Droppers and dispensers ticking sound is not reduced by the distance from the player.

Steps to Reproduce:

  1. Place a dropper/dipenser and power it with a redstone clock
  2. Get away from the dropper/dispenser

Observed Results:

As you get away from the dropper/dispenser, its sound doesn't fade away. It stay as loud as if you was next to you all the time.

Expected Results:

The sound should fade away as the distance between the player and the dropper/dispenser increase, like it does for pistons. 

Notes:

The sound totally disappear when you go over 65 blocks away (approximately) from the dropper/dipenser. The sound go from full volume to nothing. If you come less than 65 blocks from a ticking dropper/dispenser, its sound can be heard at full volume.

[EDIT]

After further tests, the dropper/dispenser's sound is not directional. Turning player's head doesn't affect the left/right sound balance, making it hard to locate where the dropper/dispenser is located. It's as if this sound was played at player location instead of the dropper/dispenser location.

Also, no problem on the subtitles, they correctly appear and show the dropper/dispenser location when you are less than 16 blocks away of it.