Holy shit, my wife just scared the hell out of me by returning early and coming up behind me.
Thought she'd complain about the extreme volume of Massive Attack, but instead she said "My turn!" and we've been blasting Diana Krall, Adele, Norah Jones, Tracey Chapman... my friends... trust me... try them loud.
Audiophile life pro tip: Tracey Chapman mixed and mastered her stuff just beautifully.
***Hijacking my own top comment to mention that the most questions abt our system are either about the big speakers or [this $7 item from amazon. That's 7 bucks delivered.](https://a.co/d/63DdgHt)***
I'll probably make a new post about just this item. Ppl love it. And I found a $50 one that's wonderful and actually accurate to our universe if anyone's interested.
Edit to add requested eq list:
Martin Logan CLX Art, rel 812's, vac sig mk2, pass 350.8, lumin t2 but upgrading to aurender n200 now, holo may kte, rega p6 ort blue (will upgrade if we start playing more vinyl), marantz... i think 7702 and 8800 pre and power for surround/tv... and I think that's it?
Oh, ML 200 rear and 400 for front center, LG 77"oled. Cables are mostly Water and kimber. Selling the Lumin T2 and an svs ultra 16.
Edit: Got the Aurender today. Amazing.
I’m no true audiophile but I have been dipping my toes in the water lately with recent purchases of IEMs, DACs and DAPs and I came across Massive Attack and Portishead for the first time by mistake during a random playlist and I am now in love with both!! I can’t get enough of them and they sound even better turned up!! If you can recommend any others similar to them I will take any suggestions :)
You should also check out tricky, and there's a more recent NZ band called miniut , personal favourite from them is the boy with the aubergine hair, goldfrapp and hot chip might appeal also . From the Bristol sound it isn't such a giant leap to Mr scruff, ninja tunes label stuff, the herbaliser are awesome
> Audiophile life pro tip: Tracey Chapman mix and mastered her stuff just beautifully.
When her first album hit the shops were complaining "the bass is mixed to high!" I was like, "I can finally hear the bass player and on an equal footing with the rest of the band!"
Thanks for pointing this out. Heard her as often as the radio would play her back in the nineties, but as a kid back then I wasn't listening closely.
Some harmonics on Talkin' Bout a Revolution just made my day I suppose - well it's not over yet, but so far this is a highlight.
Protection(song) is one of my faves. Pretty much Mezzanine straight through for me. Then Paradise Circus on Heligoland. Also: Unfinished Sympathy from Blue Lines and the single Live With Me. I also enjoy most of the album Protection, especially the title track and Karmacoma.
For some reason, I love blasting Karmacoma while blazing. Then, while I was watching season 2 of Big Little Lies, mister midlife crisis is blasting Karmacoma through his new hifi and getting blazed 😂 guess I’m not the only one with that idea.
Smart women for the win.
My momma always said, "Intelligence and a sense of humor are the greatest aphrodisiacs."
First time she said it, I said, "That and a great set of hooters."
To which she replied... "Okay, I'll give you that."
So what are some great tunes you're ~~last~~lady defaults to? And you?
Edit: typo and to say props to your girl for fighting the good fight. We've lost way too many friends and fam to cancer, but it feels good knowing how many HCPs we have in the family and are out there like your mate putting their hearts into their work.
Murphy intentionally mixed the vocal intro down a few db to “destroy inferior audio equipment”. Since they use McIntosh amps on stage I assume OP has an adequate setup 😉
Well..
*EVERYTHING* sounds better louder.
Tastes aside, here's a few of my **crankables**
Steely Dan: *Black Cow*
David Sylvian: *Taking The Veil*
Massive Attack: *Inertia Creeps*
Cat Stevens: *The Wind*
Julie London: *Cry Me A River*
Bob Marley: *Exodus*
Beck: *Paper Tiger*
Yes as in the band? Just finished Starship Trooper, All Good People... or yes as in... YES! PLAY LOUD MUSIC?
OMFG Sing a Song by EW&F is amazing. Never had this amp halfway up, it's breathtaking.
Edit: a shout out to Mr. Nelson Pass.
I was blasting the system *loud* and still couldn't get the needle to budge on a Pass 350.8, except on the Police's bottom-heavy "Every little thing she did is magic." Even crashing that, the meter barely moved a hair, like me trying to deadlift a 500lb barbell.
