Why is music so much better LOUD?

QuadraphonicQuad

Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I like my music up loud but usually don't because of 'the other people' factors, music sounds better at a louder volume usually to me because of better bass and the frequencies are better represented which also contributes better to me emotionally, however todays CD re-mastering to the point of distortion has taken away a lot of my listening pleasure with most recent CDs. My car speakers are well worn and need replacing ;)
 
And, that reminds me of an article I read many years ago in some science magazine. At the dawn of super loud rock, it was assumed that all the purveyors of said rock would suffer major hearing loss. There were/are undoubtedly cases like that but there hasn't been wholesale devastation as was predicted.

The article author proposed that it all has to do with how agreeable a loud sound is to the listener as to whether his/her receptors in the ear are damaged or not. Listening to loud music is NOT the same as, say, listening to a jackhammer or a jet engine at close range. Irritating noises cause muscles around the receptors to contract, damaging tissues. Agreeable or pleasurable sounds do not cause that.

I agree.

Doug
I attended 100+ rock concerts in my teens and twenties and my hearing is just fine now, several decades later on. Most concerts, general admission and I always found my way to worst case for hearing loss, front and center stage, within 10s of yards of the speaker stacks. One vivid recollect, I was right of stage during a White Lion warm up gig, so there temp set up speaker stack was on stage at edge. I was standing 15-20 feet direct in front of it. I could feel pain in my right ear, so I put a Lincoln Penney in my ear hole and that fix my problem. I had completely forgotten about all the times I was told " you are going to go deaf from rock concerts" .
 
My worst was a Queen concert in 1976. They were supposed to play in the arena of the St. Paul Civic Center but there was a conflict in scheduling and there was a hockey game that night so Queen played in the old, smaller auditorium.

Nobody knew until getting to the arena doors and a guy was sending everybody to the auditorium. I practically carried my wife over there, telling her we had to hurry to get good seats as they weren't reserved. We got seats on the main floor about 5 rows back and toward the left side, right in front of the left PA stacks (and right in front of Freddie's piano). It was painful by the end of the concert and my ears rang for two weeks. I was sure my ears were permanently damaged but they completely recovered.

Doug
 
Last edited:
Ive just been listening to the kraftwerk katalog blu ray at what felt like a resonably loud, but certainly not blasting level. To assuage some lockdown boredom I set up an spl meter and over 15 minutes measured an average of 93.5dbA with a peak of 101.7dbA.

This felt like an appropriate level for the music. Obviously, I wouldnt want to play moondance or nick drake etc at that sort of level, theyd be around 20db lower. Similarly, if I played ace of spades it would probably gain an extra few db. Surely the purpose of our hobby is to be able to reproduce an aproximation of an exterior (or artificial) environment within the comfort of our own homes.

Ive spent a lot of time around loud music. I ran a dance soundsystem during the early 2000s, heard most of the uk heavyweight dance and roots systems, played bass for a loud rock band, saw motorhead a load of times and was at the 1988 iron maiden donnington gig (which I think still holds the record for the largest soundsystem). None of this ever seemed too loud - the things that seemed too loud were the ones that were at an inappropriate volume for the material or were played back through distorted or poor quality systems.

I used to carry earplugs with me and if the sound was objectionable (usually for the reasons above rather than sheer spl) I wore them. I wore hearing protection when using power tools and never cranked headphones. My hearing is definitely not 100% and, when last tested about 3 years ago, topped out at about 15k, which seemed reasonable for someone pushing 50 who'd spent a lot of time making a racket. Annoyingly, having avoided it previously, I now get occasional bouts of tinnitus in one ear after my daughter ruptured my eardrum while playing a game last spring. Thankfully its infrequent and doesnt seem to be aggravated by loud noises but the 6 weeks it took to heal, when I suffered vertigo every time I sat down to listen to music, was bloody miserable.
 
Ever since I moved to Maggies a few years ago, I find that I listen to music at lower levels because there is bass at lower levels. I think that's because the way the very large planar couples to the room, effectively moving air for that "maggie bass". Not very deep not ever very loud, but very fast and there even at low volume levels.

With purely dynamic speakers, it feels like you need to crank it up a bit to hear any bass.

Oh, at just over 60 my hearing goes up to 15Khz, with a benign notch in my right ear at around 400Hz.... dang Boeing Cabin Subsystem's overhead transformers...
 
Speaking of loud, I just got done playing the "Nuggets from Nuggets" CD after having not for a long time.

Man, it is incredible. I was at just the right age when all that music was released and a person can forget how really good that stuff was/is until you hear it again.

And, the notes written by Greg Shaw inside are right on the money as to what went on then, unlike many other supposed "accurate accounts".

