I'm okay with people playing loud music in their cars most of the time. At night in residential areas, not so much, and the same goes for cars that shake because of the bass.

I personally don't enjoy being in a car with music TOO loud, unless I'm really in the mood for it. most of the time I'd rather have a conversation.

Sometimes, because I enjoy listening to Japanese music, I'll blast some while going by a high school or a mall popular with the tweeny-boppers, just to have them stare in cofussion at me. I like confusing people. Sometimes at a stop sign I'll roll down my windows and let people hear whatever "The Teaching Company" course I happen to be listening to, which further confuses people. God I love it.

There's something wrong with me.

Aside from random acts of confusion, I don't listen to anything very loudly. Like Cellophanedeity, I enjoy actually speaking to my passengers.

I live in a duplex and got 5 just out of high school neighbors. everyone of their 5 cars has 12" woofers in it and 1k watt amp, same w/ the house stero (I'm not kidding). as w/ most "cool" kids these days, they all listen to rap.

on the weeknights, they're somewhat respectful and only blast their car stereos, and sometimes during the day they'll pump they're house stereo as loud as possible too show to one of their friends how hard it pounds. at the usual volume, I can feel my insides vibrate and can no longer hear the tv or my own stereo (which is set to a volume where ppl outside the room wouldn't be able to hear). weekend nights is somewhat different as they don't turn off the house stereo (which is still turned up to a hefty volume) until around 1:30 in the morning. I'm an insomniac, so I try to go to bed around 11:30 or 12 so that I can fall asleep sometime around 3-4 in the morning (usually wake up around 7 because any amount of light wakes me up), so the weekends are hell for me.

so my vote goes for it is never cool. i do like bass, mind you, but at a reasonable level where others 30 feet away aren't litterally feeling it. that and driving through town w/ it at full volume is just irratating and distracting... anyone else think that it could be a hazard while driving? I mean can you even hear an ambulance or fire truck?

Some of the new luxury cars are so soundproofed from outside noise that even with the stereo up just a little bit you cannot hear the sirens of emergency vehicles. That also coupled with residential zones requiring cities to lower the db of the siren outputs all lead for some people in cars without steroes on the inability to hear emergency vehicles.

It all comes down to having at least some respect for other people. Often I hear the backwards ball cap wearing, just out of high school, chock full of attitude, young person complaining that they have been "dissed" or "disrespected" etc.. Hey everyone wants some measure of respect so maybe before getting all tied into what you as an individual want for yourself or crowing about your "right" to do whatever asinine thing you are doing you should consider other people. If you smoke, don't blow smoke into another person's space. If your car is full of fast food wrappers don't throw them out your window into my yard. Use your turn signal before you change lanes so we don't collide, don't make me smell your farts, and listen to your music at a reasonable level so as not to intrude on my peace of mind. Do these things for me and I shall return that level of respect to you.

Cynthetiq, good points.

I listen to my music pretty loud. Nothing but factory speakers in what I'm driving right now though, and the car is louder than the stereo anyway (older jeep), so I don't think I bother anybody. As far as other people, do what you want until I'm trying to sleep, then don't bother me.

When I was a teenager I had shit in my trunk, but I grew out of that. Now all I want is good all around sound, I just need a better car.

I have a fairly powerful aftermarket system in my car...about 300W total.
And I'm an audiophile...no doubt.

But when I'm on the road, I keep it turned down.

I feel that imposing one's taste in music on others is an invasion of their space.
And IMO, it's not wise to advertise that you've got a powerful (read: expensive) system.
Someone will hear it who wants it for themselves. ;)

Depends, usually if the windows are rolled down theyre idiots.

Went by one car that was so loud the music echoed off neighborhood walls where normally it would be almost impossible to make an echo.

I've got a theory on this.

I myself am a huge audiophile, I love music, play about 6 instruments, and music is a huge part of my life.

