Well, if we are going to bring boom boxes into the frame, let's not leave out those with the tricked out cars with the sound systems that could bring down a building if only they hadn't already blown out their speakers but are too deaf to notice....

But... back to ear/head phone noise. It is in its own way equally annoying because I always end up wondering:

1) If I can hear it, exactly how loud is it being played in the first place.
2) What are those sound waves doing to that persons brain cells and inner ear?
3) Why does it always have to sound like the guys getting his skull scraped out?

Arania's step by step guide for dealing with annoyin beep-boppers:

1) buy .50 Desert Eagle and 5 extra 7-round clips
2) when annoying beep-bopper sits next to you, quietly draw the gun
3) Aim gun at left earpeice
4) pull trigger
5) Aim gun at right earpiece
6) Pull Trigger
7) Aim gun at discman/walkman
Pull trigger x5
9) Reload
10) Sit back down as though nothing happened

seriously:
I HATE people that have the volume cranked up so loud that i can hear it 2 Km away, my sister plays music on the family stereo so loud my ears pop every beat, that combined with the fact if she turned it any louder, the ill-designed supercharged 1995-enginnered ultra-loud setting would either blow the spaekers up or destroy the house...

Public transport is the worst; I hate it so much! I don't listen to music, so I'm, innocent .

and have you noticed, everybody's fizzy walkamn sounds like its playing the same tune?

I've noticed that, Taw... I thought that it was just me!