Stereo or Headphones?

[Tiger]

how many intps out there can listen to music publicly? by that i mean in way where others can hear it.
i cant at all, whenever it happends (like when someone decides to put one of my cd's in the stereo) i get nervous and anxious. i can feel a little violated. im intesley private about my music. i wonts even have my ipod up loud enough for others to hear it and on the most boring bus trip in the world, ill keep it in my pocket if im sitting next to someone who'll expect me to share. it could be because my taste trancends so many genres and most people stick religiously to pop or whatever it is kids listen to these days. lest my music and i be subject to judgment!. also because it depends on my mood, i know one song may not be such an attractive pool of noises but it'll make my imagination run in way that ill have a movie to suit the soundtrack in my minds eye (i know an enfp who is kind of like this also). then ill keep listening to songs with a similar mood to keep the movie going.

it could possible have something to so with a rich internall world.
thoughts?

 

[stercusaccidit]

Huh... I'm completely open about my music. Or, rather, I'm neither open nor closed. I made a mix of music for a "party" (aka six people who decided they were going to come to my house because it's the best place to hang out and, more importantly, dance like idiots), and had no problems playing that. I don't feel particularly defensive about music, probably because I think all of the music I listen to is good (which is why I listen to it), and people who write me off for listening to stuff they haven't heard of or that is outside the Top 40 are generally not worth talking to anyway, and definitely not worth trying to impress.

i know one song may not be such an attractive pool of noises but it'll make my imagination run in way that ill have a movie to suit the soundtrack in my minds eye (i know an enfp who is kind of like this also). then ill keep listening to songs with a similar mood to keep the movie going.

This I agree with, though, and I actually tend to group stuff in playlists based on mood and listen to it that way instead of by genre or artist: humorously ambivalent music, cold and detached music, atmospheric and soundtrack-esque music, manic/rawly energetic music, melancholic music, and on and on... And I definitely have some stuff which falls into the unattractive pool of noises category. For example, She Is Beyond Good and Evil by the Pop Group is a really ugly song, but in a certain mood I find myself FASCINATED by it... Same with all of the Pop Group's stuff, actually. I'm the only one I've ever met who can stand to listen to them, though.

 

[Perseus]

Very fussy about my music. Don't like punk rock at all, hate it. Its rotten.

 

[Tiger]

I actually tend to group stuff in playlists based on mood and listen to it that way instead of by genre or artist: humorously ambivalent music, cold and detached music, atmospheric and soundtrack-esque music, manic/rawly energetic music, melancholic music, and on and on...

i also do that. and i hate punk. no offence to anyone but i (subjectively) see a negative correlation between punk music (like greenday and what not) and intelligence. did i use the right term? appreciation of punk music goes up intelligence goes down is what i mean.
seeing as you're open about youre music, perhaps im just weird. i think autism's shadow flits over me when music and colour values are involved. i like my music to have a large space when i listen to it and anyone else who can hear it is invading the space and distrupting me, stressing me out and what have you.
music makes me go weird. (but not all of it, the bad stuff does very little actually, sometimes it can irritate me and be determental to creativity).
but then again i could go to an opera and enjoy it... but i hate hearing other people talk about it afterwards. words are a destruction of thoughts.

 

[stercusaccidit]

i also do that. and i hate punk. no offence to anyone but i (subjectively) see a negative correlation between punk music (like greenday and what not) and intelligence. did i use the right term? appreciation of punk music goes up intelligence goes down is what i mean.

I actually like punk and post-punk. But I would NEVER (ever, ever, ever) consider Green Day to be punk. I HATE Green Day (blech). The Clash is pretty good. I like the Damned, the New York Dolls, X, Velvet Underground, etc. And it's hard to actively DISLIKE the Ramones given that they're not meant to be taken seriously. I know a lot of very intelligent people who listen to this type of music. Same with post-punk-- Devo, Talking Heads, Joy Division.

Of course, I tend to like most kinds of music-- punk, post-punk, metal, classical, ethnic, indie (even though I realize that "independent" is not a real genre, and sometimes this stuff gets a little too... something... for me), SOME hip-hop, reggae, Latin, SOME rockabilly/psychobilly (as close to country as I'll ever get), etc.

 

[Tiger]

well i stand corrected.

