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Embarrassing Yourself with Doof Doof Music

Ever since Spinal Tap popularized the notion of turning an amp up to eleven audio systems have been rising to the challenge of louder, more awesome sound.

In particular, car audio systems have embraced the notion of the bigger the noise the better the sound must surely be. What I'd like to know is, if these sound systems are so good, why do they make all music sound the same... Doof, Doof, Doof?

You've all heard them. Pimped up cars, with audio systems seemingly worth more than gold, volume blasting way past eleven. Sound waves booming long before you make a positive visual on the car... Doof, Doof, Doof.

It has to be the audio system right? Surely all these people can't be playing the same tune? Doof, Doof, Doof.

Could it be that the more money spent on a car sound system the less musical range it will actually play? Maybe these people can't afford to buy music after purchasing the audio system so they all play the same demo track? Doof, doof, doof.

In my own car I have an audio head unit that can have an awesome speaker system attached to it. Front and rear speakers, sub woofers, tweeters... in fact the whole damn bird cage. It's got all the connections to be a sound force to be reckoned with.

I have it hooked up to a single, partially torn, speaker cone located in the middle of the dash board. It sounds fantastic. My music sounds just like my music and nothing like doof, doof, doof.

I'll admit I don't have a great speaker system because I can't afford it but I'm not exactly making any effort to save up. Being an ebay convert I could probably get everything I need at half the price or less. However, based on other systems I've heard, I'd rather my music didn't sound like doof, doof, doof.

If you happen to own one of these impressive car audio systems, please do me a favor. Turn the volume up (yes way past eleven), get out of the car and shut all the doors. Run about 50 feet in any direction, turn around and listen. If the dominant sound you can hear is doof, doof, doof, then congratulations, you've installed a rubbish audio system. You should be embarrassed to have it turned up that loud.

Musicians put a lot of time and effort into creating their sounds and your audio system reduces their fantastically crafted music to doof, doof, doof. You should be ashamed of yourself.

I'm not asking you to turn it down. I'm telling you to stop embarrassing yourself. I want to hear more than the base when you drive down my street.

If you can't give me that then perhaps you should keep the volume at eleven. Any louder and you're just telling everyone you are a fool.
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Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 14, 2008 12:49 AM

    This blog post made my friggin day!!!!! Not 10 minutes ago a dumbarse drove past teh house with his car speakers going Doof Doof Doof!!! He thought he was all hot ::pukes:: LOL
    LOL

    I'm going to spend a morning reading the entire blog now...made my day!!!

    Cheers from Canada!

    ReplyDelete
  2. TET (David Arandle)July 14, 2008 10:51 AM

    Well I'm glad someone understands where I'm coming from Kristine. I have a lot of these idiots in my town - one even lives in my house though fortunately minus embarrassing car audio system at the moment. These systems would actually be impressive if they made music sound like... well... music.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJuly 14, 2008 12:02 PM

    I live in an area full of peoples whose brain's go Doof Doof I swear....some days I'd just love to take a big old rubber stamp that says "stupid" and whack them in the forehead...wouldnt do any good but it would crack me up none the less..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownAugust 25, 2021 8:54 AM

      Well said .i have been trying to understand this doof doof doof stuff for along time. I have come to conclusion that people whom play this rubbish on stereos systems have missed a generation or two numb nuts dead heads lost no brainers

      Delete
  4. TET (David Arandle)July 15, 2008 10:26 AM

    Can I borrow that stamp when you're done with it? LOL

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJuly 15, 2008 11:09 AM

    Hell yeah!!! Comes attached to a cold beer too! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  6. NoraJuly 22, 2008 3:21 AM

    'K! I have to admit that this is my first time reading your blog (thanx to Kristine), but man oh man, I'm I ever so glad that I did! You just accurately described every set of raging teenage hormones driving through my neighborhood! (LOL) I'd rather they pee on the trees to mark their turf than play this garbage!
    TY TY TY TY for putting this out there!

    ReplyDelete
  7. TET (David Arandle)July 22, 2008 9:13 AM

    Nothing wrong with being a first time reader of this blog Nora. It's just means all my old posts are new again (well for you anyway, should you choose to read them - I recommend reading my list of Blog Highlights in the right sidebar) :)

    This problem of Doof Doof music began with the 'walkman' (remember those) and the kids that used to have the volume so loud that it seemed like the music running into their heads via the ear bud speakers was somehow leaking out their behinds.. 'eep, ahhh, eep, eep, ahhh'.

    You don't hear that so much now because the kids are too busy text messaging and talking way too loudly on their mobile phones.

    However, once they get a car, it's 'Doof, Doof, Doof'.

    Not so sure about the 'peeing on the trees' alternative... ewww.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousJuly 23, 2008 3:59 AM

    I've heard this 'doof doof' music too! Years ago it used to come from a big 'old bomb' of a car, usually from the lower classes who hadn't got two cent to rub together, and was maybe on Social Security, and unemployed!

    Now, though, the cars seem to have got better, or it's a higher class of person that is 'doof doofing!' Maybe it's the posh stereos that people can afford now - but it doesn't sound any better! Wonder when that 'doof doof' was in the top twenty?!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. TET (David Arandle)July 23, 2008 9:14 PM

    I think now it's the kids of the working middle classes (double income families) whose parents can afford to buy them nicer cars. Stereo equipment has become cheaper too.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousOctober 26, 2008 11:21 PM

    DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF.
    DOOOOOOOOOF-DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF.
    DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF.
    DOOOOOOOOOF-DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF.
    DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF.
    DOOOOOOOOOF-DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF.
    Ad nauseum.

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousDecember 22, 2008 11:18 PM

    Just thought I'd let you know that they are not all listening to the same track. No matter what the song is, it will have a bass underline. Bass sound waves travel better than treble, so for everyone else they just hear the bass as the treble dissipates. When your in the car it sounds perfect and balanced.

    If you put you favourite Jack Johnson CD in one of those sound systems and ran 50 ft down the road it'll sound the same.

    I'm not defending the nobs that do it, thats just how audio waves travel.

    ReplyDelete
  12. UnknownFebruary 18, 2009 9:23 PM

    lol this is funnie i personaly like some of the music but canot understand how people can play it so loud as it hurts my ears just to have one drive past do they have all the speakers on the outside of the car or do the weare ear plugs i just dont understand

    the reason that it all sounds from outside is coz if they played the higher frequencies any louder they wood actualy blow there eardrums but from inside it is all difrent as u can get anything from psycodalic to pop and even alternitive music with the same basic beat

    so i ask u which is worce people with doof doof music or wood it be worce if they played scremo or sompthing along that line?

    ReplyDelete
  13. TET (David Arandle)February 19, 2009 8:24 AM

    I actually do like some of the music too GileSRR but the volume level is just unnecessarily loud.

    The bass beats may carry better however I've heard people crank up classical music on these systems and guess what - it sounds like classical music not 'Doof, Doof, Doof'. Not that I would prefer to hear classical but I'm just saying there is some music that actually sounds like what it supposed to sound like.

    Personally there isn't any music I'd prefer to hear coming from a car at those volumes... buy a muffler that actually works so you don't have to drown out the engine just to hear the stereo.

    ReplyDelete

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