Hey all. I was just wondering how people listen to their music. 
I know many EQ their headphones here. I do not, as of yet. What I have done, though, is keep the EQ flat but use the amplifier on Winamp and such to make my music louder. I usually put it on max.
I was testing it out yesterday after my ears started hurting me which had never happened before. I took it off and listened lower, with the EQ off. I found that without it on, I heard more details in my music and it sounded more realistic. Even raising it just a little bit, the Winamp amplifier added a sort of fluffy cloud to everything which can be nice on some songs but does change the sound and I don't think for the better. More so, I found newer music doesn't really need it at all as it's loud enough.
I've been messing around with Isone Pro, which has a volume control as well. That makes the music louder, without the prior effects, but if it's too much, it gets harsh and tends to lose detail. Another problem using it is, while it will be good for older music, newer music will be too loud and, such, I would need to change it's volume with every album because lowering Winamp's volume doesn't fix the harshness.
So, I am wondering, is music supposed to be listened to without any of these volume enhancements? Obviously, we control of the volume of our main desktop amplifier (in my case, the V200), but, beyond that, should we just let it stay at whatever our desktop's let it go? I hear the difference in volume between all sorts of records and of course, different masters of the same album, and am starting to get the feeling that the volume is what the creators felt it should be at. If a remaster is low, then it could not be taken any further than that without hurting the quality.
Do you any of these enhancements for low volume music? Is having them off and at a lower volume the proper way to maintain the highest quality of the master?
Edited by Deverica Wolf - 3/22/12 at 5:08pm
