Rawnoc: that would be an inaccurate statement, on many avenues. One tends to hear firecrackers up close and out in the open. The masking and other factors may or may not contribute to subjective sonic measurements.
That being said, detonation chord is a different type of explosion. There are many videos on The 'Net of controlled demolitions. The charges themselves aren't really that loud. The question that you need to ask yourself, is how these explosions where going off in the first place and how they contradict the official feral gumit whack job story.
"When in doubt, empty the clip."