Car stereos can be loud, but within reason. In my opinion only turn your stereo up as loud as it is made to go. I have about 2000 invested in my car stereo, not so I can turn it up loud (which I can), but so the music is clear and has depth. If you have a good stereo, and no, no matter how nice your stock system seems to be, it CAN be improved greatly, turn it up and enjoy it. If you still have stock paper speakers and are listening to the radio, keep it down.

If you like your music loud, have it be about quality of music, not quantity of noise.

Well said. :)

It's kinda funny that I read this tread because just this afternoon I was walking to get some lunch and some asshat in a blacked out SUV was blasting the latest nonsense by 50 cent. Okay, his taste in music is not the same as mine, I can live with that, but did the children walking in a line from the nearby daycare need to hear the profanity laced lyrics at bone numbing volume? I find that too much of our days are taken up with self indulgance and little time is left for us to give others the space and respect they deserve. When you play your music so loud that others cannot have a coversation nearby then you are invading their personal space as much as you would be if you stood right up against them.

for anyone who needs to show his or her immaturity by blasting these mobile boom boxes throughout the neighborhood, i own stock in motorola and it will only rise proportionate to the amount of ears that are burned out "listening" to whatever that bass is doing to you...

I like the gangstery music pounding into my head.

Here here. When I dumped $1500 into my car stereo, it wasn't for a 5000W mono sub amp and a couple 15" kicker subs that I play using the high-level inputs off the stock stereo. I got Infinity components in the front in Q-form kickpanel pods, pioneer 3-way 6x9's in the back, a Sony ES headunit (not flashy...just good quality), a Sony 600W amp to run the surrounds, and a Sony 1200W amp to run the two 10" Infinity subs.

It gets loud, and when I crank the bass I can make the whole car shake, but I'm all about fidelity. I get the EQ tuned to where my music sounds full and vibrant, with crystal-clear highs, resonant mids, and punchy lows. I don't understand what the appeal is of having a giant subwoofer in the trunk and blown paper-cone surround speakers and a crappy (but flashy) headunit. I want to be able to close my eyes and hear every nuance of the music.

So yeah...in summary, big booming bass systems suck, but big, quality systems don't.

Every time someone goes by with ear-splitting music on, I just laugh at them and think "What an asshole". They are usually so obvious in their quest to be "cool" that it's very amusing. Sure, it pisses me off when they do it around residential areas, esp late at night, and one day I'm going to throw at brick at the prats that come around outside most Fridays at 2AM with the damn thing blaring, but I usually just put up with it, confident in the knowledge that I'm a better person than them, that, unlike them, I know what respect is, and I can feel confident in myself without resorting to petty showing off that is "cool" to a select few and really annoying, puerile and just downright stupid to the rest of the population.

I listen to my music relatively loud when i'm out on the highway in order to block out the screaming noise of a 4 cylinder air-cooled kombi engine trying to keep up with traffic, magnified by it being situated in a sheetmetal box with no sound deadener of any description.

No respect for those locals who cut laps with their music up full to try and impress, it's one thing having a nice system to enjoy some decent sound quality but these guys just create the most boomiest, equalized, distored bass they can and pump it out windows as if we want to listen to it.. its all wank factor for some of these guys and quite frankly it should not be needed and it annoys the hell out of me.

I like to listen to loud music sometimes. I've blown out quite a few speakers and I have actually had the "can't hear emergency vehicles" experience - I wondered why everyone was pulling over until I looked in my rear-view mirror. :p I was driving a 1966 Dodge so it wasn't a soundproofing thing.

