Car audio ban affects home audio too

MacLeod · January 2006

As some of you may know, St Louis is proposing a bill that would basically outlaw aftermarket car audio and make it legal for cops to seize your ride if you have more than 2 amplifiers, more than a 12" sub, more than 2 10" subs or a seperate sub enclosure. This has made major waves over the car audio community and is a huge buzz on all the forums.

Apparantly tho, its not limited to us CA guys. Wording from the bill also makes it illegal for you to play music too loud in your own house!

SECTION TWO: No person at any time shall play, use, operate or permit to be played, used or operated, any radio, tape recorder, phonograph, loud speaker, sound amplifier, cassette or compact disc player, or other sound system or device for producing or reproducing sound in such a manner as to disturb the peace, quiet, comfort or repose of neighboring inhabitants, businesses or visitors. Nor shall any person play, use, operate or permit to be played, used or operated, any radio, tape recorder, phonograph, loud speaker, sound amplifier, cassette or compact disc player, or other sound system or device for producing or reproducing sound at any time with louder volume than is necessary for convenient, normal hearing of the person or persons who are in the room in which the machine or device is being used or operated and who are voluntary listeners.

They cant seize any of your property like than can your car but you can get fines up to $500 and/or community service for the first offense!

Thought y'all should know, us CA arent the only ones these busy boddies have their sights on.

VR3 · January 2006

They can take that and... well - they can shove it in a place where the pants hide!

Thats BS... Im glad my closest neighbor is a 30-40 second walk.

george daniel · January 2006

That sucks :rolleyes:

MacLeod · January 2006

According to this bill it doesnt matter. Youre not allowed to play it any louder than is necessary for "normal" listening levels! Doesnt matter if youre disturbing the peace or not.

Now is it likely the cops are going to be hiding in your bushes making sure you dont play your music too loud? No but its still a stepping stone in the wrong direction! It is no business of theirs how loud you play your music as long as youre not disturbing the peace.

Thats how insane this bill is!! Theyre going to make it illegal to have a subwoofer in a car!!!!!! And if you had one they would SEIZE YOUR CAR!!! There is no logic to this but its still a bill in a major city government! Thats scary.

cfrizz · January 2006

Hopefully this will make some people be aware of common curtesy. I have been known to let my stereo loose, however, after 9:00pm I turn it down, so as to not disturb my neighbors. Same thing when I play it at 6:30 in the morning. Now when I come home in the afternoon, I turn it back up to my normal listening level.

For those people who insist on playing their music for the entire neighborhood no matter what time of the day or night, by all means fine their inconsiderate *sses.

VR3 · January 2006

I hate to break it to the police...

But my "normal listening level" is pretty loud. Infact, considering the location where I live - its pretty much at a constant volume unless other conditions within the home change that.

Now, I actually like the CA rule - I personally feel anyone who just goes around and booms away like theres no tommorow and you can just tell they are doing it just to be "cool" - then yes, the rule makes alot of sense.

bvette94 · January 2006

One more law that is bringing us closer to a dictatorship? IMO

cfrizz · January 2006

Only for those who have no respect or good manners.

madmax · January 2006

cfrizz wrote:

I have been known to let my stereo loose, however, after 9:00pm I turn it down, so as to not disturb my neighbors. Same thing when I play it at 6:30 in the morning.

So, when the cop walks up to your front door to tell you he noticed your license plate was about to fall off (or whatever) and notices your stereo playing a little loud when you open the door, he hands you a $500 ticket and says "sorry mam, we are required by ordinence #708908 to issue citations for this sort of thing... Yea, you'll change your tune. Ordinences are passed for common problems to give police a way to stop the problems but they often enforce with ignorance. Besides, $500 bucks is a plus, especially if there is a quota this week. Why is it they can take your car if you have more than two 10" subs but they can't do anything to the thugs by the dumpster selling drugs beside your apartment? The reason is that they are on public property and have the right to be there unless actually seen selling the drugs. BS.
madmax

ohskigod · January 2006

glad I dont live in st louis

audiobliss · January 2006

cfrizz wrote:

Only for those who have no respect or good manners.

Not at all the case. The current laws based on noise levels could be aptly described by what you said. However, according to this bill, and what you said, having only one of the following means you "have no respect or good manners" and that your car can be seized: 1 amp over 300 watts, more than 2 amps, one sub larger than 12" in diameter, more than 2 10" subs, or a sub enclosure.

Having certain equipment puts you in that category and warrants the government taking your stuff? That's baloney. Using that equipment inappropriately (i.e. playing it too loud) is what should be illegal. Oh, wait...it is. Maybe it should be enforced, too.

Mjr7531 · January 2006

Oh goodness, what a can of worms...

Let look at it this way, would our framing fathers of our constitution wish for local cities to be stealing away car stereos?

But seriously, from a objective (as possible) viewpoint, is it really right for the governement to be able to do that? Do you really want the cop to decide what size your sub is? I dunno, it seems waaay too arbitrary to me. Just my opinion.

MacLeod · January 2006

Well according to this new bill:

1 amp more than 300 watts - illegal
1 speaker more 12" - illegal
more than 2 speakers 10" - illegal
more than two amps - illegal
subwoofer enclosure - illegal

This has nothing do with how loud your music is played. This is proposed to make simply owning these things ILLEGAL whether you play it loud or not and if youre caught with it your car can be seized!

The equivalent would be to say, "well Cathy, since you dont really need all that power or speakers we're going to confiscate them so you cant play them too loud."

This has nothing to do with "bad manners". You want to make a big fine for some nitwit driving down the road blasting his stereo, Im all for that, (especially as Im sitting here this very minute listening to some **** stain cruise thru the apartment parking lot blasting :mad: ) but punishing the rest of us that are obeying the law and are considerate of others is BS!

