My problem with loudness is not just that the quiet passages are boosted, it's that the peaks are compressed. When it's overdone the music feels like it's been subdued with the life and dynamics missing - supermarket/elevator music style.
This effect is especially unpalatable with genres like rock or metal as fans of Motorhead on CD might find.
One real issue facing headphone users is the level of noise isolation they need from their cans, in-ear, on-ear or over ear?
I generally prefer open back phones but I've switched to closed back for my walk to work. I found I had to put the volume way too high to drown out the surprisingly loud road traffic.
So with my closed back on ear JVCs I can keep the volume low enough to still hear my surroundings and also the music. A fair bit of outside noise still gets in but a totally closed back over ear phone wouldn't be suitable for commuting either.
Therefore it's easy to conclude that as long as download / headphone users remain the target audience, then the mainstream use of heavy compression is going to remain.
This effect is especially unpalatable with genres like rock or metal as fans of Motorhead on CD might find.
One real issue facing headphone users is the level of noise isolation they need from their cans, in-ear, on-ear or over ear?
I generally prefer open back phones but I've switched to closed back for my walk to work. I found I had to put the volume way too high to drown out the surprisingly loud road traffic.
So with my closed back on ear JVCs I can keep the volume low enough to still hear my surroundings and also the music. A fair bit of outside noise still gets in but a totally closed back over ear phone wouldn't be suitable for commuting either.
Therefore it's easy to conclude that as long as download / headphone users remain the target audience, then the mainstream use of heavy compression is going to remain.