However, it embarasses me when others can hear it because I'm afraid they'll think I'm doing it to impress, which is just kind of tacky and immature, in my opinion. Plus I just don't want other people to know what I'm listening to, that's my business. It's kind of like having a bunch of people overhear your public cellphone conversation - even if you don't care about being inconsiderate, now everybody knows your private business. Basic respect is a huge factor too, since not everyone shares my taste in music. So I turn it down a little at stop lights or when driving through residential neighborhoods. I usually have the window open but it's for fresh air (no ac). There's a lot of music I can't stand being played really loud (rap, mostly) so I try to show the same consideration I wish they would. God knows some of the stuff I listen to could easily give children nightmares. :lol:

I didn't quite know how to vote on the poll because I think loud car stereos can be "cool" in the sense of "cool, my music sounds really great when I turn it up and I enjoy listening to it" but not "it's cool to blare your music loud enough to wake the dead."

Cranking it up when a cool tune comes on is one thing. Packing your trunk with amps and sub-woofers so you can drive around going "BOOM BOOM BOOM" all the time is just being a punk.

I voted "Not cool". Many people have said especially in a residential area at 3am. I'd make that in a residential area at any time of day. Some people work nights, or work late into the night and are sleeping at 10am or 3pm. I cannot for the life of me sleep longer than about 6 hours in a row, and it's usually less than that. But that's not enough sleep each day, so I find myself napping for about 45 minutes after I get home from work.

If your car stereo can be heard inside people's houses at any time of day, you are playing it too loudly in the wrong place, which is rude.

Playing your stereo so loudly that it interferes with other motorists being able to hear their music or conversations is likewise rude.

I have what I consider a pretty nice stereo system in my car. It's not an aftermarket system, and won't shake the car or those around me, but it will get plenty loud enough that it's physically painful to listen to without distorting the music, and at that level, with the windows up, it's barely audible from outside the car, and inaudible from 20 feet away.

The type of music you're playing and the quality of your stereo is irrelevant; if your music is interfering with others in their homes or vehicles, it is rude. Blasting music with foul language as you pull into the parking lot to pick up your kids/siblings at school is doubly rude.

It's like anything else in life. What you do for your own enjoyment is entirely your business, until it starts to intrude on someone else. It's entirely possible to listen to music without imposing your musical tastes on someone else.

On a side note, my car stereo does have one of those speed compensating volume controls, and it is indeed, very nice.

Going with the "not cool" choice. I don't really want to hear what other people are listening to. I have my own radio and speakers, and I can find my own music to play. or not play. I don't want someone three cars away or down the street playing music for me unless I specifically ask him to, which I doubt I will.

I love my music loud, and I listen to all kinds of music.

Frankly, I'm a little disappointed with everyone picking at "rap" or "hip-hop" or whatever else you refer to it as, rather than just sticking to the real issue, which is the music is too loud. The moment you specify the type of music as part of the reason for the trouble, you're just showcasing your prejudice on the matter.

A prime example...

I used to have a halfway decent system set up in my last car. Nothing impresive even, only spent a few hundred all together. Two 400-watt subs in the trunk, Two 360 watt 6x9's in the back, Two 6" 360 watt 2-ways (mid and high) in the front, and two high-end tweeters placed just inside the windshield. It was set up for maximum sound control, dispersion, and acoustics. It was a beautiful thing. Whether I blasted some sort of rap, metal/rock, or techno, i'd occasionally get someone in a nearby car to tell me to "turn down that rap shit".

I found this flatly unacceptable and, after getting that reaction a few times, decided to combat the problem. I made myself a great little compilation CD of classical music. Lots of horns and wind instruments, but also a good amount of bass instruments.

The next time i got that comment, i'd roll down all my windows and put the classical CD in. If you think rap is so bad, even a person who likes classical music will likely not like hearing it as loud as i could play it, at about 300 watts. The highs I pushed alone would drive a person insane.

If you're going to have an opinion, keep in mind what the opinion says about you as a person. For many of you in this thread, it simply says you're intolerant of other music first, and concerned with the volume second. I'm sure in many cases, if I was blasting the 1812 overture, many of you would just ignore it until it passed.