 

[Pixie]

I also become anxious and weird when other people listen to my music, so yes I always listen with headphones. I think people are invading some kind of privacy, but I'm not sure what. Music feels like a very private thing, and maybe I'm afraid that people will ruin the atmosphere by either talking or just distracting me with their presence.

 

[Fordy]

I nearly always listen with headphones, but I'm not afraid about sharing my music.

I don't have many bands that nobody else seems to know (everyone has a few), I just have quite a broad taste. I'd happily share my headphones or play music from a playlist of mine - and like others I have a few specific mood ones... - and if they don't like it, they can stop listening. What other people think of my music doesn't bother me at all.

 

[stercusaccidit]

I do prefer headphones, and I'm actually a bit of an audiophile when it comes to quality because I use them so much. I'm just not apprehensive or anything when it comes to other people listening in. I do like having the ability to go off into my own world with a good pair of head phones, though. Can't do that with a stereo. And I'd spend gratuitous amounts of money on headphones before I'd spend gratuitous amounts of money on a stereo. Assuming I ever have gratuitous amounts of money to spend, anyway.

 

[Dystopic]

For me this isn't really an issue. Not to say that it doesn't cross my mind because I have to say that I don't enjoy my music as much when I know other people can hear it, but if I'm completely aware that they can hear it I just don't let it bother me.

It is odd though, for instance if I'm home alone I'll often listen to my music at a very high volume, but if there is someone in the other room I'll keep the volume relatively low. Not so much out of respect for the other people but more the fact that I don't want them to hear what I'm listening to.

I'm intensely private as I imagine the majority of you are and I have to say that any time I'm sitting alone some where, I keep as quiet as I can in an attempt to keep myself out of the minds of those around me.

But to answer your question, I'd have to go with headphones.

 

[Chronomar]

I really can only listen to music when only I can here it. Otherwize, I don't know, it's just wrong. This has become a problem due to the fact that I don't have my own cd player and so have to borrow my sister's. She constantly uses it as a threat: "I won't let you use my cd player if you ...". Unfortunatly, it works.

 

[loveofreason]

words are a destruction of thoughts.

YES!!!

I'm pulling this out to make a new thread just so I can babble on. Thanks for articulating something that's bugged me forever.

Music feels like a very private thing, and maybe I'm afraid that people will ruin the atmosphere by either talking or just distracting me with their presence.

I'm intensely private as I imagine the majority of you are and I have to say that any time I'm sitting alone some where, I keep as quiet as I can in an attempt to keep myself out of the minds of those around me.

Interesting comments.

I find the presence of other people won't allow me to enter the space in which I want to experience music, so I very rarely try any more.

It is not just a matter of their being a distraction, but also a threat. This is probably just a personal quirk, but I can't imagine how anyone listens to music in public places. Doesn't it make one terribly vulnerable?

How can anyone open enough to let the music in without keeping out the detritus of human activity and incidental brutality that occupies public space???

 

[Ermine]

For me, listening to music is a private, personal experience. Therefore, I have to use headphones. It feels awkward for people to listen to my music collection because it's an extension of who I am, and I don't wear my heart on my sleeve. And my family doesn't like/approve of my music tastes.

 

[sagewolf]

I wouldn't listen to my own music where other people are on a stereo or with any other method of broadcasting it, but I have no problem with turning the volume on my earphones up. They probably can hear it then, but experience suggests strongly that they don't give a damn what I'm doing anymore than I do them. They take the earphones as a sign that they can p* off anyway.

It is not just a matter of their being a distraction, but also a threat. This is probably just a personal quirk, but I can't imagine how anyone listens to music in public places. Doesn't it make one terribly vulnerable?

How can anyone open enough to let the music in without keeping out the detritus of human activity and incidental brutality that occupies public space???

I read a summary of a study done by an undergraduate in the college I'm planning to go to that said people, and introverts in particular, need less personal space when they use headphones/personal music players in public than when they're not using them. I don't know what I think of that: I like that the headphones let me listen to my music and not whatever song is on whatever radio station whoever's driving the car/bus feels like playing. It's also good because if someone annoying tries to talk to me, I can turn the music up, and they usually get the message. But I don't know if I need less personal space when I use them.

 

[Chimera]

It feels awkward for people to listen to my music collection because it's an extension of who I am, and I don't wear my heart on my sleeve.

