What Volume do you listen at?

The "proper" volume level can be determined by focusing on one sound source in the music that is familiar to you. I use a violin, or sometimes a human voice. I know how loud a volin can play, and how loud a person can sing. It is easy to crank up the volume of the total music program to the point where the violin, for example, is impossibly loud. When you do this it's like puting a a beautiful object under a microscope: all the defects become evident.

Sometimes the mastering of the recording is a problem. For example, in a violin concerto the soloist is sometimes recorded so loudly that the orchestra cannot be brought up to an exciting volume without making the soloist too loud. However, in a multichannel system, where the soloist is in the center channel he can be toned down by reducing gain in that channel relative to the other channels. I often need to do that.

I find that my most enjoyable listening sessions are late at night when my house, the neighbors, and the electric lines are all very quiet. The background being much quieter makes dynamics greater - leading to reduced volume levels, but increased dynamics. Cost me many hours of sleep when everything is right...
The same volume during the daytime would be equal to background listening levels. So, volume is relative to the background noise. If you're within earshot of your kitchen, try listening with the refrigerator off. You might be shocked at the difference that type of background noise can make. Quality Hi-fi equipment should actually lead to reduced volume levels for most types of music - since you'll be able to listen into the music, not just listen to the music.

Cheers, Ed

Ed, very well put! I also listen mostly late in the evening after my kids are asleep. I find that listening at low volumes given the right circumstances, provides me all the inner detail and subtleties that help to convey a sense of intimacy and realism that I am after. I go to a lot of small venues listening to acoustic sets so this is the environment I am trying to recapture. Of course at low levels you do not get the same bass slam and SPLs but for my musical preferences, this is not important. At the end of the day, like everything else in this whacky hobby, it all comes down to personal preference.

usually 80-90 --also the more you can reduce the noise floor ie better pwr cords and pwr line conditioner--the less offensive louder volumes are --hey Ed --get a good pwr line cond and you can get more sleep :) I also went thru the late nite listening --now it doesn't matter---rich

Usually 80-95 db with a very low noise floor. For me it depends on the type of music and how it was recorded. I have some jazz albums where I have to turn down the volume because of the way they were recorded in the studio.