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Does It have to be loud?

Are you also under the impression that when people (or manufacturers) demo their equipment, they maintain sound pressure levels between 90-100 Dba. In general this is done in rooms being too small, and therefore the room will heavily interact with the sound heard in that room. Often, when you ask to lower the volume, the actual result is better, and –most likely- provides you with the information you were looking for. So, my question here is, do you also prefer to listen in the 90-100 dba range? Or do you –like myself- like to listen in the 70-90 dba sound pressure range? Of course, I’m referring to sound pressure levels at the listening position, which –in my case- is about 4 meter away from the speaker. 

128x128han_n
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
14,147 posts
 
For me it’s all about Dynamic Range, not loudness per se which usually means having to turn up the volume more for recordings with high dynamic range. And loud recordings don’t necessary have good/high dynamic range, in fact that usually means they don’t.
gdhal's avatar
gdhal
1,641 posts
 
For me it’s all about Dynamic Range, not loudness per se...

Well, that me be your (Geoff) preference, but there certainly is more to it than dynamic range. For example, one could choose to listen to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture or Ravel's Bolero, each of which have reasonably high dynamic range. If you then choose to "top out" the max decibel level of that dynamic range at say 80db, you've done an injustice (IMO) to the great work of those composers. So again, volume/loudness *does* matter.  

Geoff, you should be impressed. Looks like I know about and have listened to more music than only Grateful Dead :)
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
14,147 posts
 
That’s funny! You totally misunderstood my post. I’m impressed.
czarivey
4,494 posts
 
if i blow tuba it'll be loud so if i hit drum.
rodman99999
3,557 posts
 
Tastes in music listening vary as widely as tastes in food and drink, or anything else imaginable. After five decades of listening to more live music(every genre/studio/auditorium/outdoor/two or three times a week/two to four hours a pop) than home audio systems, suspension of disbelief only happens with realistic SPLs(whether loud, as in Pink Floyd/Heart, or soft, as in Classical/Flamenco guitar). Many equipment manufacturers voice(and demo) their equipment with realism in mind. That’s probably why loud/dynamic pieces, are chosen by some to demo. To convey that their gear can deliver, when called upon. Nothing wrong with requesting a softer audition, if that’s your preference, and- YES: just like some live music venues, room overload happens and lower SPLs work better, in such instances. The only thing that gets in the way of my extended enjoyment, of music played at realistic levels, is distortion. If a system can’t convince me(loud AND soft/micro and macrodynamics), without distortion(or damaging itself), I’m not impressed.
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