Observations: personal experience with an iPod - 20 January 2008

[1.3] I decided to test out what a typical experience of listening to an iPod in an urban setting would be like. I decided to Kagel’s Zehn Marsche um den Sieg zu Verfehlen at about half of the maximum allowable volume. I experienced no problems listening to the music until I got to 127 Street. Then the cars drowned out the sound completely. I had to turn the volume up to maximum to hear anything, and even then, the cars would drown out softer passages. It was even worse when I got onto the bus. The constant growl of the motor drowned out all of the lower frequencies and I was left with a very tinny, almost imperceptible sound even though I had very good headphones (Grado SR-80s, no less). (What this reveals is just how loud vehicle motors are, and that they are TOO LOUD!)