The (Fake) Club of Low-Volume Listeners: Join Us If You Can Hear Us :)

[Dragonmilenario]

Hi everyone,

Lately, I've been reflecting on how my audio journey has taken an unexpected turn—from the classic "turn it up for more excitement!" to a deep love for listening at low volumes. It's as if every improvement in my gear has unveiled the magic of those intimate moments where music simply takes me away without need of anything else.

So, I decided to found a (fake) secret club for low-volume listeners. Why fake? Well, because there are no meetings, no subscriptions, nothing

IMHO, the lower the volume, the more I dive into the details, the textures, and the warmth of the sound. I don’t need more decibels to feel like I’m right in the heart of the music. And wow, what a rewarding experience that is!

Now, I’d love to know: who else has gone through this transformation? Who has left behind those “turn it up” days and surrendered to the magic of low-volume listening? Is this a phase, a “pro” level of appreciation?

Let’s talk, fellow Hi-Fi enthusiasts. Share your zen low-volume audio experiences with me!

 

[peterinvan]

Hi everyone,

Lately, I've been reflecting on how my audio journey has taken an unexpected turn—from the classic "turn it up for more excitement!" to a deep love for listening at low volumes. It's as if every improvement in my gear has unveiled the magic of those intimate moments where music simply takes me away without need of anything else.

So, I decided to found a (fake) secret club for low-volume listeners. Why fake? Well, because there are no meetings, no subscriptions, nothing

IMHO, the lower the volume, the more I dive into the details, the textures, and the warmth of the sound. I don’t need more decibels to feel like I’m right in the heart of the music. And wow, what a rewarding experience that is!

Now, I’d love to know: who else has gone through this transformation? Who has left behind those “turn it up” days and surrendered to the magic of low-volume listening? Is this a phase, a “pro” level of appreciation?

Let’s talk, fellow Hi-Fi enthusiasts. Share your zen low-volume audio experiences with me!

I am in my 70s now, and I aim to preserve my slowly deteriorating hearing as long as possible.
On every album I stream from Tidal, I use a Schiit Loki+ to adjust the treble to my liking. Then I turn up the volume to the point where I can distinguish all the instruments in the sound stage, then back it off a few decibels and enjoy.
I my experience, good quality headphones and gear is key to being able to enjoy music at the lowest discernible levels.

 

[Sefelt103]

Some headphones are even optimal at low volumes: some Grado models GS1000 ? Beyerdynamic's DT880 in many forms because the treble is not so strong at low volume. I used to listen to rock louder than I do today and still sometimes do. Headphones with the much desired big soundstage (which I don't have other than the DT880 600Ω) might be considered ideal for low volume listening. Music that's gentle and spacious. It's just the bass that needs to have some 'loudness' applied to balance the sound. With very comfortable headphones you can listen for hours at low volume also.

 

[Deleeh]

The secret lies quite simply in the potentiometer.
Which is unfortunately also very neglected.
It wasn't long ago that I heard about this and at first I thought you were out of your minds, it's all voodoo.
But I gave it a try and decided to buy 2 potentiometers.
And installed them in my tube amplifier.
I'm deliberately not naming names, but lo and behold, it made an impact.
I've been listening much quieter with more detail and more dynamic with all the great things.
The first pot wasn't quite to my taste and I swapped it for a second high quality pot that was more to my taste.
Since then, I've been listening more quietly than before and also listening better.
And I like it that way.
Yesterday I was at a small headphone fair, and you wouldn't believe it, regardless of the fact that it was loud there, I had to turn the pot up very high to get to a halfway normal level.
I would be deaf at this setting on my amplifier if I heard it like this every day.
Unfortunately, this is a component that is often saved for cost reasons.
I can understand this with low-end setups, but not with amplifiers starting at $1000.
Even reputable manufacturers do this and that's the sad game behind it.

 

[2leftears]

I've always been very careful about preserving my hearing for as long as possible. For decades I have made it a habit to turn the volume down to the point that it still sound good. Besides, high volumes feel uncomfortable to me. Not sure if it is hyperacusis, but I sure seem to have problems coping with sound levels that doesn't seem to bother most other people.

 

[lairpost]

Great under discussed topic

Hyperacusis is a b*itch. In my experience, it takes a high performing (not high priced) system to sound good at low dB. Preserving the dynamics and detail without the cilia damage. It's vicious in that our physiology hears and believes it's better as the volume goes up. Add some alcohol and our sensitivity goes down. Low/black noise floor, proper gain matching and a quiet space make magic. I enjoy the mild isolation of IEMs most recently. Still only in the 60-75dB range. Plenty to be absorbed and swept away...

 

[Shane D]

I remember as a young man coming home from bars and concerts almost deaf, with my ears ringing.

Now, most of my listening is in the 60Db range, peaking in the low 70's.
I am shocked at how many folks say that they listen at 80 and 85Db's, on average!

Every so often my wife will comment on my music listening volume especially with open backs. Then I will pull out my DB meter and most times she is right and my average is hitting 75 and 76Db's. Although usually after an hour or two of that I will self-correct. My ears tell me to.

 

[Falcon 4 0]

I try to keep listening volume low to preserve my hearing ability.
With somewhat like mid fifties, I'm a bit wiser.
I remember committing nealy every crime against my hearing, walkman, cranking up the amps to 11, lots of discotheque, Metal concerts, the usual stuff xD.
Luckily my hearing is waaay to good for this abuse!
Nowadays I use IEMs mostly at moderate volumes and enjoy it a lot.

 

[Kukuk]

One of the benefits of treble-heavy headphones, or just ones with particular treble spikes, is that you can listen at low volumes while retaining a nice soundstage. Thanks to my HE-R10Ps having a ~5khz spike, I'm usually in the low-70db range. They're an absolute top-tier, summit-fi headphone for low-volume listening.

I do still like to play loud from time to time, but it's getting rarer. Often times it's too much of a hassle to bring out one of my more forgiving headphones, so I end up not even bothering. lol

 

[linknet]

I'm in !
A few years ago i "killed" my ears with a piercing IEM and then i was lucky and i slowly recovered. Then i went the headphone way as it is less agressive. I prefer low volume around 60 db. Music is coming and offering its textures, timbre and details in a way that invite me to sink deep in my soul and has space to let the small variations express themselves without imposing themselves as it is IMO when you raise the volume.

 

[kramer5150]

Yep, I have always been a low volume listener. To the point where I bought an amp (darkvoice 337) specifically for this. It has independent L/R volume pots so I don't have to worry about channel imbalance at low volumes. I use a pair of low wattage speaker output transformers in a project box with this amp since I think it sounds better than running it OTL. The transformers also serve as an impedance adapter to present my all my amps with a 600~1200 ohm load. I basically use an amplifier stage as an impedance matching attenuator.

 

[bagwell359]

Almost everyone I know or meets I go too, people listen louder, or a lot louder. Every now and then I'll play an exciting track loud - that's 87-88 db peak, usually my peaks are mid-low 70's.

 

[Philimon]

Equal loudness contour seems to match well with my low-volume listening and headphone preferences.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contour

For dealing with channel imbalance I am using a preamp with a relay-potentiometer.
Saga2 -> Jotunheim2