How loud do you like to play your music?

I should have said peak on dynamic recordings with the average RMS being lower.
I always set the volume too high for well recorded classical symphonic pieces. With rock and roll the bands seem to play it at one level only which is very loud and purposefully distorted. Those can have relatively constant/compressed sound levels.
Oddly its those rock or blue/rock which I will crank and even change the rig for. Nothing like Janis Joplin played at 70 db or the Delaware Destroyers played at Stardust volume. Never played Stardust intentionally louder 80-85 db.

Most of my music is acoustical jazz small combo ie quintets and sextets which usally includes a piano. My range is 65 to 80db with 85db plenty loud. I still want to hear fine music 20 years from now.

Calbrs03,
I recently got an I-phone myself and I think the app Albert's speaking of is called Decibel. I intend to add this to my phone as soon as I figure out how. My Radio Shack meter stopped working. I usually try to keep it at 85 or lower of I can help it by the way. Levels above 85 for prolonged periods are what studies seem to indicate are dangerous. How long is prolonged? I don't know.

Albertporter: What is the app for the iPhone?

65 to 75 is pleasant over the long run if you are just listening. I agree with Shadorne on modern recordings and their use of compression.

Good uncompressed tracks that I use are Paul Kelly "May 1992" at 75 dbs and Midnight Oil's "Earth and Sun and Moon" and 90 dbs when I am tuning down my recording studio here in So Cal. Always sound incredible. Also love Willie Nelson's Teatro at 65 dbs. Love the drums on Joni Mitchell's Dreamland.

I like it on the louder side -- ~90db, no matter what I'm playing. More of that 'live' experience. Wondering if I had higher sensitivity speakers if volume could drop and still get the same effect.

This is a difficult question to answer, because it is highly dependent on the dynamic range of the music, and because it is (as Shadorne points out) also highly dependent on the quality of the recording.

It's pretty well recognized that music which is accurately recorded and reproduced will tend to be played louder than inaccurate, unrealistically reproduced, distorted music.

But even more significantly, music with wide dynamic range, such as well-recorded classical symphony orchestra, will tend to be played with the volume control set MUCH higher than for highly compressed material, such as most major popular releases. That will mean that the average volume level of the wide dynamic range material will be less than the average volume of the highly compressed material, but the peak volume of the wide dynamic range material will be MUCH higher.

A notable case in point would be the early Sheffield Labs direct-to-disk recording of Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet," conducted by Erich Leinsdorf (which is presently available remastered onto cd). I've never used an spl meter, but I would estimate that I listen to that recording with the average level in the low 70's, but with peak levels reaching around 105db (estimated based on speaker efficiency, amplifier power, and attenuation due to listening distance).

And btw, I can tell you that the 105db is not anywhere close to being as loud as the peak levels in a live performance of the same work, as listened to in the very front row at Tanglewood!

Regards,
-- Al

General listening is between 75 and 82 DB, measured at 13 feet from the speakers. Some music gets played loud, like horn jazz trio that would be experienced loud in a club. Those get 95 DB+ but not for long as I don't want hearing damage.

I measure my system, live music and even restaurants, thanks to a reasonably accurate sound pressure meter in my iPhone.

A lot depends on the recording quality but I generally listen like you around 90 db average most of the time, however, I will crank it from time to time to around 95 - 100 db SPL.

Without you defining a reference track it is hard to say.

Examples of what can be cranked:
Sheffield Labs Drum Track CD (sounds like a real drum set largely because it probably isn't compressed like most all drums that you hear on music that you pruchase)
Dave Grusin Hommage to Duke
Maceo Parker most of his stuff
Tom Petty most of his stuff
Grace Jones Hot Blooded Mix Slave to The Rhythm
George Benson Weekend in LA Live
Mahler and a lot of classical stuff

Examples of what cannot be cranked (too much distortion already on the hyper compressed CD):
Green Day
Arctic Monkeys
Fratellis
Metallica
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
and many many others...

FWIW: A good undistorted clean track with a large level of dynamics can be played MUCH MUCH louder often because the AVERAGE level is low even if the odd peaks hit 105 to 110 db SPL

I try to keep it between 70 and 75 db. An important device to use is a Sound Level Meter. Radio Shack sells a pretty good one. The meter sits next to my remote control. I helps being married to Health & Safety professional.