Well said Tyll. I struggle constantly with my listening volume. I think one of the things that actually does bother me most is that a lot of the music I like has a lot of dynamic range. I can set something to a comfortable volume and in a few minutes I'll have a full on blast of music. Turning it down at that point results in a very unsatisfying listening session. It takes some knowledge of a recording to know when quiet needs to be *really* quiet, so you can enjoy the dynamics all the way through without hurting yourself.
That said, some recordings just don't work at low volume. I find that screaming guitars need to actually scream to work. Reserve those sessions for once in a while and enjoy that inner ear hum as simply a part of the live rock out experience. If you can catch a live show with equally great screaming guitars, leave that recording for another month and go experience the real thing. A few weeks ago I got hungry for some hendrix, and listened to Are You Experienced at full blast. Since then I've listened to nothing but jazz and light pop. I'll feel the need to rock out again soon, but everything must come in moderation.
|