Doug
 
I just ordered a pair the Polk LSim 705s from Amazon at $750 each. A major deal on these that were once $2,000 each.

https://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-L...+705+bookshelf+speakers&qid=1614391065&sr=8-4
I got tired of looking at used speakers, nobody was selling their good best stuff it appeared. This will be my front set, and if I love them I'll get the same for surrounds, or about the same, very close. I don't mind having the smaller size on stands for the rear chans, especially if they look as nice and match the Mount Vernon Cherry finish of what I just ordered.
 
Speaking of loud, I just got done playing the "Nuggets from Nuggets" CD after having not for a long time.

Man, it is incredible. I was at just the right age when all that music was released and a person can forget how really good that stuff was/is until you hear it again.

And, the notes written by Greg Shaw inside are right on the money as to what went on then, unlike many other supposed "accurate accounts".

Doug
The original 2LP set is a classic from the early 70s compiled by Lenny Kaye.

Then they did a 4CD box set based on the 2LP set's direction. Then "Nuggets from Nuggets" is a single distilled 20 track CD from the 4CD box set. Which is actually fine since they did use the big hits, more well known, and much of the upbeat fun tracks for the pick of 20.

I did read of complaints of brink walled mastering for the 4CD box.

At any rate what was fun is that I can remember as a child hearing these tracks mixed in with Beatles, Stones, Dionne Warwick, and Beach Boys songs on the radio. Tommy James & The Shondells and Eric Burdon & The Animals songs sound so freaking great mixed in with Nuggets just like the radio I heard as a little boy. It was so exciting then, and it still is.
 
Sometimes what we want and reality are at odds. And a lot depends on what you consider "good loud bass". ;)
For a set of speakers to really crank good bass, you want extension at least down to 30hz which will require size and power.
High efficiency can work hand in hand to help accomplish both goals.
Subwoofers go a long way to ease the demand on the main speakers in size and price
Assuming buying used for the best pricing, what's your budget like
My budget was $700 to $800 for used. But I just said the hell with it and sprang for a $1,500 pair on Amazon (see my recent post) because I kept looking at used listings (on Craig's List) and did not like what I saw. In fact, there were some $3,000 to $5,000 pairs being offered, and tons of $150 to $300 pairs, but nothing at all in the range I was willing to spend. Ratty older lesser Polk Towers is all I saw.

Amazon credit is wonderful. I think it's six months interest free if paid in full within six months. I can drop a grand on it within a week of their arrival, and then a hundred a month will feel like nothing.

The only thing that might run me up a tad is if I love them and want to spring for more quickly, (not exact model matches) but get the same Polk brand and get all "Mount Vernon Cherry" finish which will look so nice in my listening area. The smaller LSim 703 for surround (closer to the couch) might be fine enough at $300 each? Then a good center, keeping my old sub.
 
My budget was $700 to $800 for used. But I just said the hell with it and sprang for a $1,500 pair on Amazon (see my recent post) because I kept looking at used listings (on Craig's List) and did not like what I saw. In fact, there were some $3,000 to $5,000 pairs being offered, and tons of $150 to $300 pairs, but nothing at all in the range I was willing to spend. Ratty older lesser Polk Towers is all I saw.

Amazon credit is wonderful. I think it's six months interest free if paid in full within six months. I can drop a grand on it within a week of their arrival, and then a hundred a month will feel like nothing.

The only thing that might run me up a tad is if I love them and want to spring for more quickly, (not exact model matches) but get the same Polk brand and get all "Mount Vernon Cherry" finish which will look so nice in my listening area. The smaller LSim 703 for surround (closer to the couch) might be fine enough at $300 each? Then a good center, keeping my old sub.

It will be a great feeling walking into your room with brand new speakers, good for you. Pictures please.
 
It will be a great feeling walking into your room with brand new speakers, good for you. Pictures please.
They arrived quickly, faster in fact than Amazon estimate. One of them has a rough edge to the top part of it. The boxes were falling apart and styrofoam protectors all beat up and falling apart as well. So it took a ht somewhere along the way. And I may just live with it because they weigh nearly 100 LBs each and I can't deal with carrying one of them after packing it up in a new box and waiting on exchange.

Anyway, the sound is opened up a lot, and the clarity I was seeking is there! I have only listened to stereo so far as I want to get a feel for what they are doing by themselves first. But I am wondering how well the older Infinitys will work with these that I currently use for surrounds. I think everything will sound better and that my surrounds are good enough to not sound awful in comparison. But I want to upgrade them as well, feeling like treating myself.

The look of new speakers is nice I gotta admit. I feel like a real born again audiophile. I will take some pictures.
 
Last edited:
Concerts were my favorite things to do from 13 to 55 years old. So it’s no wonder I like live albuns as well as music played at good loud levels. Not too loud but fairly loud.
 
Back
Top