Revved Up with Itu Motuba
I take my playlists very seriously because every drive deserves the right soundtrack. The equaliser has to be just right, the sound crisp, the bass boosted for the heavy hip-hop and house beats, and the vocals crystal clear for my R&B and K-pop sing-alongs. So, it's safe to say I have mad respect for a good sound system.
But sometimes... it's just too much.
Whether you're crawling through rush-hour traffic, heading out on a road trip, or simply taking the long way home because the weather is too beautiful to waste indoors, the right playlist has the power to turn an ordinary drive into an experience. It's one of the reasons so many South Africans invest in upgrading their car sound systems. Better speakers, a decent amplifier and, of course, the all-important subwoofer can transform your favourite songs into something you don't just hear, but feel.
The problem is that somewhere along the line, feeling the music became making sure everyone within a five-kilometre radius feels it too.
We've all been there. You're sitting peacefully at home when, before you even hear the car, your windows begin rattling as if a spaceship is about to land on your roof. Your coffee develops tiny ripples worthy of a science experiment, your dog decides the apocalypse has arrived, and then comes the unmistakable rumble of a subwoofer powerful enough to register on the Richter scale as someone cruises slowly down the street, seemingly appointed the Minister of Maximum Volume.
It can be impressive. It can also be terrifying. Mostly, though, it's just plain annoying.
South Africans have developed a fascinating relationship with car audio. For some, the sound system costs almost as much as the vehicle itself. It has become a competition. Who has the loudest bass? Who can make their boot lid vibrate the most? Who can be heard three traffic lights away?
There is something deeply satisfying about crisp vocals, rich bass and balanced sound that allows you to rediscover songs you've heard a hundred times before. A properly tuned system doesn't just make music louder; it makes it better. You hear instruments you never noticed, harmonies become clearer, and every beat comes alive.
But louder doesn't automatically mean better. Am I the only one who gets irrationally itchy sitting in a car where the bass is so loud my ribcage feels like it's trying to join the drumline? Surely it can't just be me.
If all anyone hears from outside your car is a distant doef... doef... doef... while the rest of the song disappears into a muddy wall of bass, you've probably crossed the line from audio enthusiast to neighbourhood disturbance.
Then there's the small matter of courtesy. Sitting at a traffic light with your music blasting might make you feel like the star of your own music video, but the family in the car next to you, the elderly couple trying to enjoy lunch at the nearby café, the student writing an exam in a classroom facing the road, and the exhausted night-shift worker finally getting some sleep probably didn't sign up for your moving night club.
Noise pollution is exactly that—pollution. We usually think of pollution as something we can see, like litter or smoke, but excessive noise has very real effects on people's quality of life. It can interrupt sleep, increase stress, make communication difficult and, over time, even contribute to hearing damage.
Ironically, the person most at risk may be the one behind the steering wheel. Spending hours every day listening to extremely loud music inside the confined space of a vehicle can gradually damage your hearing, and unlike replacing worn brake pads or bald tyres, hearing isn't something you can simply upgrade once it's gone.
There is also a legal side to all of this. While many drivers assume there are no rules governing loud car audio, municipalities across South Africa have by laws dealing with excessive noise, and traffic officers can act when music becomes a public nuisance. Just because your amplifier still has room on the volume dial doesn't mean you have to use all of it.
And while we're at it, if your music is loud enough to drown out emergency sirens, warning hooters or someone trying to alert you to danger, it isn't just a courtesy issue anymore—it becomes a safety issue as well.
The funny thing is that the best car sound systems are rarely the loudest ones. They're the systems that make you smile every time your favourite song comes on because everything sounds clean, balanced and immersive. They let you enjoy the music without forcing everyone else to become unwilling backup dancers.
So, by all means, upgrade those speakers. Install that amplifier. Fit the subwoofer you've been dreaming about. Roll down the windows on a beautiful summer afternoon and sing at the top of your lungs if that's your thing.
Just remember there's a very fine line between sharing your love of music and accidentally turning an entire suburb into your personal concert venue.
Your sound system should leave people admiring your taste in music—not wondering whether they should check their house for earthquake damage.
