[JayNetTech5]

Why does it seem like no matter how much you turn the volume up, the audio still sounds low, like it has to be 75% on my ipod in order to sound medium. Even though it still sounds low, is it damaging my ears at 75%? Like is there some kind of danger to this, like is the volume actually high even though your ears/brain can't notice it? I notice smaller headphones, the volume is pretty loud and audible at low setting.

 

[GL1TCH3D]

It has a lot to do with impedance and sensitivity ;P
A pair of earbuds (such as the shure earbuds) will be much louder at 50% on your iphone than headphones with higher impedance/lower sensitivity such as the Sennheiser hd800 (just an example).

 

[JayNetTech5]

Quote:

It has a lot to do with impedance and sensitivity ;P
A pair of earbuds (such as the shure earbuds) will be much louder at 50% on your iphone than headphones with higher impedance/lower sensitivity such as the Sennheiser hd800 (just an example).

my new headphones are 64ohm, and have 106db sensitivity I believe

 

[ProtegeManiac]

It's still possible that the iPod is producing not enough power even with those specs; some amps are even designed to pump out more power at higher impedance than at lower. Although just to be sure, if you bought them new and are still under warranty, you probably should have it replaced. There's a chance it's not working properly. When the power was out my HD600 - 300ohm, 96db - was loud enough (just far from its best) with battery-powered portables.

 

[soundstige]

Have someone else listen to them at your "medium" level. If they think it sounds really loud, you're going deaf. If they think it sounds "medium", your headphones just have higher impedance than other things you've heard.

 

[biggbenn74]

Well, I own a pair of AKG Q701s, and the volume has to be up towards 90%-100% to be at a comfortable audio level. Power can be an issue, especially with a nice pair of headphones.

 

[JayNetTech5]

Quote:

It's still possible that the iPod is producing not enough power even with those specs; some amps are even designed to pump out more power at higher impedance than at lower. Although just to be sure, if you bought them new and are still under warranty, you probably should have it replaced. There's a chance it's not working properly. When the power was out my HD600 - 300ohm, 96db - was loud enough (just far from its best) with battery-powered portables.

well my ipod says it's 32ohm on the specs from apple. my earbuds that are louder are 16ohm. My new jvc headphones are 64ohm. But to be honest, they still perform good even though it has to be set at a higher volume setting.