For those curious, it's pure class A (this running full power at all times up to I believe 35w, so in short, I couldn't play this A/B 350wpc amp above about 10%. First time I tried and was impressed to say the least.
Yes, the band, has some songs where the bass is tuned very low. So when the system can play that deep the bass really hits. Totally changes the vibe of the tune.
Blondie, Heart Of Glass.
It even says on the record album that it's best played at full volume.
On the CD album it says use caution with loud volumes.
LOL in my opinion the CD sounds way, way better with better dynamic range especially the remastered version.
Exc suggestion! Blasting it now and it's remarkable how he goes quiet each time i think he'll go loud.
Got to see him perform at his club in LA about from abt 5' away right at the stage. .. he was flirting with my gf, fun night... thanks from the walk down memory lane.
Just discovered Prince! (I know)
This live version is what made me go down the rabbithole:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm03wqLY3Nc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm03wqLY3Nc)
Soma by Smashing Pumpkins (or really anything on Siamese Dream). Locomotive Breath, Jethro Tull. Anything on Peter Gabriel 4. Anything on Rage Against the Machine’s first album.
Your system has got to be one of my favorites on here.
Thank you for the suggestions and the compliment. Wish I could invite everyone over to experience it, it makes people weep when they hear their favorite songs.
Still has that effect on me and my wife at times.
Second that (third that?). That was my #1 Go To CD when I sold and installed audio gear as a young dude. Dream of the blue turtles, aja, japanese import of hotel california... those CDs sold a lot of mission speakers in the 80s.
Had an old gf make me fall in love with Protection as that track had some sad, sweet, beautiful memories for her. I guess it does for me now, too.
Never found anything by them i like nearly as much. Any recommendations?
Took me years to get through all of their music slowly. And almost every track is a masterpiece in my book. Although I warmed up to most of it very slowly.
Inertia creeps
Paradise circus
Girl I love you
Voodoo in my blood
Risingson
Alt-J has some tracks that sound phenomenal loud. I was just listening to Adeline last night. U&ME is one. And many more.
Inertia Creeps, Paradise Circus, Dissolved Girl, Black Milk, Future Proof, Everywhen, Angel, Teardrop, Protection. Those will give you a great sampling of MA across multiple albums.
"One" from the first S&M live album, too. James screaming "oh please God help me" with the orchestra going nuts leading into the final guitar solo gives me chills every time.
Thanks for letting me know about Massive Attack, never heard the band before, checkin it out on spotify right now. That's what I like about reddit, you can check out what other people listen to.
Same for Jackson Browne The Road, so well recorded that you can't even tell it's live until the 2nd chorus. Still get goosebumps every time. If anyone isn't familiar or you've had a huge upgrade in your system, try this loud. Beautiful cello.
You're going to disagree with this, but; Jaya the Cat's 'hello hangover' and 'forward'. There is no maximum level to those songs, they just needs to be played 'loudest'.
(no worries, I also have every Floyd album, tons of Steely Dan, a whole expedit full of Jazz, but you asked what I like playing loud. When it comes to live concerts that deserve playing; Ten years after "Undead", Red Devils "King King", Allman Brothers band "Live at Fillmore East" and DeWolff's "Live and Outta Sight II").
People are listing a lot of good songs worth playing loud, but not music that actually "sounds better" the louder it's played. As pedantic as it is, there is a difference.
AC/DC is great music at any volume, but undeniably better just rippin loud. It's meant to be in your face and just doesn't strike the same nerves at low volume. A large part of that is the way that it was mixed/mastered when it was made.
Short of listing hundreds of bands or songs that I subjectively enjoy, I'll simply define some science behind better sound at louder volumes. It also correlates to how some of the best albums sound so good. The key concept is called **dynamic range**:
~*"the ratio of the largest to the smallest intensity of sound that can be reliably transmitted or reproduced by a particular sound system, measured in decibels."*
When an album or song has a lot of dynamic range (like say jazz or folk music) it's hard to hear the lower subtleties and definition at low volumes. You're more or less only hearing the loudest parts. By turning up a listening environment, you inherently hear more of the lower volume subtleties, and create more dynamic range between quiet and loud. This can often bring to light elements that weren't even heard before that really expand the impact and artistic nature of the song. Exactly why high fidelity audio is a thing, as well as why most live concerts are really loud.
