What volume do you typically listen at?

WHAT ? SPEAK UP SONNY....

when I was younger I'm sure mine was in the 100db range and my ears tell me now, that was not a good thing.

I do not now like to get up from a session and walk away with my ears ringing. I'm guessing now I'm like you closer to the 85-95db. Maybe a short listen on a great song just a bit more, but not continuous for say an hour or more.

I'm at that 85-90 as well.

I usually start out around 75 db with music for some reason but the volume gradually gets upped to around 85 db. Anything much above that is outside of the sweet spot for quality to my ears.

I bought a spl meter to compare to my phone, my phone averaged 10 to 15db less than meter

VR3 wrote: »

I bought a spl meter to compare to my phone, my phone averaged 10 to 15db less than meter

Have you tried comparing with different apps or even different phones if you have any? I'd be interested in the results. I don't think mine is that far off, I'm definitely not hitting 90-95db on that I'm sure. My neighbors would have something to say.

I still use my old analog Radio Shack SPL meter.

^^^^ That's the fancy one they made for rich dudes. Mine has red needles that bounce back and forth. I may have had the same 9 volt battery in mine since 2012. Could be time for a change.

I rarely get past 80 db these days.
OTOH, I try to set the music to were it sounds "right" for the media
in question. FWIW...

I usually do not ever measure the volumes I listen at. It depends on ambient noise. It depends on the recording and the quality thereof. It depends on my mood. It depends on what genre of music I am listening too. It depends on whether it's late night listening when the family is asleep or if they are gone and I can crank it to my heart's desire. Bottom line?

It depends.

With that said, I always try to get right at that sweet spot where the room isn't overloaded but it is as loud as it can get, while at the same time, achieving realistic playback levels. In other words, I wouldn't want to listen to an acoustic guitar at 105Db because that is way beyond realistic. To me, that's just annoying, no matter how well the system playback is.

I am blessed to have a full range system that sounds really good at a very low noise floor at a level on the pre of 3. Granted, it goes up to 100 but even on 54? It had damned well better be a STELLAR recording because at that level? Holy crap Batman....

Whenever I do measure off my phone? I use the same app Trey does and I am averaging around 70-75Db during normal listening sessions.....so, if I were to use the SPL meter Trey has, I guess I would normally listen to music 10-15Db higher than what my phone measures.

With that said, many times, I go over to other people's systems and they play it way too loud for realistic enjoyment. This is the case at public audio events (Like LSAF) and even sometimes at PF's, CF's and the like. To me, the volume is just as important as the reproduction effort of the system itself. I am not impressed by how loud a system gets. I am impressed at the end result as to what hits my ears....whether it be loud or soft.

IMO, pay as much attention to the volume as you do engineering your system....and know its limitations if you are going to crank it to ear shattering levels. People don't want to hear distortion cranked up loud. Well, some people may but not I.

Finesse with authority is where it's at for me....at realistic playing levels. Give me the micro, macro details. Give me the texture and natural roll off of the instruments. Give me the shot through the core of a Tom drum but also relax the shattering of a cymbal, so I don't blow my ears. Give me the body shock of a kick drum while at the same time, the finesse of a chime during a busy passage.

I don't play it so loud that all of the above and more get congested into a stew of *fill in the blank* sound.

Tom