_________
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Yes.
YES.
That's something I painfully came to understand about myself as well. I never really knew why it hit me so hard when someone said "I hate that song" about one of my favorites, at least when I was little. But I listen to music for two reasons: because I need some sort of background noise to distract me, or I need it to express my feelings to myself.
Ooh. Well that was a messy thought. ><
I'll try to explain... When I'm feeling a certain way, let's take sad for example, I feel a need to listen to music that reflects sadness. I need to be submersed in sadness in order to bring my own to the surface of my mind, where I can express it clearly. Because I, and I'm sure many of you, have difficulty expressing emotions. I can't talk about them like a lot of other people. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable, and more often than not, I feel like I'm putting a burden on whoever I'm telling and that shoves a load of guilt onto me on top of whatever emotion was bugging me in the first place. But anyway.
Sometimes there just aren't words for some emotions. You can't wrap up "sad" into three letters and expect other people to understand. But music...I guess it takes whatever emotion I'm feeling and plays it back to me. It's like a friend who empathizes completely and sincerely, someone who has been with me every step of my life, who knows me and can tell me everything about myself.
I wonder...eh, no, not going to go into that thought. Way too messy. I couldn't explain it.
So when someone tells me that they hate whatever song I'm playing, it quite literally is a slap in the face. ​

Yes, of course I prefer headphones. Any day. Except for when I'm home alone (which is becoming increasingly more frequent) and I want to blast something so I can sing along to it without feeling stupid. ​

I listen to a very wide range of music...I like at least two songs in about any genre (the exception being country and rap.) For example, I am currently listening to the string quartet arrangement of Kid A by Radiohead. Earlier this afternoon I was listening to Flogging Molly. And yesterday I spent the better part of the night listening to a soundtrack I made specifically out of very fast-paced techno. ​

. . .I just completely lost my flow of thought due to a barrage of IMs. If I remember what I wanted to say, I'll edit.
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_________​

 

[sagewolf]

Sometimes there just aren't words for some emotions. You can't wrap up "sad" into three letters and expect other people to understand. But music...I guess it takes whatever emotion I'm feeling and plays it back to me. It's like a friend who empathizes completely and sincerely, someone who has been with me every step of my life, who knows me and can tell me everything about myself.

That explains it so perfectly. I can listen to whatever's on the radio, mostly, but when I have control of what I'm listening to, I can't help but skip ahead or back to specific songs that match my mood. It's almost like a kind of catharsis; instead of me moping or running off by myself or yelling at people, because that's the only way my feelings can get out, they get channelled through the music. So I can keep them in better that way, and my mom doesn't see me acting weird and she doesn't threaten to send me to the insane asylum.

I found out last week that i like hip-hop. I found out last week that there is an IRISH hip-hop SCENE. That was unexpected. Too bad it's bloody impossible to find the band's music in any shops around here.

...Chimera, what's wrong with country? There are good country songs.

 

[loveofreason]

Well said Chimera.

I read a summary of a study done by an undergraduate in the college I'm planning to go to that said people, and introverts in particular, need less personal space when they use headphones/personal music players in public than when they're not using them.

I wonder what that means?

Can wearing headphones create bubble of sound that protects from the outside world? Is it an aural shield?

Or is it merely an unmistakable visual signal that one is not to be disturbed? Does it make you sacrosanct in a crowd?

I'll have to try I guess, to understand what it's like. I think I have avoidance/anxiety issues, not just introversion.

Walking around with one's world in one's ears doesn't guarantee that you'll be left alone by malicious others, even if it does reduce the personal space zone required in public.

 

[Gorgrim]

So. I agree that my personal music needs to be private, and even people i was really close with I felt alittle odd handing my samsung mp3 to. I enjoyed a friend of mine's earphone from his own mp3 and such, but I didn't like others hearing my own much.

to me though it bothers me ofcourse to hear music I don't feel like hearing. Thus making me feel quite annoyed when people put on music that other's hear. If it isn't good keep it to yourself

I guess i reckon that if my music isnt good people shouldnt hear it either. and i am almost sure somebody will be. And i don't wanna hassle them when I don't like it either.

 

[Chimera]

...Chimera, what's wrong with country? There are good country songs.

_________
____________​

I'm not sure. There are a few country songs I can listen to, but I forget what they're called...
There are many, many country songs that really bother me though. I'm quite picky. Many of the singers possess voices that grate against my ears and actually give me small headaches. Often I find the lyrics seem simple or shallow.
Of course, there are artists in the other genres that bother me because of the same reasons, and I don't like listening to them either. I will concede that I don't hate country (how could I hate music?), but I just find it hard to listen to.
However, if someone suggested a good country song, I wouldn't mind trying it out. I'm always open for new music.
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_________​

 

[Sapphire Harp]

Mostly I find country music doesn't have any ambience to it, so it's less interesting. And if the content is simple on top of that...

