Well, I don't know exactly how loud you want to go but you can set music on the iTunes to be high and then further increase the sound. I've found the sound not bad but want to get the in-ear buds because I dislike hearing everyone else. I have some decent noise reduction Sony headphones that I might start using when I use the iPod to travel. The following is a quote from Apple's website on the regular earbud headphones.
Quote:
The earbud-style headphones rely on Neodymium transducers, a rare earth magnet that significantly enhances frequency response and overall sound quality -- in fact, five times as powerful as other headphones that use aluminum, cobalt, or ceramic drivers.