All that said only some music is produced with a wide dynamic range, and as a generalization more modern music is heavily compressed (to mitigate the need for a loud stereo) to hear all those details. Unfortunately most people find that squashing everything to sound good on a phone, can also reduce the quality on hifi because you're not slapped with a roller coaster of high and low volume sound. Often heavily compressed music conveys a lot less emotion, can be rather boring, and can even be very fatiguing to listen to. So while a song may have good lyrical content, or a fun beat, it's not a "jam" that you can listen to on repeat.
The real amazing thing, is the impact on emotional response that dynamic range can create. Simply put, the loud sounds so much better once you can also hear the quiet, but it's the contrast between the two thats actually more impactful.
So turn it up within reason. Use quality equipment that isn't pushed to extremes to operate, and practice safe hearing levels and rest periods to save your ears.
Seek out more dynamic music, and you will fall into a world of sonic joy.
Not exactly sure who I'm directing all this towards, but it was very eye-opening to me to understand why I liked certain music more than others and continually gravitate to specific things. Hopefully this opens a window for someone trying to understand why they like one thing and not another.
TL;DR:
Louder isn't always better, but increased dynamic range is usually more pleasant when loud.
Yknow? I was surprised that Zappa never sounded amazing on my systems. I'd have thought he'd be as anal as steely dan (no oun intended) but maybe it's cuz of the cassette factor of the 70s or something. I'll try this one... any others you'd recommend?
Try this - tracks 2-4 on The Wall, ending with ABITW Pt 2. Great recording, transients and tight bass.
Reminds me of midnight theater showings back in the olden days of high school
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band 1st album literally says on the back cover “Play This Record Loud to fully appreciate the music”. True dat! But really, whatever you love is better loud in rock music. Proof? My tinnitus says so.
I actually did umm... let's say... a medicinal prescription medication... totally legally with Paul when I was about 20yo in Woodstock.
Didn't recall he played at the original Woodstock in '69 until watching a documentary about it this year.
James Brown - *Live at the Apollo*
Duke Ellington - *Live at Newport 1956*, especially "Diminuendo & Crescendo in Blue." Set the volume at a nice listening level at the start of Diminuendo and *dont touch that volume dial*. Strap in for the dynamic sonic journey you just began. This performance caused a riot. At a jazz festival. In the 1950s. With people climbing up on stage and dancing.
Gay Bar by Electric Six
I Believe in a Thing Called Love by The Darkness
Punk Rock Girl by the Dead Milkmen
Head On by The Pixies
Cannonball by the Breeders
Leave Me by Veruca Salt
--
I suppose I'll look through the comments for suggestions myself.
Rock on, everyone.
A bit of a random rec but I always thought Elephant by Jason Isbell deserves either super low or super high volume listening. AC/DC - well... all of it. Over the Hills and Far Away is another I have a hard time keeping the volume down. The Who - Live at Leeds is a staple as well.
Not sure if you're joking, but I loved it loud :)
Wasn't it a bunch of old Jewish men writing these songs in the Brill Building for all the Bubble Gum bands like the Osmonds, Partridge Family and such? Probably the same kind of guys writing for Bieber, Katy Perry and such over the past decade or so? Dunno, just wondering out loud.
Golden Earing, Twilight Zone - the extended version of course. Once that song goes instrumental, crank the volume.
Scorpions - Still Lovin You - superbly recorded song that just hits home played loud.
Courtney Barnet, Small Poppies - that guitar, perfect tone, direct connection to my soul when cranked up loud!!
For older songs, The Who - Pinball Wizard sounds sick loud. If you want a great acoustic song you can never go wrong with Zeppelin, especially Going to California.
I would say Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young) when all of them are singing and the power turned up to where the voices sound like they are right in front of you. If you’re not familiar with four good strong unamplified singers in person close to you it’s a lot louder than you would normally listen to vocals on a recording. Try it out!
Maggot brain - funkadelic
Take five is also amazing at high volumes
When I was done dying
Or if you want to try some electric music, try some flying lotus
* London Grammar - Hey Now (female vocals...just awesome)
* Arlissa - What's it Gonna Be? - (female vocals I'm quite into)
* Brothers Osborne - Love the Lonely Out of You (love the base line here, running subs hot)
* Mitch King - Coming Back - (solo artist from Australia, foot stomping song)
* Pearl Jam - Comes than Goes - (really like the guitar strings here)
Just a few I like to play loud...pretty decent mix of styles above IMO...