Not really sure I'm adding anything here - but I stopped using headphones back in middle school because I wanted to stay open to world, imagining it actually wanted something to do with me. I tend to phase out often enough as is. And I managed to embarrass myself once by speaking really loudly to someone in a quiet classroom when I had them on.

Whenever it comes to sharing music with other people, though, I start feeling self conscious because the odds are something like 80% likely that the music which energizes me is going to diminish them. It makes the situation feel unfair to me, for example, when I'm giving someone a ride, so I try to adjust for their sensibilities.
​

 

[severus]

In addition to other, previously mentioned reasons:
I don't listen to specific bands or even specific genres really, so I feel weird listening to music with other people around. "Oh so you like the Shins" erm. sure. Then I feel like they'll expect me to know all of their songs.

Music must suit my mood:
I read on an INTP personality profile that the reason many of us feel like this is because we don't understand our own emotions? and we see them as impossible to change.
Something to that effect.
Interesting.

Edit: http://www.intp.org/intprofile.html#FE 5th paragraph under Extraverted Feeling

 

[Linsejko]

Referenced study sounds interesting, but I guess I just take that for granted. The need for personal space is related to an external reality, with external boundaries. But when listening to music, I am existing inside, in a world they cannot access; their external presence is no longer a violation of some private personal space, because I am not existence externally--at least, not nearly as much, depending on how in to the music I am listening to I am.

An example in action would be that I find being in a packed, bustling crowd outside in a shopping center sounds, perhaps a little stressful. With headphones, it almost sounds peaceful, if that makes sense.

I use headphones to temporarily escape, to complement (NOT shape) my mood, and as an enjoyable way to pass time. The problem with sharing my music, (one of them, anyways), is that few others actually practice critically listening to music.

By the way, at this point, I feel inclined to note that I am a musician, and that I haven't listened to a radio of my own volition for... years...? So, my opinions and thoughts on music are pretty well defined, and bred of much experience.

As far as sharing music goes, there's no reason to throw pearls before swine. I listen to my music and savor it, enjoy listening as an experience unto itself. Most do not. It is very painful to try and show someone a song, and have them start talking halfway through; you all of a sudden realize, "they don't get it. If they were experiencing what I was experiencing, they wouldn't be talking right now."

That being said, I have an INTP friend that I have enjoyed sharing music with for the past year, whenever it comes up, and he is also a musician. Music is a great joy for us, and a wonderful thing to critically discuss and analyze, and to intuitively appreciate on levels that 'do not yield to analysis', as one INTP personality profile I read once put it.

Music can be a very personal thing to me, but it's more a badge of honor what music I listen to. If others don't get it, (as one girl here who recently told me she doesn't understand how anyone could enjoy, and I quote, "music without words"--I say this as a listen to Appalachia Waltz, Yo-Yo Ma, ha), it shows their ineptitude. I don't need their approval or acceptance in this arena--my musical identity is quite secure. I enjoy sharing my music with the curious but uninitiated, and with the well versed. Sharing what it means to me, though... that can be personal. If someone were to disturb me while I was experiencing catharsis through a song, that could hurt.

While I certainly find preferences that follow genre lines, genre is not so much important as that the artist adequately expresses his heart in a piece in a way that I can share in the experience. This is why music is so valuable to us: we can partake in emotion, and emotion with another. This is dramatically precious, to an INTP above most.

L.

 

[Linsejko]

I would also like to note that falling to sleep listening to music is hit or miss for me; sometimes I am so actively engaged in my listening that I can't sleep with it. Sometimes I feel like I just need the silence to properly meditate and think before I fall asleep.

Also, music is more distracting, (usually), than beneficial, when I am doing mental work of almost any kind.

What about you guys?

L.

 

[severus]

Also, music is more distracting, (usually), than beneficial, when I am doing mental work of almost any kind.

Yes for writing, no for math.

 

[zxc]

As far as sharing music goes, there's no reason to throw pearls before swine. I listen to my music and savor it, enjoy listening as an experience unto itself. Most do not. It is very painful to try and show someone a song, and have them start talking halfway through; you all of a sudden realize, "they don't get it. If they were experiencing what I was experiencing, they wouldn't be talking right now."

