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| Good | 39% | 144 votes | Total: 371 votes | |
| Bad | 61% | 227 votes |
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Add to FavoritesImagine yourself, indulging in a beautiful nights rest, far from counting sheep, having the most pleasing dream you have ever had when, "BOOM"! What's that you ask, it then comes to you, it is the sound of the bass line to the new rap song you heard on the radio earlier that morning. Slightly confused, the only thing boggling your foggy mind is to why that song is driving by your house at about 50 miles an hour, then you realize.
What's annoying to some, may be astonishing to others. I believe bass to be excellent in car stereos, but in moderation. If you are trying to listen to the new 50 cent song, and all it sounds like is the very loud heartbeat of a morbidly obese man after walking a flight of stairs, then I would lay the hammer down that it's a tad too much. Bass intensifies most songs, and gives a person a supreme sensation of hearing, obviously, and it also allows the person to feel the song as well, which I think is awesome.
I will add however, to those contemplating adding a little "thump" to their audio sound-systems, to learn and to follow the unwritten rules of having speakers big enough to smash windshields on any given day. Rule one, keeping in mind these rules are nothing more then experiences I have mentally noted down, always put a state of the art sound-system in a car that barely runs. This is key for all young adults, and I totally agree, it makes absolutely no sense to put nice systems in nice cars, the system needs to be in a vehicle that leaves more oil on the ground then a tanker ship off the coast of the pacific. Here is a simple way to know if you have successfully achieved following this rule; after all is said and done, and the system upgrades are installed, look at your bill, if the bill totals more then the vehicle is worth, throw your hands up in victory.
The next rule is in relation to the first rule, and is stated in the following; subs are never to be put in a trunk that doesn't make any noise to pedestrians on the outside. If your subs are fully in pound mode, and your trunk is not rattling, you are failing rule number two. To know if you have successfully completed rule number two, simply turn on your stereo as loud as your feel necessary, step out of your car, close the door, now proceed to focus your attention to your trunk. If it sounds like two pieces of sheet metal being slapped together with incredible force, then you can now sigh in relief, congrats, you are now bugging the world.
The last rule that I will dispense to all bass getters out there is simple. The key to the perfect amount of bass is to set your levels so that you hear absolutely no lyrics whatsoever, this is ideal, and most important. You will know if you have found the proper levels if your passengers don't even know what artist they are listening to, and feel as if they are going to vomit. It is important to know that you have successfully left your passengers slightly more deaf then at departure, slightly confused as to what they just heard, and having the impression that they just stepped off of a war-field. If you accomplish this, then give yourself a pat on the back, your stereo is deadly.
There you have it, three simple rules that will helpfully aid anyone wanting to better their life with the beautiful sounds of music. I fully understand your need to "bass out" if you will, and crush ones own ribcage. I also understand that your just not cool, if on your 21st birthday you can still hear the sounds of your family singing you your well deserved happy birthday song, as lame as that song is. You know what would really spice that song up, you know what would give it that added kick its been missing for so long, some heart stopping bass.
Learn more about this author, Dave Beaudry.
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Bad
One of my loves is music and I love it loud as can be if possible. Of course that is pretty normal for a young person of twenty something you would think but I have moderate hearing loss which states that I can not hear very well without hearing assistance. No, my going deaf was not a result of really loud music but merely something that was handed to me at birth. In my honest opinion, I blame that on the reason that I enjoy loud music and I enjoy the bass. Because I am not hearing music the way the rest of the population is hearing it, I like to feel it. I like to know that I can feel it through the vibrations but I honestly believe that too much in your car is not the best.
Loads of bass feels nice but it very damaging to your ears and not to mention your sound system. A car may be equipped with the best booming system out there but it is not immune to too much bass. It will definitely shorten the life of your speakers without question. Think about this. A car pimp junkie will spend a possible $700 on the ultimate sound system with a supposed five year warranty but within a year its busted. Why would anyone want to spend that much money even if the system is only maybe $200, for replacing the sound system every year. It is an unreasonable maintenance cost.
Even though it isn't a scientific reason, it's annoying to other people outside your car. Most don't really care but some get distracted while they're driving by this noise and they can't figure out where its coming from. The public also really don't need to hear ever boom, rattle and bang coming from a car. I'm highly surprised that some passerby hasn't reported the sound to the police having mistaken it for a car that was about to give out in the middle of the road.
Now let's tackle the science of too much bass in the car. Statistics states that about 10 million out of the 40 million Americans that suffer hearing loss are suffering from noise induced hearing loss. This means that their hearing loss comes from being exposed to loud noises at prolonged periods over time. Most car speakers come set within a 90 decibel (db) range of noise and can be pumped up even louder. Decibels are how sound pressure is measured. Take a look at this chart below.
Decibels(db) Noise Identification
45-55 rainfall
55-65 normal talking
85 busy city traffic
95-105 walkman
165 12 gauge shotgun
MORE launching rocket
Hopefully this lovely is helpful when I state that most car speakers fall into the walkman range or around 90 db. Might I remind you that car speakers are turned up louder than a walkman. If it wasn't then no one will be able to hear your car coming up the curb about 100 miles away. If a person continues to keep their music to such high volumes then one day they may not have the ability to hear without assistance. There is nothing wrong with being deaf or hard of hearing but why damage what was given to you at birth?
Lastly, there may not be a bylaw in certain areas about how loud music can be on the roads, especially at night but citizens do have a right to report the cause of the noise. It is safe to say that car stereos can become a severe public disturbance especially when everyone is trying to get some sleep at night.
Learn more about this author, Nicole Oickle.
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