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. 

han_n

Showing 1 response by raymonda

It needs to be as loud as you need it to be, no more and no less. I'm also in the camp that says each type of music and recording can determine what that level should be.

Every recording was mixed and mastered at a certain volume. Good engineers will then check and make sure that the end product holds up at different volumes. That is not always the case, though. To get it to sound right often you need to match the levels used during the mixing and mastering process.

However, in spite of everything, in the end the sweet spot is were the music hits you as right. For me it is usually 80 through 110. Rock and pop is generally louder, jazz in between and folk or singer song writer lower.