Agree whole-heartedly!

Also, music is more distracting, (usually), than beneficial, when I am doing mental work of almost any kind.

Yes for writing, no for math.

I listen to music while doing math-related subjects since it helps to ease the boredom of repetition. I listen to music while writing something because... it distracts me from my work and thereby makes working endurable!

 

[saffyangelis]

I like headphones, because I'm always a bit worried that my sisters (both of whom are extraverts, and completely unlike me) will take the mick out of me (it has happened before) and from there, I've grown to prefer inner ear headphones to normal ones, because I find they give the best sound quality generally.

If someone asks me what i'm listening to, i'll tell them, but some songs I like I'll only listen to by myself, like some of the more classical style pieces on my Ipod, because I know that if I let my sisters listen to them, i'll never hear the end of it. I have some songs that i'll listen to in public, and others in private because I don't need people winding me up about them.

edit: I like to listen to music when I'm working, because sometimes, I listen to whatever piece of music gave me the idea in the first place, or because I can tune it out but it makes whatever work I have to do slightly more interesting.

 

[adastrac]

i cant at all, whenever it happends (like when someone decides to put one of my cd's in the stereo) i get nervous and anxious. i can feel a little violated. im intesley private about my music. i wonts even have my ipod up loud enough for others to hear it and on the most boring bus trip in the world, ill keep it in my pocket if im sitting next to someone who'll expect me to share. it could be because my taste trancends so many genres and most people stick religiously to pop or whatever it is kids listen to these days. lest my music and i be subject to judgment!. also because it depends on my mood, i know one song may not be such an attractive pool of noises but it'll make my imagination run in way that ill have a movie to suit the soundtrack in my minds eye (i know an enfp who is kind of like this also). then ill keep listening to songs with a similar mood to keep the movie going.

it could possible have something to so with a rich internall world.
thoughts?

i am the exact same way. my taste in music is quite different from others'... and i've had some people say, "your music is boring" or "you listen to some weird music", making me feel a bit self-conscious. sometimes when i travel with my friends, i hide my mp3 player so that they don't ask to play it (well, it's not like they can because they don't like any of the songs that i have anyway)

 

[Lobstrich]

I would pick Stereo any time.. Why? It's louder, and music is meant to be heard.
In public it's headphones obviously, I can't tell you how much I hate those 14 year old kids that walk around the street listening to music on their phones!. Crappy music even.
I don't have the right to force upon anyone to listen to Jimi Hendrix, As 14 year old kids don't have right to force hardstyle or whatever upon me.

 

[MidnightGino]

Headphones all the way. And if someone asks me "what are you listening?" and takes one earphone, i'll pause it and then listen to my music again. It's my music, why would you want to know one of the most private things in my life?

Chimera, I loved your post.

 

[citrusbreath95]

i am the exact same way. my taste in music is quite different from others'... and i've had some people say, "your music is boring" or "you listen to some weird music", making me feel a bit self-conscious. QUOTE]

Yeah I get this way as well. I listen to entirely different music than the majority of my peers. I'm into older music that isn't as fast and hardcore as some of today's consider "cool" music. Not to say I can't see reason for others liking such, though it just doesn't appeal to me. I do enjoy strange music, that others would consider slower than usual (like a soft rock, alternative, classic rock, etc) and most teens would describe it as dull and something that 50 year olds would listen to. Though, I find this music more releasing in terms of what my mind can conceive of. I get more deep thoughts, and different perceptions by listening to such. Though, I do have a varied taste in music, and could appreciate any genre of music if the melody touches me. In reply to the OP, headphones. Although I can freely admit my taste in music to my friends, around others it can be a little more difficult, and I prefer to listen to music alone, without others listening to such song and perhaps wondering why I connect to it, what experiances/emotions/thoughts does it bring out in my mind?

 

[Ska]

i also do that. and i hate punk. no offence to anyone but i (subjectively) see a negative correlation between punk music (like greenday and what not) and intelligence. did i use the right term? appreciation of punk music goes up intelligence goes down is what i mean.

Even though you have already been corrected, I still feel the need to reply to the extreme ignorance of this post. TRUE punk has a message behind it...an intelligent one. Sure, maybe if you consider Blink 182 and Green Day punk you might be able to get away with what you're saying, but I still don't see how those bands would have anymore of a negative correlation with intelligence than any other pop band.

