Audiophile Loudness Wars—Too Much again!?


Obviously a huge chunk of popular western music has been involved in the loudness wars of the recording industry. But do we now have Hifi loudness wars? Sometimes I look at or try out new pieces, and think audio designers are putting too much gain in our preamps, amps, and DACs. Or am I off here? You won’t hurt my feelings.
I’m getting a sense that lots of gear falls over the side of center towards higher gain.

Hey, it happens to me! You can’t edit titles. It’s supposed to be “too much gain”.
128x128jbhiller
Get an inline stereo attenuator; then, just adjust it to get the reduction in gain that you’re looking for. 
I have to wonder if the excess gain is in response to the jokers who think an amp is underpowered if they have to turn the volume control to 2:00 before their ears start to bleed.
Get an inline stereo attenuator; then, just adjust it to get the reduction in gain that you’re looking for.

And use it instead for the volume control, and get rid of the unnecessary gain, noise, and distortion, introducing active preamp.

Cheers George
Hi everybody,

If we back to the end of the eighties ,most of the tube preamp were fitted with phono stage .

My favorite preamp like  Pv 8, Pv 9a from Conrad johnson were terrific in term of matters and dynamic....
The pot volume was rarely set over 9 o'clock  in normal listening..

So'  the definition of loundness  means  an increase of volume but imply a reduction of dynamic, 
( increase of average power and decrease of 
The final sound lost in matter in many case, the dynamic is the main criteria to save in live music...

It is just an "old school audiophile point of view" but the true is in between depending of listening habits...

Raymond