Perhaps the most annoying myth in audio of 2025? Talking about Loudness!

Let's do some extremely basic math. If the louder speaker sounds better, even by 1 db, how much louder would Kef Q150 ($300) need to be, to beat the flagship Kef Muon, or even Kef Blade meta?

I prefer electrostats because they can play at ppp levels significantly better than dynamic speakers, which excell at ffff levels.

For a particular speaker/room/ listening spot there is a certain sound level that quickly becomes annoying/abrasive depending on the chosen music. Speakers have the most distortion compared to the rest of the audio chain from source to listener. Peter Walker of Quad was asked if he thought his speaker was perfect. He said no, just that the rest were all so much worse!

If your system has to be turned up to sound good, it needs work.

From my experience, if it doesn't distort or hurt your ears, it sounds better louder. 

Perhaps more "loudness" is perceived as more dynamic?  Does that trick an listener's ears into being "better"?????

I always thought that that statement simply referred to a very brief audition, that if loudness level wasn't matched, the louder one would initially sound better on a very brief back-forth switch...not in reference to longer term listening...

You have issues if you can't get into 80'sdb comfortably, and this with box, open baffle or horns. I'm night listener exclusively, so ambient noise levels at lowest point of day, with low ambient noise levels one doesn't need to turn volume level up as much, and while my modified Klipschorns sound very alive at very low volumes, some music plays best at louder levels. No compression or strain need  be experienced if system and room has been optimized for it.

Do you hear live music much?

exactly,

"jl35

I always thought that that statement simply referred to a very brief audition, that if loudness level wasn't matched, the louder one would initially sound better on a very brief back-forth switch...not in reference to longer term listening..."

I find it true, I make temporary pencil marks around my Cayin's volume control when comparing things here with friends, then we begin, often I can confuse myself enough to forget .....

The volume knob is like applying the brakes. Restricting the frequency. The higher the volume knob the more resolution is allowed to flow. So, the pre-amp volume knob should be as high as possible within a comfortable range. Of course there's a limit where it can become uncomfortable.

I've heard pre-amps that have lots of gain but you can't turn up the volume knob past 9 o'clock position or it's too loud. You're listening to a low level/resolution signal being boosted by gain and I find it quickly invokes listening fatigue.

I never heard that one... It is definitely not true in my experience. 

Many factors come into play when comparing hifis at various loudness levels, including personal preference. So its really kind of a moot point.

At AVS and elsewhere, they love to say the louder speaker will sound better. If a comparison wasn't db matched, it immediately becomes invalid. Saw somewhere yesterday that someone quoted a famous person name Toole in which Toole said the louder speakers will sound better, even by 1 decibel.

I find it to be ridiculous.

In the correct room, louder sounds incredible. It does in mine. However my 70 yr old ears wouldn't take well to anything over 75 db for long sessions. But this way I should have many more years of high quality listening. 70 db is what I shoot for and it still sounds great, just not the being in the concert room type of experience. But I always wear audiophile earplugs for all concerts anyway. Loud music listening is something enjoyed until it results in tinnitus, or worse, loss of hearing. 

WHen a/b testing, you do want same loudness for both.  

That's different than saying louder is always better. The answer to that one is the usual "it depends".

I went to a concert at Boston Symphony Hall last weekend, sitting in row Z, middle of the hall.  Crescendos hit 90dB in the first and fourth movements of Mahler Symphony #4.  At home, I play it quite a bit softer. But to feel the envelopment one hears in the hall, it has to be louder than my wife would like!  She won’t go to Mahler concerts usually.

Volume matching in A/B comparing is important. Usually, louder will sound "better," even by 1 dB. 

However, I'm of the opinion that one should choose volume levels to match what one thinks the source probably sounded like. Tool? 100 dB is about right. Mahler at 90 dB? Sure. For big Mahler finales, with a gong on stage for instance (e.g., in the Eighth), even more than 90 dB would not be too loud. 

But if you crank it up for small chamber orchestras, or string quartets, or solo piano, or acoustic guitar, etc., you misrepresent the source. To my ears, fine tuning the volume as I begin to listen is as important as fine tuning the balance (which is important for getting instrumental placement and soundstage right).

if A:B testing is not carefully volume matched the test is of dubious value. In doing a quick switch, louder will generally sound better.
for longer listening sessions, I think it’s a matter of personal preference and will depend on the type of music.