NOFX - Eat the Meek

Spoiler

Why must we stay where we don't belong
Why must we stay where we don't belong

Because there's never gonna be enough space
So eat the meek, savor the taste
It's always gonna be a delicacy
Lick your chops and eat the meek

Why must we stay where we don't belong
Why must we stay where we don't belong, don't belong

The factory mass producing fear, bottled,
Capped, distributed near and far
Sold for a reasonable price
And the people, they love it, they feed it
Brush with it, bathe with it, breathe it
Inject it direct to the blood
It seems to be replacing love

Why must we stay where we don't belong
Why must we stay where we don't belong, don't belong

Because there's always gonna be token truth
Forgotten code discarded youth
You know there's always gonna be pedigree
One own the air one pay to breathe

Why must we stay where we don't belong
Why must we stay where we don't belong

Why must we stay where we don't belong, don't belong

NOFX - Dig

Spoiler

Rationalize values it's so easy to succeed
Keeping your eyes on the prize success, success
Camped outside Laissez Faire
People understand me there
Don't talk to me we'll get along just fine
Blowin' out your mores
Henry Ford tradition preys on
Idle minds left the emergency brake on too long
Underneath the city lies the ruins of mankind
The excavation was a financial success
With artifacts of gold
The arrowheads went straight to the Smithsonian
The rest was melted down and sold
Substantial gains
Minimal losses are tolerable
As long as the machine keeps running on
Cannibals
Functioning on Pheromones
Rational thought lost to instinctual

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIY_ethic

 

[Gather_Wanderer]

_________
____________​

Yes.
YES.
That's something I painfully came to understand about myself as well. I never really knew why it hit me so hard when someone said "I hate that song" about one of my favorites, at least when I was little. But I listen to music for two reasons: because I need some sort of background noise to distract me, or I need it to express my feelings to myself.
Ooh. Well that was a messy thought. ><
I'll try to explain... When I'm feeling a certain way, let's take sad for example, I feel a need to listen to music that reflects sadness. I need to be submersed in sadness in order to bring my own to the surface of my mind, where I can express it clearly. Because I, and I'm sure many of you, have difficulty expressing emotions. I can't talk about them like a lot of other people. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable, and more often than not, I feel like I'm putting a burden on whoever I'm telling and that shoves a load of guilt onto me on top of whatever emotion was bugging me in the first place. But anyway.
Sometimes there just aren't words for some emotions. You can't wrap up "sad" into three letters and expect other people to understand. But music...I guess it takes whatever emotion I'm feeling and plays it back to me. It's like a friend who empathizes completely and sincerely, someone who has been with me every step of my life, who knows me and can tell me everything about myself.
I wonder...eh, no, not going to go into that thought. Way too messy. I couldn't explain it.
So when someone tells me that they hate whatever song I'm playing, it quite literally is a slap in the face. ​

Yes, of course I prefer headphones. Any day. Except for when I'm home alone (which is becoming increasingly more frequent) and I want to blast something so I can sing along to it without feeling stupid. ​

I listen to a very wide range of music...I like at least two songs in about any genre (the exception being country and rap.) For example, I am currently listening to the string quartet arrangement of Kid A by Radiohead. Earlier this afternoon I was listening to Flogging Molly. And yesterday I spent the better part of the night listening to a soundtrack I made specifically out of very fast-paced techno. ​

. . .I just completely lost my flow of thought due to a barrage of IMs. If I remember what I wanted to say, I'll edit.
____________
_________​

Not just this, but at times it seems as though, even outside of music, people will use your preferred taste in anything as a reflection of yourself, your character, and judge. There are songs (or emotions by extension, if you admit a correlation between the two) that I have wished I could have shared with someone else...like the first time I heard Yes's "Starship Trooper" for example...but I understood that it wasn't that simple; No one would look at a song the way I was or feel what I was feeling...especially since my feelings would come pouring out so much. Even with my father, who has spent his entire life in music and one of the people I respect most in the world in that regard, I've doubted that he would understand exactly what I was hearing when I would listen to a song with him.

