Is it my imagination, my ears or it is the speakers?

crazy

So, I'm sitting and listening to my 2 channel setup at a very moderate volume (volume level = 30 on a Krell 400 Xi integrated amp)

Initially I feel that this level is extremely low and it would be more enjoyable listening at a slightly higher volume, but I resist turning the volume knob.

5-10 minutes go by and all of a sudden, I feel that the music has taken over the room and is extremely enjoyable at this rather moderate level. I don't have the urge to increase the volume any further and now all of a sudden this volume level seems just right.

So my question is, did my ears get used to listening to music at this moderate level or did the speakers "open-up"?

How could it be that at one moment I felt that the volume was way too low to enjoy the music and a few minutes later, the volume level felt just right?

mulveling

It's a common phenomenon. The ear/barin system is extremely adaptable. While it's possible that your speakers spontaneously "opened" up or that a loose connection suddenly jiggled into place, it's vastly more likely that you just adapted to the sound level

Unfortunately it works the other way too - had you turned up the volume, then a few minutes later you might have been tempted to turn it up again, and then again, etc...

danger boy

I think there is a volume at which music just plays out correctly.. I personally don't like really loud music.. yeah once in a while.. but for the most part it's to be enjoyed at moderate levels.

What's your set up consist of?

Skynut

I think the system warms up and everything just starts to work the way it is supposed to.
My system tends to sound better after a chance to warm up but I play with the volume to much to notice if it gets louder or not.

polkatese

On my 400Xi, the sweet listening level for me is between 35-42. At that level, I get all the details I need. Personally, I think the right volume level is depend on two things: the kind of genre of music you are listening to, and your mood at that time.

faster100

Its your imagination and your brain saying you don't need an upgrade yet

dorokusai

Imagination.

madmax

You have a reference level. That is the level you expect to hear. It can be changed by listening lower or higher. When you are listening at this reference level the sound seems full and room filling. Less seems quiet and more seems loud. Just by being in a different area you can experience different reference levels. For example, you can expect a certain loudness in your bedroom and another in your favorite chair in the livingroom.
madmax

steveinaz

It makes sense with A-A/B amplifiers. At lower levels your amp is churning along in pure Class A mode. Alot of it has to do with your speakers low level articulation abilities as well.

I like to listen at levels that I think would represent the band playing in front of me, unamplified, by setting the volume realistically for the singer's loudness.

BUT...I do also enjoy very low level "midnight" listening, when background noise is zero.

haimoc

I think it depends on the amp. For example, with Rotel amp, I don't find any diffrence, but Plinius.

Early B.

Were you listening to the same song? Sometimes songs on the same CD are mixed differently at different studios by different engineers and at different volume levels. It's not uncommon for me to adjust the volume several times on the same CD. Also, some songs and some instruments sound better at relatively higher or lower volumes. For instance, I like horns at lower volumes and piano at higher volumes.

heiney9

All of the above.

In all my components I look for excellent low level resolution. What you are hearing is a combination of all you listed, but I'm sure the Krell and the B & W's give great low level resolution regardless of your ears and brain getting used to it. Sometime sit and listen with the lights off, eyes closed at a very low level (really listening to everything). In a great system you should be able to hear all the nuances of each song as clearly and with as much coherence as you do listening at mid-levels. It's one of the hallmarks of a great system with great synergy!

Any componet or speaker you have to tuen up to get it to sound good isn't ideal and you should try to figure out what the problem is.

H9