NOTE to parents in this thread: Yeah, it's really that big a deal. You go ahead keep believing that you can shield your precious children from all the "evils" of the world, 24/7... starting with the music playing in a car nearby. Never mind what they hear in school, or anywhere else. I used to teach 2nd grade kids in a church for religious education classes. You wouldn't believe what they say at 2nd grade (8 years old, if i remember), and that was as of several years ago. God knows what they talk about now.

Be quicker to try and understand, rather than comdemn.

Hey, if you like your music loud, then cool! I'd play mine loud too if my speakers didnt start buzzing and shaking! But if its at night and people are sleeping have a little common courtesy! I used to live in the part of Utah where people thing they're "gangsta'"! Nobody's "gangsta'" in Utah by the way! But people would drive through my neighborhood at like 5:00 in the morning blaring their stereos! Between that and cop sirens I really had to become a deep sleeper. Its really quite a bit of bullshit!

It's all about time and place. On the highway or in the industrial areas, I'll turn it up, downtown or in residential areas I lower the volume, especially if it's after 9:00.

I know people can hear my music, but it's not about them. I find driving to be neutral at worst and therapeutic at it's best and being completely immersed in the music is all part of the experience, just like having the windows down to feel the breeze is. If Joe Blow walking down the street thinks that G Love and Special Sauce or Stone Temple Pilots is crap, then to hell with him, as I'm not doing it for him anyway. I'll show enough respect to realize that people are asleep at a given time of day or at home relaxing and may not want to listen to my music, but I'm not going to worry too much about it just like I'm not going to worry about if the school kids I'm driving by hear the rather small amount of profanity in the music I listen to either. It's ultimately just not worth my getting stressed over.

Bear in mind that my car doesn't rattle and I turn it down if it begins to sound distorted or I start having problems with the balance. Sound is all about quality over quantity as far as I'm concerned.

I have a nice stereo system in my car..I paid in total about a grand for everything. When i got the whole system complete with what i wanted, I played it loud for awhile..But now the novelty of it has worn off..If somebody who has never heard it asks to hear what it sounds like..No problem, But when i'm driving alone..I play it so it sounds good for me..Not the people up the street.

Have to agree here.

I listen to my music and it's some what loud. It's nothing ear splittingly loud but if you are next to me at a light there's a decent chance you'll hear it. I won't do it driving around late at night in a residential neighborhood. But I'm not doing it to have people look at me. I'm not doing it to be cool. I'm doing it to enjoy my music. As has been said I enjoy driving. And I think that total experience includes a good bit of enjoyable music or radio.
One of my favorite things in life is that first day of weather above 60 degrees in the spring is getting in the car dropping the windows and just enjoying the drive. It is like everything is right with the world.

And I'll likely continue doing this because I enjoy the drive. Unless I get blessed with a cammed small block Ford and then I'll just sit there and listen to the lopey idle. And then you'll have to listen to a big American V8 through straight pipes that drowns your car out whenever I accelerate over half throttle. :lol:

For me, the kind of music doesn't matter. It's the volume itself. I wouldn't want someone 3 cars away blasting anthing, regardless of the type.

If you want loud music, soundproof your car so the people who don't want to hear it don't have to....or get really good headphones.

Right now Im running up to 1200 watts of power in my car radio...so I don't really have to turn it up that much for it to be loud:D

And I'm the guy that will wake you up at 2am...when Im coming home from work;)

Loud stereos are the bane of college campuses, at least mine. Nothing is worse than being 11 stories up with your windows open on a hot spring night trying to sleep and having to hear and FEEL Crunk Juice word for word blasting from Joe Dumbass' subs. Or having the Ying Yang Twins pumped through your bowels from a moron two doors down.

Don't get me wrong though. I love music, especially metal. I just bought Vader's Revelations album, and you bet I was driving around town yesterday afternoon letting everyone know. :D The problem I have with loud stereos is when I am physically discomforted by your attempts to blow me out of my own space. My girlfriend lives on a main street in town, and dozens of times a day you can feel the floor shaking in her living room while we're trying to watch whatever Judge ____ show is on Fox.