Once, when I first came out of high school and I was sitting in a lobby of a college campus, I had headphones on and was listening to a mix I made earlier that week. Some random girl was walking by with her friends and, for some reason, decided to mess with me. I ignored them and didn't even look their way...the music really helped maintain my mood for time being as well and I wasn't at first disturbed. But then one of them started trying to talk to me and went to grab one of the ears of the headphones to see what I was listening to...I swear I almost punched her square in the mouth. I have no idea what it was that drew their attention; I'm not a puny guy and appear as though I can hold my own in a scrap, so none of that bullying stuff....But once the music was interrupted I almost lost it.

I can see why one would be so averse to mood-changing, or interrupting music...

 

[Lostwitheal]

_________
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I need it to express my feelings to myself.

Ooh. Well that was a messy thought. ><
I'll try to explain... When I'm feeling a certain way, let's take sad for example, I feel a need to listen to music that reflects sadness. I need to be submersed in sadness in order to bring my own to the surface of my mind, where I can express it clearly. Because I, and I'm sure many of you, have difficulty expressing emotions. I can't talk about them like a lot of other people. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable, and more often than not, I feel like I'm putting a burden on whoever I'm telling and that shoves a load of guilt onto me on top of whatever emotion was bugging me in the first place. But anyway.
Sometimes there just aren't words for some emotions. You can't wrap up "sad" into three letters and expect other people to understand. But music...I guess it takes whatever emotion I'm feeling and plays it back to me. It's like a friend who empathizes completely and sincerely, someone who has been with me every step of my life, who knows me and can tell me everything about myself.​

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I never thought about it like this, but that completely makes sense. I do exactly the same...

 

[Lobstrich]

Stereo all the way.. The higher the volume goes the better.

But I do like those headphones that actually plug into your ear. It makes ALL sounds but the music go away. Which is nice.

 

[snafupants]

it depends on the music. if its electronic or trip hop or trippy rock, headphones for sure. jazz, classical, or punk belongs on the stereo where all can bask in it.

moving into an apartment will assuredly rob me of this duality though.

what headphones does everyone use? i have a cheap (~$70) yet pretty nice sounding pair of sony's. mdr-v6 is the model. i also have a a pair of grado's, but those arent closed back, so...i was thinking about sennheiser and was hoping someone could comment on the audio quality and the model.

 

[Yasmin]

Headphones.

I believe that is all I have to contribute.

 

[Crazythinker1]

For me, listening to music is a private, personal experience. Therefore, I have to use headphones. It feels awkward for people to listen to my music collection because it's an extension of who I am, and I don't wear my heart on my sleeve. And my family doesn't like/approve of my music tastes.

Yes.

 

[KazeCraven]

Actually, I was pretty open about my music tastes when I got into metal. It was more a comic relief factor, as people were like, "what, you're kidding right?"

But yeah, music has been a pretty big emotional influence in my life. So I wear headphones, but I don't mind people intruding in and listening. I've since learned that music is way too personal to thrust on other people, so I keep it to myself.

 

[Fiddling Lass]

Unless people are guaranteed out of the house for at least two hours, I never listen to music without headphones. It's partly because I get a little embarrassed for no reason, and partly because I want to be considerate and not bother my mom.

Unfortunately, she dislikes using headphones so the consideration isn't returned. D:

 

[Doodle]

Personally i always listen to music through headphones, what ever the situation. I just prefer it because its more intense although im quite proud of my musical taste i like most music but can appreciate all!

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Audio Technica ATH-ES7 (Recommended)

JVC HA-RX700

 

[lucky12]

Wow, this thread is deep. A lot of people dislike my music and I have made friends solely on music.

When I drive I'll throw a pre-planned song on and my best friend will just say "omg this is weird man, take it off"
But then I just put something on randomly and he always likes it..

Kinda like when you say something serious and everyone thinks your joking. I hope I'm not the only one.

Anyways..

5.1 if nobodies home, 2.1 if its afternoon, headphones when all are asleep.
Friday, when I get home from my 'week'.. its fucking loud.

 

[Dapper Dan]

Headphones. Sennheiser. That is all.

(unless I'm doing dishes or something, in which case I use speakers)

 

[snafupants]

Do you guys think the EMF from headphones is any big deal?

There clearly is going to be a range of radiation output among headphones; with cell phones though, there's kind of a use-with-caution type thing going on - are headphones the same way?

By headphones I guess I mean closed-back "cans" like Eyes posted maybe and not so much the puny earbuds that the kids wear.

There doesn't seem to be an avalanche of information on the internets about this, so I thought I would put it to the forum.

It just seems prudent to ask about any electronics device that one has next to their head for hours on end.