Turn down the Volume!

@larryi +1

As my system has gotten better, less and less volume is required. I am sure there is more than a couple reasons. But the first most obvious is the noise floor. Less expensive and old systems like in my youth had very high noise floors. Often it takes experience to “hear” this…. It is the jacked up quality to the sound and pressure on your ear drums. So, turning up the volume you are looking to increase the dynamics… the contrast. This also increases the noise floor.
 

Good systems tend to have a place where they sound best, balancing noise and dynamics. Great systems sound great at all volumes. This I one of the marks of a great system. They are engaging at a whisper and 90db. 

I remember being impressed going to a high end audio store in 1980 and achieving 110 db. The salesmen and I were really psyched at what we had done… but my ears were practically ringing. It was the incredible volume of the stuff in between the notes.

There are other reasons, faster bass transients…. And greater articulation.

Decade after decade as my systems improved the volume required the music sound great and dynamic has come down. While I used to play in the 90db range in the 1980s… now in the low 60’s to 70’s db. The music is completely satisfying.

My previous system I called my “reference system “ as it was really good at reproducing the venue, scale, and volume of music. It was very detailed and dynamic… encouraging me to match the venue. I have season tickets to the symphony.

So, I went through a period where I tried to find the “correct volume”. This is particularly important in classical since the entire dynamic is used… from the very quietest sound… a single flute played at low volume… slowly emerging from the dead silent background, to a crescendo over 100db with the whole 80 per orchestra playing at once. So, if the volume is too low… you miss the quiet passages… if too loud.. the crescendos are ear splitting.

Anyway, I spent a bought six months getting myself calibrated to adjust the volume correctly for that system.

It also depends on the source material. I turn the particular music up until the dynamics and balance between instruments feels correct and engaging. Too low becomes like muzak.

Protect your ears! Mine are 64 years old, and I am glad that I only have minor tinnitus and the typical high frequency loss above 12k. I’ve always avoided ear-damaging loud noise, including at concerts where I always wore ear plugs or improvised with kleenex. On the gun range, I’ve long used electronic muffs with foam plugs, double the protection.

Now I find that when listening to my stereo my appetite for louder volume varies (some some songs demand it! 😎), often by time of day and how long I have been listening. I have a decibel meter and try not to listen to sustained levels above 85db for very long. I typically don’t enjoy listening at low volumes, as the detail isn’t there and I have a pretty decent system with a low noise floor. I may get Ayre gear, which has a volume circuit that apparently enhances lower volume listening and holds the detail. My wife doesn’t like it too loud, so I often have to switch to headphones when she’s home in the evening.

As @ghdprentice said, this can be really challenging with content with wide dynamic range - particularly classical. Fortunately, a good bit of my listening genres have pretty narrow dynamic ranges, so moderate volumes sound great.

Occasionally on a great live album, I just have to be in attendance 😁