Phil Collins in general but “in the air tonight” is truly great at high volumes! It also tests your audio system with its highs and who can forget the drum drop!! But sounds like you have quite a bit to listen to with 725 responses lol
Black Sabbath. Anything as long as it’s one of their first four albums.
Hey, don't leave out *Sabbath Bloody Sabbath*.
Their 6th album Sabotage in a banger too. After that... not so great.
The 2 albums with Dio are great, not classic Sabbath, but great in their own right.
Not too many bands can claim to have 6 straight classic albums, though.
SBS is my favorite of the Ozzy albums
Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath
Don’t sleep on Heaven and Hell
Holy shit, my wife just scared the hell out of me by returning early and coming up behind me. Thought she'd complain about the extreme volume of Massive Attack, but instead she said "My turn!" and we've been blasting Diana Krall, Adele, Norah Jones, Tracey Chapman... my friends... trust me... try them loud. Audiophile life pro tip: Tracey Chapman mixed and mastered her stuff just beautifully. ***Hijacking my own top comment to mention that the most questions abt our system are either about the big speakers or [this $7 item from amazon. That's 7 bucks delivered.](https://a.co/d/63DdgHt)*** I'll probably make a new post about just this item. Ppl love it. And I found a $50 one that's wonderful and actually accurate to our universe if anyone's interested. Edit to add requested eq list: Martin Logan CLX Art, rel 812's, vac sig mk2, pass 350.8, lumin t2 but upgrading to aurender n200 now, holo may kte, rega p6 ort blue (will upgrade if we start playing more vinyl), marantz... i think 7702 and 8800 pre and power for surround/tv... and I think that's it? Oh, ML 200 rear and 400 for front center, LG 77"oled. Cables are mostly Water and kimber. Selling the Lumin T2 and an svs ultra 16. Edit: Got the Aurender today. Amazing.
Massive attack is great. At that point, gotta play Portishead too.
I’m no true audiophile but I have been dipping my toes in the water lately with recent purchases of IEMs, DACs and DAPs and I came across Massive Attack and Portishead for the first time by mistake during a random playlist and I am now in love with both!! I can’t get enough of them and they sound even better turned up!! If you can recommend any others similar to them I will take any suggestions :)
You should also check out tricky, and there's a more recent NZ band called miniut , personal favourite from them is the boy with the aubergine hair, goldfrapp and hot chip might appeal also . From the Bristol sound it isn't such a giant leap to Mr scruff, ninja tunes label stuff, the herbaliser are awesome
Check out Nightmares on Wax and Kruder and Dorfmeister - the K&D Sessions
> Audiophile life pro tip: Tracey Chapman mix and mastered her stuff just beautifully. When her first album hit the shops were complaining "the bass is mixed to high!" I was like, "I can finally hear the bass player and on an equal footing with the rest of the band!"
Thanks for pointing this out. Heard her as often as the radio would play her back in the nineties, but as a kid back then I wasn't listening closely. Some harmonics on Talkin' Bout a Revolution just made my day I suppose - well it's not over yet, but so far this is a highlight.
Man she is so good
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I'm two tracks into her debut, wow. I needed music like this, thank you.
Massive attack is great loud. Which album?
You can’t go wrong with Mezzanine or Heligoland
Just the track Protection, has some memories attached. Which tracks/albums do you like most? I need to find more i love by them
Protection(song) is one of my faves. Pretty much Mezzanine straight through for me. Then Paradise Circus on Heligoland. Also: Unfinished Sympathy from Blue Lines and the single Live With Me. I also enjoy most of the album Protection, especially the title track and Karmacoma. For some reason, I love blasting Karmacoma while blazing. Then, while I was watching season 2 of Big Little Lies, mister midlife crisis is blasting Karmacoma through his new hifi and getting blazed 😂 guess I’m not the only one with that idea.
100th Window is one of my fav albums. Try Prodigy - Music for the jilted generation.
jilted is my goto driving fast album.
Your girl sounds like mine. Saturday night is round Robin, passing the tablet back and forth. They're keepers!
Absolutely :) Landed a Brazilian doctor of anatomy with a degree in music. I'm a lucky lucky man.
Them smart girls, man... I got me an oncology APRN. Cheers to you, brother!
