pete almquist Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 hi all, as you might have read in past posts i'm listening to the trends 10.1 amp with a toshiba cd/sacd/dvd player hooked to klipschorns. i don't have a meter to test the sound levels so i can only use general terms to describe the levels i'm listening at. these, in my case, are usually determined by the response of my wife and kids in the other room for whether they ask me to turn the music down or not. anyway, i've noticed with the current setup that the music usually comes to life when i raise the level to what i could refer to 'the smiling range' which also usually conforms to the time my wife or kids coming in to ask me to turn it down because it's interupting their tv veiwing in the next room. damn! this also is about where the volume knob on the trend amp is a little past the 09:00 position. on friday morning i have the house to myself and can have some fun. knob is at the dreaded 10:00 position and i can actually hear all the instruments with an almost visible physical presence (especially when i close my eyes...) but i still have to wonder... is it my hearing that lacks with the lower levels? is it the amp? is it the speakers? what is your experience with lower level playing as compared to louder levels? thanks afor any responses...happy listening! pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 your ears aren't lying. a variety of factors are at play - amplification design being one of them. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klewless Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 The simple answer is that at lower volumes you cannot hear the low frequencies as well as the higher ones. As the volume increases your hearing becomes more linear in nature up to a point (as in very loud). Hearing is most sensitive around 1 or 2 KHz, falling off on both the highs and lows. That is why some older electronics had a variable response, referred to as the loudness control, which increased bass at the lowest end of the volume control's rotation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoudnClear Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 This has to do with the resolution/sensitivity of your sensors. In a more basic sense, you can think of ears like your eyes. Looking at a tree a half mile away, it is a green spot.Quarter mile its a bigger spot with maybe some large limbs visible.500 feet, starting to see variations and texture in the leaf density around different parts of the limb structure100 feet leaves are quite well differentiated from the other leaves. 10 feet, various colors on the leaves from angles of light hitting them are very visible.1 foot, the leaf structure with its veins and cellular nature is visible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark1101 Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 You could swings in your favor some by looking at gentle slope networks with less loss through them and that use audiophile caps.......like ALK Jrs or recapped stock A or AA. I use ALK Jrs. on my lascalas and they really bring out the details and dynamics at lower volumes more so than networks with steeper slopes. I just played with a Trends and I know what you mean. There's a lot going on contributing to the issue you speak of......but the networks could certainly help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 So.... at this given volume level, its just not loud enough for him to hear any detail, realism, or palpability? Is that what you are telling him? Edit: This obviously isn't regarding mark's post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 combination of factors - but actually Robert - yes. My mind has gone blank on the names of the people who charted the ear's response curve - dammit. Anyway - forget amps. Just get someone playing an instrument sit up close then walk away. As you get further away the detail diminiishes with the highs and lows going first. Fletcher munshen - munsen - munchen something like that - oh my mind is gone completely these days....what was I saying? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Audio systems will sometimes simply open up more when the volume is increased. It's not clear in this case whether there is an underlying distortion or noise level that requires a higher volume level to hear through it, or if the amplifier has to be punched up with a higher preamp signal level to get it to open up. I used to think that I had this problem and that it was my speakers (Klipschorns), but eventually found that different preamps and amplifiers didn't need to be turned up as much to get good clarity and impact. To my mind, this made the earlier electronics the suspects. It might be interesting for you to try and compare different amplification, and also make sure the input to the amp isn't too low or somehow isn't well matched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 I... eventually found that different preamps and amplifiers didn't need to be turned up as much to get good clarity and impact. It might be interesting for you to try and compare different amplification... BRAVO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 I appreciate hearing the technical issues in play here. Makes sense that it would be a combination of things, since there are amazing synergistic issues in audio. The thing I am sure of is that when it just starts sounding good to me, it is too loud for my wife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 I... eventually found that different preamps and amplifiers didn't need to be turned up as much to get good clarity and impact. It might be interesting for you to try and compare different amplification... BRAVO! That is exactly what I wanted to post. I found that as I bought better equipment, I started to listen at lower volumes. I now usualy listen at 75 db or so and get all the detail that I want. Sometimes I "crank" it to 85 or even 90 db. Get your checkbook out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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