphones that loud aren't bleeding out the ears. Or maybe the sound dampening built into the cars is better than I'd expect.

 

[cyberidd]

TBH I don't know how people can listen to their music that loud. I keep my ibuds with me in my backpack for the rare occasion where I forget my IEMs at home, and I am always worried that I'm bothering the people around me so I take them out (music playing) and try to hear my music: never can, and thats at volumes that I consider quite loud! To play music loud enough for the person next to you to hear is ridiculous, let alone from the other end of the bus. I really hope they find some way to fix peoples hearing after they lose it...

 

[moogoob]

I always found it funny (when I was an earbud user) when someone else's earbud leak would overpower my own (which were set to an appropriate volume).

 

[drizzt]

To me blasting headphones reminds me of how people on their cell phones need to be on speaker phone when in small public areas. They are both usually unnecessary and annoying. And sadly for the people with their headphones too loud they are killing their hearing.

 

[priest]

I admire the author's spirit for failing so miserably in his arduous protest and then still writing about it.

 

[ljokerl]

Great story; was on reddit yesterday.

I have personally experienced 5-hour airplane ride during which a woman next to me was wearing Bose QC2 ANC headphones. She was blasting her ipod so loud that I could hear the vocals over both the engine noise (we were sitting right near the wing in a 747-300) AND the isolation of my Nuforce NE-8 IEMs, complete with biflange tips. My ears bled in empathy for hers...

 

[DocHamm]

I've never had a 'leak' problem from anyone on the train, subway or bus.

I have however, been forced to endure 'drive-by tubthumpers'. There is nothing more annoying than sitting in your living room, watching a movie in surround and having it drowned out by a drive-by tubthumper. I keep hoping my neighborhood will put up a sign and fine all those guilty of said driive-by tubthumpinng at least $500 an occurance and donate the money to a good charity.

 

[cyberidd]

^^ Like hearing loss research?

 

[Zarathustra19]

I'm guilty of blasting my music in the car, but in my defense it's to annoy and horrify tourists who feel it's their right to stand in the street and congregate on cross walks to take pictures of hundred year old buildings which have been changed in numerous ways in said hundred years. Death metal has a head turning ability. But then again, so does Pavorotti.