BIZILL · January 2006

i've broken a sound level ordinance law whilst cruisin' the boulevard back in the day. $100 ticket. only hittin' like 120-130 db at the time. that was in my younger years. aw heck, every now and again i listen at those levels, still. now in the house i play it really loud. usually i keep it somewhat quieter in the eve's. i like my neighbors. dunno if they like me, though.

BIZILL · January 2006

...but now that i no longer have my 'bitchin' camaro', i've gotta find some way of squeezin' my jlaudio 12's into an extended cab silverado. think under the seats i'll have to sell the twelves and install dual tens...boo hoo.

RuSsMaN · January 2006

blah blah blah

I don't live in St Louis. I don't care.

heiney9 · February 2006

I never thought George Orwell's 1984 was ever going to have any relevence. I guess I was wrong. I'm inclined to agree w/ Russ. I don't live in St. Louis and I don't have a bitchin car stereo. But I am disturbed that of all the problems in America today law makers are focusing on this very minute and mundane issue. Noise oridinances for the idiots who insist on being inconsiderate and rude are fine. I can see a stricter law for car audio. When I'm sitting in traffic I don't need my rear view mirror vibrating from the guy next to me. For home audio, I don't see a problem.

I know a lot of car guys think it's cool or a statement to drive around with your stereo playing balls out, but I just don't get the point. You are infringing on other people and when more than 1 extremely loud stereo is played it's just plain annoying as hell. Why do you get to pollute the air waves? What makes you so special? I don't care if it's Beethoven or MegaDeath. Use some god damn common sense.

H9

BIZILL · February 2006

i for one did play the stereo loud enough to piss off the people next to me. but that was many a year ago. if i saw it troubled some, i'd turn it down. then i got to the point where i didn't play it loud at all when next to another or in residential neighborhoods. bizill done grew up.

BIZILL · February 2006

...and now I am annoyed by the likes of my former self.

ohskigod · February 2006

fact of the matter is, this is a St Louis problem, it is up to the voters and constituency to act on this. If they dont, its their problem. If they try that in NJ, I really dont think it would fly. Apparently St Louis must be a great place to live if this is the biggest issue they face.

MSkeezer · February 2006

bs!!!

kingsqueak · February 2006

ohskigod wrote:

fact of the matter is, this is a St Louis problem, it is up to the voters and constituency to act on this. If they dont, its their problem. If they try that in NJ, I really dont think it would fly. Apparently St Louis must be a great place to live if this is the biggest issue they face.

New Jersey voters just elected Corzine..... the majority of people in NJ elected a Democrat that the farthest left, most extreme bleeding heart newspaper (Star Ledger) begged them not to elect because he is known to be so corrupt. Our state isn't known for a high IQ population.

The only difference would be that a NJ politician would sell this as "It's for the children". We'd have our taxes raised to pay for the 'extra enforcement resources' to enact the law too.

Much of St. Louis resembles much of Camden, I suspect this law is really another reason for the police to get into vehicles for searches. I would doubt it is enforced in the nice suburban areas.

Yes, I think this is outrageous. Just another boulder in the landslide of personal freedoms.

ohskigod · February 2006

I hear ya brotha, but your preaching to the converted. i wouldnt say all democrats do stuff like this, but I sure as hell wouldnt vote for the ones that do. Dumb politicians exist on both sides of the fence. what we need is a more informed electorate that can look at the big picture, not get out the vote drives that just tell you to vote for a guy (makes things worse)

Power is in the peoples hand to resolve such issues, but can we?

ohskigod · February 2006

kingsqueak wrote:

Much of St. Louis resembles much of Camden

for anyone that doesnt know, this.....is a BAD thing.
And if this is the case, this audio thing is what St Louis is worried about? Christ, no wonder it looks like Camden. :rolleyes:

bikezappa · February 2006

Why do people have the need to censor activities of other people with Laws????
Loud music, seat belt laws...
People have the right to do harm to themselves if don't harm anyone else if they want to.
Plain and simple.

heiney9 · February 2006

bikezappa wrote:

Why do people have the need to censor activities of other people with Laws????
Loud music, seat belt laws...
People have the right to do harm to themselves if don't harm anyone else if they want to.
Plain and simple.

In the case of loud music....if it's affecting me why is his right to play it loud any more important to my right not to have to listen to it? It comes down to common sense and common courtesy both of which is severly lacking in our society today. I rarely agree with all the "policing" these laws do, but for christ sake many people are too dumb/ self involved to police themselves.

H9

cfrizz · February 2006

When each of us lives on our own idividual planets, then you can do whatever the hell you want! I won't care, because I won't see it, hear it & it will have zero impact on my life.

Until then, if you are in public, have some manners & show some respect to others around you!

madmax · February 2006

Music should be shared with those we care about.
madmax

heiney9 · February 2006

madmax wrote:

Music should be shared with those we care about.
madmax

I didn't realize there were so many caring strangers on the road today

.

H9

cfrizz · February 2006

There aren't. Just a lot of rude Aholes who are looking for attention. I'd love to give it to them via a hand grenade!

Skynut · February 2006

As for the HT, what is THX reference level?
If I am listening at reference level than wouldn't that be considered normal by the sound engineer?

Nor shall any person play, use, operate or permit to be played, used or operated, any radio, tape recorder, phonograph, loud speaker, sound amplifier, cassette or compact disc player, or other sound system or device for producing or reproducing sound at any time with louder volume than is necessary for convenient, normal hearing of the person or persons who are in the room in which the machine or device is being used or operated

Car audio ban affects home audio too

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