Wondering if he means the thresholds are off. I imagine erring on the side of caution is the smarter thing to do re: liability. Imagine if a cyclist couldn't hear a quieter electric car and turned into its path because the headphones are geared towards a low band pass.
I mean that at one point the surrounding sounds are louder than the music. Of course I could turn the music up, but at one point it's just too loud.
They are just speakers on top of the entry of your ear. So the music competes with the surrounding sounds.
I see — have you tried Jabra? Their in-ear headphones have a great pass-through mode (as well as ANC/others) that work really well for me when I'm running.