Enjoying music through terrible speakers

[mbelue]

If there's a subject I continually debate with myself its chicken or the egg. In this case its: do I like bass in my music because I play it or the other way around.
I say all this to ask can you get enjoyment or pleasure out of listening to music out of terrible speakers? Small speakers in phones and mp3 players just don't provide anything resembling bass.
My nephew is always walking about with utter crap coming out of his iPod without headphones. I know some of it is halfway decent music butchered by horrific cheap speakers. To me it absolutely ruins the experience. If I can't plug my phone into a set of headphones or a decent stereo music doesn't happen for me. I'd rather do without.
I wonder about this continually as I see people on the street doing the same as my nephew, music sans headphones.
Is it just done to get attention?
Are they genuinely trying to share something they love with everyone?
Do they love it enough to hear it even if the reproduction is atrocious?
I'm sure I come across as a snob but I can't stand it when someone wants to share music with me and they whip out their phone. I always tell them to not bother because I'll hate it.
Anyone else do without when quality suffers?

 

[WalterBush]

Nope, you're not alone.

 

[Stewie26]

Well said.
I refuse to listen to music coming out of a phone speaker. The lack of audio fidelity ruins the musical experience. It is just a waste time.

 

[MonetBass]

I've always said "Speakers make the sound system". So yes, music is not enjoyable to me through crappy speakers.

 

[Jim Nazium]

I'm with you guys, the sound quality is really important to me. But I know a lot of people, including some very good musicians, to whom it isn't. Cheap speakers on their stereo, cheap guitar and amp, haven't changed strings on their guitar since god knows when, and none of that bothers them at all. Yet they have huge collections of recorded music, and they can really play.

 

[mellowinman]

I don't even do ear buds. Gotta be headphones, or there is just no low end.

Bad sound? It can make me kill.

 

[iamlowsound]

I do the music through iPhone speakers once in a while, but only when I am on specific job and I can't have my headphones on and it doesn't bother anyone else. Otherwise, music is through either expensive headphones and my stereo, which is also very nice.

lowsound

 

[spade2you]

Phone speakers are obviously crap. I often have to listen to music on crappy work computer speakers. I'll live.

I tend to listen to about 95% of my music at work, in the car, or on ear buds on the bike. It's better than not listening to music at all.

 

[MatticusMania]

Phone speakers are obviously crap. I often have to listen to music on crappy work computer speakers. I'll live.

I tend to listen to about 95% of my music at work, in the car, or on ear buds on the bike. It's better than not listening to music at all.

+1

Id rather listen to something over nothing.
At work I cant sit at my desk with earbuds in, nor can I play my music at acceptable volumes, so I'll play some tunes on my phone.
Most times Im listening in my car via my phone with a 1/8" jack, occasionally I'll do the same at home when Im not listening to vinyl.

 

[DeathFromBelow]

Vinyl, tubes and horns. The only way to listen.

 

[iamlowsound]

Vinyl, tubes and horns. The only way to listen.

The man knows his stuff

lowsound

 

[DerHoggz]

My mom blasts music at levels that distort the speakers. She is a musician and doesn't seem to care.

 

[Tangle Beats]

The only time I listen to music through my phone speakers is when I'm on the John.

 

[madman4string]

I am of the like mind that phone speakers are crap. Personally, I listen to music almost every waking moment. By necessity ( I work in a kitchen ) I use form fitting ear buds. The quality is on par with my studio headphones. I use an eq app and have digitized vinyl recordings to listen to so it's all good.

 

[MJ5150]

I'm fine with however music is presented to me. Fancy speakers, cell phone speakers, laptop speakers, whatever.

-Mike

 

[fisticuffs]

I don't even do ear buds. Gotta be headphones, or there is just no low end.

Bad sound? It can make me kill.

I dunno. A good set of ear buds is better than a good set of cans to me. Currently have 4-driver Westone's in my ears and they mop the floor with the Audio Technica M50's that I really really like.

 

[Bloodhammer]

I went a month without listening to music on my home AV system because one of the woofers blew. I just couldn't stand to. New speakers were the only cure.

The last band I was in had some of our songs on a facebook page and I tried to get someone hear what we sounded like on their laptop. It sounded like we were recorded on an answering machine and my bass lines were non-existent. Yeah, real impressive.

So, to answer the OP, no I cannot listen to music through crappy or damaged speakers.

 

[bassinplace]

Depends on your definition of bad speakers. Ear buds and/or mp3's are fine with me. As long as the whole thing isn't distorted like some blown out radio shack speakers from the 80's or something I'm fine with it. Even when I can't feel the bass, I can still hear it. I'm old enough to have heard systems playing scratchy records on blown out speakers. Nothing nowadays can sound as bad as that. Although I don't think anything digital can sound as good as a high end analog system either. But I'm not picky. As long as it's decently audible, I'm happy to listen to it.

 

[duff beer]

I am one of few people I know that have a decent set of tower speakers. When I'm at home, all of my music is played through them, and the TV audio as well. I only use ear buds at work where speakers are not an option, but can only take them in small doses.

You'll never see me hook up an mp3 player to a $50 sound bar...

 

[1958Bassman]

Listen to the music, not the equipment.

I have worked in the audio/video business for over 35 years and, while I really, really enjoy a great sounding properly set up system and a room with good acoustics, I often use my iPhone as the music source, without speakers, buds or headphones when I'm working on an installation. It's background, not what I'm concentrating on. Life is a lot more enjoyable when I don't critique every speaker or system, but once it's so bad the sound is irritating, I put my ear plugs in and carry on.

I called Rane for tech support this week and while we were talking about setting the levels, I asked what he preferred for source material, or if there was a reference CD he could recommend. He said a tuner or just about any CD with relatively high level is fine and then he completely went off on MP3s. It was kind of funny.

I have often said "Life is too short for bad audio", but if it's out of my control, I let it slide because it's pointless to let it bother me. Now, if someone asks for my opinion on the sound, I pull no punches.