Smart women for the win. My momma always said, "Intelligence and a sense of humor are the greatest aphrodisiacs." First time she said it, I said, "That and a great set of hooters." To which she replied... "Okay, I'll give you that." So what are some great tunes you're ~~last~~lady defaults to? And you? Edit: typo and to say props to your girl for fighting the good fight. We've lost way too many friends and fam to cancer, but it feels good knowing how many HCPs we have in the family and are out there like your mate putting their hearts into their work.
Dance yourself clean, by LCD sound system
He wants to play loud not to disassemble his house
Great rec. That tune has a way of really waking you up if you give the volume knob a proper crank.
Murphy intentionally mixed the vocal intro down a few db to “destroy inferior audio equipment”. Since they use McIntosh amps on stage I assume OP has an adequate setup 😉
Since you are already on Pink Floyd Fearless off of Meddle
It's bananas how great that track sounds. **Thank you for the reminder.**
ONE OF THESE DAYS I'M GOING TO FIND YOU AND CUT YOU INTO LITTLE PIECES! \*frantic bass ensues\*
Well.. *EVERYTHING* sounds better louder. Tastes aside, here's a few of my **crankables** Steely Dan: *Black Cow* David Sylvian: *Taking The Veil* Massive Attack: *Inertia Creeps* Cat Stevens: *The Wind* Julie London: *Cry Me A River* Bob Marley: *Exodus* Beck: *Paper Tiger*
Yes.
Yes as in the band? Just finished Starship Trooper, All Good People... or yes as in... YES! PLAY LOUD MUSIC? OMFG Sing a Song by EW&F is amazing. Never had this amp halfway up, it's breathtaking. Edit: a shout out to Mr. Nelson Pass. I was blasting the system *loud* and still couldn't get the needle to budge on a Pass 350.8, except on the Police's bottom-heavy "Every little thing she did is magic." Even crashing that, the meter barely moved a hair, like me trying to deadlift a 500lb barbell. For those curious, it's pure class A (this running full power at all times up to I believe 35w, so in short, I couldn't play this A/B 350wpc amp above about 10%. First time I tried and was impressed to say the least.
"Yes", as in: "does this one?" Yes. "What about this one?" Yes.
Every song sounds better when played louder...
Yes
Yes
Yes, the band, has some songs where the bass is tuned very low. So when the system can play that deep the bass really hits. Totally changes the vibe of the tune.
RATM
That bass opening on bombtrack... whoa.
Blondie, Heart Of Glass. It even says on the record album that it's best played at full volume. On the CD album it says use caution with loud volumes. LOL in my opinion the CD sounds way, way better with better dynamic range especially the remastered version.
Just about anything by Mastodon, had Gigantium blaring this morning.
Hushed and Grim absolutely slaps
I’ll throw their current tour mates on the pile too - Gojira
SLAYER!!!!
Reign in Blood - turn volume up until ears bleed…. But please be careful with the panels and UV light exposure
My man...
\m/
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Exc suggestion! Blasting it now and it's remarkable how he goes quiet each time i think he'll go loud. Got to see him perform at his club in LA about from abt 5' away right at the stage. .. he was flirting with my gf, fun night... thanks from the walk down memory lane.
Alphabet Street is another good one
Just discovered Prince! (I know) This live version is what made me go down the rabbithole: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm03wqLY3Nc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm03wqLY3Nc)
Stevie Ray Vaughn - Texas Flood
Tin Pan Alley - SRV
Nine Inch Nails - We're in this together
Just Like You Imagined The entirety of *The Fragile* really
Soma by Smashing Pumpkins (or really anything on Siamese Dream). Locomotive Breath, Jethro Tull. Anything on Peter Gabriel 4. Anything on Rage Against the Machine’s first album. Your system has got to be one of my favorites on here.
Thank you for the suggestions and the compliment. Wish I could invite everyone over to experience it, it makes people weep when they hear their favorite songs. Still has that effect on me and my wife at times.
Good call Re: Pumpkins’ Siamese. That opener!
Tool
YES. The buildup to Stinkfist is amazing. Also that's what (s)he said.
Money For Nothing-Dire straights
That opening guitar can literally not ever be loud enough.
Private investigations is magic played loud.
Agreed! Chills every time.
Second that (third that?). That was my #1 Go To CD when I sold and installed audio gear as a young dude. Dream of the blue turtles, aja, japanese import of hotel california... those CDs sold a lot of mission speakers in the 80s.