I just think of it as a bell on a cat, or in this case a huge neon sign over your car that says "I'm an idiot, and I'm heading your way."

I love the adrenaline rush you get from music. I love turning on my car and popping in a CD and the song drops a sick beat and I'm just jamming to it. I turn my music up so loud you can feel my subs bumping from the next block over because that's how *I* like to listen to it.

If it's not late at night or an inappropriate place for it (e.g. a graveyard, church) I will play my music as loud as I damn well please. If that means you have to deal with it while I pass by, then here's an instant dose of patience for you, because I'm going to turn it up as loud as I feel like.

I should think the graveyard would be the best place.....those people don't complain much...

Unnecessarily loud music pumping from a car is just a cry for attention, yet I always find myself looking around to see if i know the person.

Funnily, all the kids from high school that always had/have their beast stereos up loud cannot seem to hear as well as the rest of us.

Get over it people. It it's blasting in your neighborhood at 2am then fine, go ahead and bitch. But for just driving down the street minding your own business and you just happen to hate the music being played, then tough, deal with it. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean they have to stop doing it.

I think it really depends... if I'm listening to something like Metallica or Rage Against the Machine, I'm not going to listen to it quietly. It's not meant to be heard that way-you're supposed to be able to feel the music, not just hear it. It gets me pumped up more. Then again, I'm usually listening to it while I'm on a highway, so not many other people can hear it. I suppose it might disturb people a little when I get off the highway, but i figure A. I don't have it up that loud, and B. I'll only be within hearing range of them for under a minute (I don't have any sort of rediculous subs in my car, or anything like that). If its nighttime, I'll generally turn it down, if I'm in a residential area. Besides, I figure they'll all be laughing at me when I'm deaf and they can still hear. But then again, I won't be able to hear them laughing at me, so I guess it works out in the end :D .

i've spent about $1300 on my car audio system so i play it loud.
not in the neighborhood though, just on the road. and i usually have my windows up so it kills alot of the sound.

one of my pet peeves are cars that go down the street rattling.
my system isn't like that. i've laid dynamat everywhere on the car.
quick description: rubber adhesive that atttaches to the metal in the car so that it doesn't rattle.

I love to crank my stereo but i'm courteous about it always turn it down when at stop signs/lights at the windows are down & never play loud in residential areas. I've got enough forms of deadending in my car I don't get that annoying ghetto rattle.

While i love to bump along sound quality is where it's at :) .. oh and yes i've got way more in my car stereo than my car is worth and the things only 4 years old just in equipment. If we were to put a monetary value on the time i've spent well then I would probably get depressed LOL

I listen to my music loud, loud, loud... I love concerts, I love loud music in my car and at my home. I love feeling the vibration of music pulsing through me, whether it's the bass line from a rap song, or the bass guitar and drum line from some Led Zeppelin. I don't do it to show off, compensate for anything or bother people. I do it because it's what I like. I won't play it loud at night at home or in residentail areas because I don't believe in being rude. But on the freeway, on commercial streets or during the day, you can find me blaring some good jams and tasty tunes whever I go.

That's ridiculous... there are tons of ugly ass people walking around the street that I surely don't want to see... I don't expect they'll all put paper bags on their heads!

Eh... it's music.

I like mine loud. Has nothing to do with showing off, either. I just like loud music.

There's no lack of class, respect, or anything else on my part.

I'm just the type of person who doesn't really give a shit what others think.

Besides, you'll have forgotten all about it in 30 seconds, so it really isn't that big of a deal.

I enjoy listening to some pretty offensive stuff cranked up. For example.. Marilyn Manson, "Use me when you want to cum." I chuckle to myself knowing that people are sitting there appalled.

I have to deal with everyone else's permanent stupidity, so.. people can deal with temporary loud music.

my favorite one to appall (is that spelled right?) people with is NIN Closer :lol: