[guf]

What do you do when you have your system totally dialed in? You've spent thousands of dollars and hours and hours listening and researching. Now you've got it! all the parts of listening bliss, and better than 99.9% of anything most people have heard (except frequenters of these sites). Well thats kinda where I am. Quickly and obsessively I started with Ht2-tls, an AVA 400r, room treatments, w4s dac 2, off ramp 5..... then rear's and a center channel and new av receiver, then a htpc..... i thought it would never end but it kinda did. I love listening to music AND I love listening to music while searching for new gear but now what? Some days i think it cant get any better than this. Then other days I think something doesn't sound right. I put on my Salk sampler cd today for the first time in months. I really turned it up and almost maxed out my dac2 preamp. And wow! I think i realized that i have not been listening at the level that the speakers want. I then got a spl meter for my iphone and got me thinking what kind of levels do people listen at? Now I'm averaging in the 70-80's and peaks or maxs out in the low 90's. It's loud but not obnoxious. I feel like i had a major break through just by turning it up.

[Big Red Machine]

I feel like all speakers have a "peak power" sweetspot, much like an engine, where given enough accelerator, the performance is finally realized.  After that, it's just speed but no more torque so no real thrill (i.e. too loud).  So, yeah, turning it up to some decent level gets all the mojo going and it feels right.

I was very comfortable at the same levels, around 80 db.

So if you want to find something to do, then make some room measurements and then let the paranoia set in and that will get you fretting about what to do to "fix" the situation.

[Saturn94]

What do you do when you have your system totally dialed in? You've spent thousands of dollars and hours and hours listening and researching. Now you've got it! all the parts of listening bliss, and better than 99.9% of anything most people have heard (except frequenters of these sites). Well thats kinda where I am. Quickly and obsessively I started with Ht2-tls, an AVA 400r, room treatments, w4s dac 2, off ramp 5..... then rear's and a center channel and new av receiver, then a htpc..... i thought it would never end but it kinda did. I love listening to music AND I love listening to music while searching for new gear but now what? Some days i think it cant get any better than this. Then other days I think something doesn't sound right. I put on my Salk sampler cd today for the first time in months. I really turned it up and almost maxed out my dac2 preamp. And wow! I think i realized that i have not been listening at the level that the speakers want. I then got a spl meter for my iphone and got me thinking what kind of levels do people listen at? Now I'm averaging in the 70-80's and peaks or maxs out in the low 90's. It's loud but not obnoxious. I feel like i had a major break through just by turning it up.

I also noticed my HT2-TLs like to be turned up.

[pstrisik]

I'm also at 70-80.  80 is where they open up and I try to make that my ceiling.

........Peter

[Quiet Earth]

Great topic.     Most recordings are mastered around 85dB average peak levels. What that means to you and me is that is the sound pressure level where the recording will bloom and sound the most balanced, the most coherent, and possibly the most realistic no matter which speakers you own. So, the next time you feel like your system is sounding a little under the weather or your woofers aren't woofing or your cables need upgrading,,,, check the average SPL peaks and see if you are listening in that 85dB zone. You don't really need anything fancier than a common RadioShack meter for this job.

FWIW, I find that most of the time I am also listening way below the zone, like around 75dB avg. peaks. I guess that's the price we pay for buying gear that lets us hear so well into the recording, huh? It seems like a good problem to have. Just have to get off my butt and turn it up a little. 

[ratso]

I find this varies from cd to cd. it seems as if most cd's do have a "sweet spot" volume wise where they sound the best - above or below it and it just doesn't sound as good.

[PMAT]

I read once that every song has its perfect loudness. I wont listen to a great rock song without turning it up. I would rather play a quiet type song if the situation requires lower volume. This ties in to my mood theory. If I want to listen to my system, I take the time to hunt for the perfect music for my mood. Then the magic happens when the required sound level is used. Sometimes I cant find the perfect music and I do something else. 

[Austin08]

I am about 70-80.  sound is really open up at this level.

[tnargs]

I'm not sure what an 'average peak' level is, so I will refer to average levels and peak levels.

In movie world they have this sorted, but in audio world it's a dog's breakfast. The standard for playback of a movie in the cinema is 85 dB average level with 20 dB of headroom. Peaks can reach 105 dB. The studios are expected to mix at these levels also, thus creating consistency between what is created and what is experienced. If you set up your home system at these levels it will probably be too loud, and the professional advice is to turn it down 10 dB. This seems to work for me and is what I have set up at home.

Listening to music is louder again, because they typically use less headroom to mix music, so, 95 dB's peak listening to music seems normally too loud, and 75 dB average listening level is too quiet.

At home I find listening to music at 95 dB peaks is good solid loud listening, although sometimes louder when I am in the mood.

[jd3]

Most of my listening is usually around 70-80db.

[Geardaddy]

Good thread.  FYI, you can find free dB meter apps for your cellphones.  Decibel 10th is a good one

[Kwebb]

I concure with all.  Great post, great topic.

Kyle

[Mudslide]

I guess Harman found out that speakers played louder (to a point) sound 'better' than softer playing speakers...a trick frequently employed by loudspeaker salesmen at B&M stores.

In my case, I play music at ~80 dB average...unless the missus is home.  WAF requires a 60 dB average.  Thus we have a -20 dB separation in our marriage.  Oh well.  Nothing is perfect.

[audiotom]

I find myself listening to some things at 90 db peak (80-85 avg)
caveat being that I listen mostly to vinyl
particularly classical and jazz where the dynamic range is quite pronounced
compressed cds and poorly recorded material gets played back at lower volumes

something as revealing as the Salks will show up every imperfection in a poor recording or your components
most recordings are up to par
and when things are ideal - total bliss

three inexpensive iphone apps worth using
Decibels, db Meter Pro and dBMeter Pro
each of them have their strengths
check them out at a concert
and you will see that some mild ear protection is a wise idea

[Nuance]

I'm at 80-85 average; I like when peaks hit the 90's at times because it keeps me alert.   I'd never listen above 85dB sustained, though. 

Congrats to you guf on attaining audio nirvana.  Ignore Big Red's recommendation to measure your room; it's a whole other can of words, and sometimes ignorance is bliss.

[vortrex]

Some days i think it cant get any better than this.

remember, you haven't had a turntable in your system yet.   

[fsimms]

I find myself listening to some things at 90 db peak (80-85 avg)
caveat being that I listen mostly to vinyl
particularly classical where the dynamic range is quite pronounced
compressed cds and poorly recorded material gets played back at lower volumes

You listen to vinyl with the SoundScapes!

Now I know why you are so happy with the SoundScapes.

something as revealing as the Salks will show up every imperfection in a poor recording or your components
most recordings are up to par
and when things are ideal - total bliss

It is amazing how well so many vinyl records sound.  The average sound quality with my SoundScapes is amazing on most of my vinyl records.  You would think that only a few would have that great a sound but that is not so.  Most of them do!  When the sound quality and the music both hit, it is truly bliss.

Bob

[Quiet Earth]

I'm not sure what an 'average peak' level is, so I will refer to average levels and peak levels.

Good call tnargs, sorry about the confusion. Yes, there are average levels and there are peak levels. But I find that when I measure peaks with my cheap SPL meter it is difficult to get a consistent, recurring peak level. So I average them out and call that the average peak level. It's still the peak level that I am looking at though. I just don't make myself crazy trying to get an exact number.

Once you start checking your levels with the same meter over a long period of time, you will find a number, or a zone that you can call your own.

[audiotom]

quite earth (is that the Genesis song reference?)

try the phone app    db Meter Pro   it captures, average, peak and max peak and holds the max
very dynamic

[audiotom]

It is amazing how well so many vinyl records sound.  The average sound quality with my SoundScapes is amazing on most of my vinyl records.  You would think that only a few would have that great a sound but that is not so.  Most of them do!  When the sound quality and the music both hit, it is truly bliss.

Bob

Bob

I see we live in the same audio camp

The success rate on nicely dynamic, warm sounding and not brickwalled cd's is getting lower these days.

I listen to a lot of NYC scene jazz which is only available on cd, thankfully they go to great lengths in the recording/mastering  process.

In the classic Jazz period (late 50's - late 60's) many recordings are being released to vinyl and with the highest sonics. Classic Impulse, Riverside, Prestige and Blue Note releases are done in 180 gram 45 rpm.

Also some of my favorite current artists - like Wilco and Guster - record analog to tape and have excellent mastered vinyl.

Just delicious on the Salks

sorry to digress this into a vinyl discussion, but in discussing listening levels and dynamic range
the source matters and vinyl in general clearly has utilized the elements of dynamic range more effectively  (something counterintuitive to the potentials of cd, high rez levels the playing field more)