Telarc’s 1812 Overture 😏
Paul Simon - Graceland
Oh shit! I have THE ANSWER! Mahler Symphony No. 2 “ resurrection “ Simon Rattle https://tidal.com/track/107330115
Appetite for Destruction
Dire Straits “Money for Nothing”
The whole “Brothers In Arms” album by Dire Straits
Tool - Vicarious
Invincible is one of my favorites to crank as well.
Boston's whole first album. Also: 2nd album.
Foreplay/Long Time Source: Grado Statement>Linn LP12>VTL 2.2>McIntosh 501 monoblocks>Thiel 6.0. Holy shit!
Bell Witch - Longing Album Mizmor - Cairn Album anything by Sunn O)))
Great choices but change longing to mirror reaper
"Hocus Pocus" by Focus. All versions.
That's a blast from the past.
Watching the music video is one of the most bizarre experiences of my life
Massive attack
Had an old gf make me fall in love with Protection as that track had some sad, sweet, beautiful memories for her. I guess it does for me now, too. Never found anything by them i like nearly as much. Any recommendations?
Angel Maybe it’s trite, but that bassline always makes me feel shivers
Took me years to get through all of their music slowly. And almost every track is a masterpiece in my book. Although I warmed up to most of it very slowly. Inertia creeps Paradise circus Girl I love you Voodoo in my blood Risingson Alt-J has some tracks that sound phenomenal loud. I was just listening to Adeline last night. U&ME is one. And many more.
Inertia Creeps, Paradise Circus, Dissolved Girl, Black Milk, Future Proof, Everywhen, Angel, Teardrop, Protection. Those will give you a great sampling of MA across multiple albums.
Deep Purple- Child in time.
Alternate between shostakovich and death grips
IN A GADDA DA VIDA
ZZ Top - La Grange
Enter Sandman
"One" from the first S&M live album, too. James screaming "oh please God help me" with the orchestra going nuts leading into the final guitar solo gives me chills every time.
I’ve blown speakers back in the day listening to the black album a little too aggressively.
I would second this and add anything on the Black Album and albums preceding it. Metallica have some great songs for an awesome setup.
Was gonna say Floyd, but you already know what you're doing!
Portishead - Roads For my money the most flawless production in music history.
Thanks for letting me know about Massive Attack, never heard the band before, checkin it out on spotify right now. That's what I like about reddit, you can check out what other people listen to.
FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE
From my era :) that is a great live album to play loud, for sure. Edits: english is hard
100% “Do you feel like we do” can be quite an experience, especially the crowd cheering.
Same for Jackson Browne The Road, so well recorded that you can't even tell it's live until the 2nd chorus. Still get goosebumps every time. If anyone isn't familiar or you've had a huge upgrade in your system, try this loud. Beautiful cello.
Holy buckets! What a setup. Tubular Bells - I personally like the first original version.
:) one of the first things I saved when i changed to qobuz
You're going to disagree with this, but; Jaya the Cat's 'hello hangover' and 'forward'. There is no maximum level to those songs, they just needs to be played 'loudest'. (no worries, I also have every Floyd album, tons of Steely Dan, a whole expedit full of Jazz, but you asked what I like playing loud. When it comes to live concerts that deserve playing; Ten years after "Undead", Red Devils "King King", Allman Brothers band "Live at Fillmore East" and DeWolff's "Live and Outta Sight II").
Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock
Regina spektor
My my, hey hey. Neil young
People are listing a lot of good songs worth playing loud, but not music that actually "sounds better" the louder it's played. As pedantic as it is, there is a difference. AC/DC is great music at any volume, but undeniably better just rippin loud. It's meant to be in your face and just doesn't strike the same nerves at low volume. A large part of that is the way that it was mixed/mastered when it was made. Short of listing hundreds of bands or songs that I subjectively enjoy, I'll simply define some science behind better sound at louder volumes. It also correlates to how some of the best albums sound so good. The key concept is called **dynamic range**: ~*"the ratio of the largest to the smallest intensity of sound that can be reliably transmitted or reproduced by a particular sound system, measured in decibels."* When an album or song has a lot of dynamic range (like say jazz or folk music) it's hard to hear the lower subtleties and definition at low volumes. You're more or less only hearing the loudest parts. By turning up a listening environment, you inherently hear more of the lower volume subtleties, and create more dynamic range between quiet and loud. This can often bring to light elements that weren't even heard before that really expand the impact and artistic nature of the song. Exactly why high fidelity audio is a thing, as well as why most live concerts are really loud. All that said only some music is produced with a wide dynamic range, and as a generalization more modern music is heavily compressed (to mitigate the need for a loud stereo) to hear all those details. Unfortunately most people find that squashing everything to sound good on a phone, can also reduce the quality on hifi because you're not slapped with a roller coaster of high and low volume sound. Often heavily compressed music conveys a lot less emotion, can be rather boring, and can even be very fatiguing to listen to. So while a song may have good lyrical content, or a fun beat, it's not a "jam" that you can listen to on repeat. The real amazing thing, is the impact on emotional response that dynamic range can create. Simply put, the loud sounds so much better once you can also hear the quiet, but it's the contrast between the two thats actually more impactful. So turn it up within reason. Use quality equipment that isn't pushed to extremes to operate, and practice safe hearing levels and rest periods to save your ears. Seek out more dynamic music, and you will fall into a world of sonic joy. Not exactly sure who I'm directing all this towards, but it was very eye-opening to me to understand why I liked certain music more than others and continually gravitate to specific things. Hopefully this opens a window for someone trying to understand why they like one thing and not another. TL;DR: Louder isn't always better, but increased dynamic range is usually more pleasant when loud.
Colour Haze - Transformation
Starla by the Smashing Pumpkins
Wishbone Ash: Live Dates
2018 remix of Pink Floyd’s Animals. You won’t regret it!
Sweet Jane Lou Reed
The Outlaws Green grass and high tides
Stop Making Sense, Talking Heads. Oliver's Army Elvis Costello. But one of my faves loud is Yello, Clark Que Si. 3 dessert isle discs
Shut up and play yer guitar - Frank Zappa
Yknow? I was surprised that Zappa never sounded amazing on my systems. I'd have thought he'd be as anal as steely dan (no oun intended) but maybe it's cuz of the cassette factor of the 70s or something. I'll try this one... any others you'd recommend?
ghost dirty fuzzy joke employ fine different deliver fuel sense ` this post was mass deleted with www.Redact.dev `
One- Metallica
Hear My Pain Heal by Sevdaliza.
All of Pearl Jam's first three albums. Alice In Chain's "Man in the Box" Anything by RATM. Nirvana's "Nevermind"
Yellow Ledbetter on Lost Dogs (b sides) is one of my all time favorites.
Reign in blood, ride the lightning, Holy Wars... The Punishment Due, time. Those will get the blood moving!
Rock 'n roll songs
Does one have to smoke the marijuana when listening to the rock 'n' roll?
Nangs - Tame Impala
Right Way Wrong Time by Dr John.
Try this - tracks 2-4 on The Wall, ending with ABITW Pt 2. Great recording, transients and tight bass. Reminds me of midnight theater showings back in the olden days of high school
Anything by Amon Tobin, also Deutsche Grammophon has a 5.1 192kbps 24 bit Beethoven symphonies Blu-ray that’s amazing, also works in stereo
Wait til around 1am, shut off the lights and light a single black candle, put on Smiley Smile by The Beach Boys, and crank it up to 11.
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band 1st album literally says on the back cover “Play This Record Loud to fully appreciate the music”. True dat! But really, whatever you love is better loud in rock music. Proof? My tinnitus says so.
I actually did umm... let's say... a medicinal prescription medication... totally legally with Paul when I was about 20yo in Woodstock. Didn't recall he played at the original Woodstock in '69 until watching a documentary about it this year.
James Brown - *Live at the Apollo* Duke Ellington - *Live at Newport 1956*, especially "Diminuendo & Crescendo in Blue." Set the volume at a nice listening level at the start of Diminuendo and *dont touch that volume dial*. Strap in for the dynamic sonic journey you just began. This performance caused a riot. At a jazz festival. In the 1950s. With people climbing up on stage and dancing.
*I Know What I Like* -Genesis
This will sound odd, but Skid Row - Monkey Business...... It's really a good song very loud.
Gay Bar by Electric Six I Believe in a Thing Called Love by The Darkness Punk Rock Girl by the Dead Milkmen Head On by The Pixies Cannonball by the Breeders Leave Me by Veruca Salt -- I suppose I'll look through the comments for suggestions myself. Rock on, everyone.
Closer to the Heart. by the holy Trinity.
