Wow, you guys are pretty low... must have significant others or neighbors that keep you in line!
My systems have always been very dynamic meaning there's a large variation in volume from the softest to the loudest sounds... This does require that you play at a fairly healthy average level in order to not lose the softest sounds. The effect is that the greater the dynamic range the lower the relative average level seems. Those who claim otherwise simply have a lot of compression going on in their systems whether they know/admit it or not. Another factor that can determine how loud you need to play your music is the ambient noise level in the room. The higher the ambient noise, the higher you're likely to turn the volume. It's simple science. Whether that's good or bad is all in how you view it.
But I like my big/good system to duplicate the kind of dynamics I hear live whether amplified or non-amplified (sometimes a little less)... and both these levels are far lower than what you are subjected to when you visit your typical movie theater, which surely play at a level sure to cause hearing loss. I always need to bring ear plugs to enjoy a movie in a theater. Why more people don't complain about these ridiculous levels (or bring along some type of ear protection) is beyond me. Could be some really big class-action law suits out there waiting to happen.
My systems have always been very dynamic meaning there's a large variation in volume from the softest to the loudest sounds... This does require that you play at a fairly healthy average level in order to not lose the softest sounds. The effect is that the greater the dynamic range the lower the relative average level seems. Those who claim otherwise simply have a lot of compression going on in their systems whether they know/admit it or not. Another factor that can determine how loud you need to play your music is the ambient noise level in the room. The higher the ambient noise, the higher you're likely to turn the volume. It's simple science. Whether that's good or bad is all in how you view it.
But I like my big/good system to duplicate the kind of dynamics I hear live whether amplified or non-amplified (sometimes a little less)... and both these levels are far lower than what you are subjected to when you visit your typical movie theater, which surely play at a level sure to cause hearing loss. I always need to bring ear plugs to enjoy a movie in a theater. Why more people don't complain about these ridiculous levels (or bring along some type of ear protection) is beyond me. Could be some really big class-action law suits out there waiting to happen.