Sonic Defender
Headphoneus Supremus
x2 for loudness wars, and as well x2 that louder isn't better, generally you lose dynamics and that is never good, never, never, never. I also find it difficult that older recordings require so much more gain to get to almost always, still a quieter listening level than I often prefer. Many of us have spent a great number of years listening to really hot mastered music, so in contrast the quieter, more dynamic stuff may actually seem flat, well until you actually listen for realism and depth of presentation. Unless you are just a diehard loudness loving head-banger, it is difficult to play almost any modern pop, rock, rap whatever album all the way through at any volume without needing a break. In stark contrast if you put on an album such as lets say Pink Floyd's The Wall, or Supertramp Crime Of The Century and give it some juice, I'll bet the majority of people would find it much easier to sit through extended listening without needing a break.
I'm a drummer, and I play loud, and I have been to many ear-splittingly loud rock concerts in my day, but despite likeing music fairly loud, most modern recordings are very hard to handle. I almost get anxious after any extended period of listening. Think about what is happening to your brain, it is being pounded with very loud signals, not normally dynamic signals where there are appropriate spaces and gaps bewteen the signals, the signals are all coming at almost identical amplitudes regardless of how they should actually be being portrayed. Come on, the snare hit is as loud as the kick drum, the bass guitar as loud as that .... your poor brain just can't catch a break. With louder listening levels and high energy music it is just sensory overload. This is just my opinion of course, but it would seem that a great majority of music fans feel that music is just too damn loud and it isn't enhancing anything for them.
I'm a drummer, and I play loud, and I have been to many ear-splittingly loud rock concerts in my day, but despite likeing music fairly loud, most modern recordings are very hard to handle. I almost get anxious after any extended period of listening. Think about what is happening to your brain, it is being pounded with very loud signals, not normally dynamic signals where there are appropriate spaces and gaps bewteen the signals, the signals are all coming at almost identical amplitudes regardless of how they should actually be being portrayed. Come on, the snare hit is as loud as the kick drum, the bass guitar as loud as that .... your poor brain just can't catch a break. With louder listening levels and high energy music it is just sensory overload. This is just my opinion of course, but it would seem that a great majority of music fans feel that music is just too damn loud and it isn't enhancing anything for them.