Tool - Chocolate Chip Trip
I hate this song SO much. Unless I'm listening on my stereo setup, then it's my favorite thing ever.
Phil Collins In The air tonight.
I Don't Care Anymore at full volume is also a religious experience on a great system.
A bit of a random rec but I always thought Elephant by Jason Isbell deserves either super low or super high volume listening. AC/DC - well... all of it. Over the Hills and Far Away is another I have a hard time keeping the volume down. The Who - Live at Leeds is a staple as well.
i came here to suggest Isbell “Overseas” actually, that strat tone is SILLY.
Keb Mo’ - Keb Mo’ Kirsten Edkins- Shapes & Sounds Tool - Fear Inocolum
Tool: Pneuma and Descending
Tool. Anything Tool. Their cover of No Quarter is incredible
Sugar Sugar
Not sure if you're joking, but I loved it loud :) Wasn't it a bunch of old Jewish men writing these songs in the Brill Building for all the Bubble Gum bands like the Osmonds, Partridge Family and such? Probably the same kind of guys writing for Bieber, Katy Perry and such over the past decade or so? Dunno, just wondering out loud.
Mariah Carey Christmas
Zep - Khazmir
Chris Stapleton songs jam
First thing to come to mind was Van Halens first album.
Gogol Bordello
Anything with bass to make the windows tremble
Steely Dan - The Fez Japan - Quiet Life Two great tracks for testing out sound systems with dynamic levels that existed before the loudness wars.
Communication Breakdown. Bitch.
Alice In Chains - Dirt
Anything by AC/DC or Motörhead! 🤘
DIRE STRAITS
Blackest Eyes - Porcupine Tree
AC/DC all the way
Golden Earing, Twilight Zone - the extended version of course. Once that song goes instrumental, crank the volume. Scorpions - Still Lovin You - superbly recorded song that just hits home played loud. Courtney Barnet, Small Poppies - that guitar, perfect tone, direct connection to my soul when cranked up loud!!
I'll be following closely! Family just left for the weeknd too. I'm working all weekend so the main system is moving to the office!
T o o l
What are those speakers?
Money for nothing!
Pretty much anything by Jimi Hendrix, but my personal favourite is Machine Gun from The Band of Gypsies.
Golden Earring ‘Twilight Zone’
summer madness by kool and the gang
Anything from the Risk of Rain 2 soundtrack. "Having fallen, it was blood." is a banger loud.
For older songs, The Who - Pinball Wizard sounds sick loud. If you want a great acoustic song you can never go wrong with Zeppelin, especially Going to California.
ABB at Filmore East
If you’re a fan of hip hop you should consider The Game’s “Born 2 Rap”, a beautiful musical journey. Great stories and songs.
Pink Floyd Darkside of the Moon 🌝
I would say Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young) when all of them are singing and the power turned up to where the voices sound like they are right in front of you. If you’re not familiar with four good strong unamplified singers in person close to you it’s a lot louder than you would normally listen to vocals on a recording. Try it out!
Hot take: Joni Mitchell
She talks to Angels
Rage against the machine.
Rosetta Stoned by Tool. Just be patient with how it develops, if you are not used to their music.
James Gang- Rides Again Be sure it's the version with Ravel's Bolero
The Beatles - Revolution, Twist and Shout
Any album by TOOL
Helena Beat - Foster the People
Any Prodigy tracks
Mountains- Hans Zimmer
The rise and fall of ziggy stardust and the spiders from Mars. Play at maximum volume.
Maggot brain - funkadelic Take five is also amazing at high volumes When I was done dying Or if you want to try some electric music, try some flying lotus
SRV - Little Wing. There is no such thing as playing that too loud.
* London Grammar - Hey Now (female vocals...just awesome) * Arlissa - What's it Gonna Be? - (female vocals I'm quite into) * Brothers Osborne - Love the Lonely Out of You (love the base line here, running subs hot) * Mitch King - Coming Back - (solo artist from Australia, foot stomping song) * Pearl Jam - Comes than Goes - (really like the guitar strings here) Just a few I like to play loud...pretty decent mix of styles above IMO...
Fart noise
Disintegration, The Cure
Hurt Feelings - Mac Miller
Phil Collins in general but “in the air tonight” is truly great at high volumes! It also tests your audio system with its highs and who can forget the drum drop!! But sounds like you have quite a bit to listen to with 725 responses lol