who of you use the "LOUDNESS" button??

[fabchef]

hi folks...just wondering if i'm the only one that turns this button on most of the time? what was the purpose of adding that option? i just find it brings the music out a bit more...
Is there a difference in terms of a more accurate sound with this on or off?
thanks
fab

 

[BMWCCA]

Google "Fletcher-Munson".

It's not a button on anything I own—it's a knob, or 62 slide controls.

 

[thedelihaus]

At work I do.

Co-workers aren't fond of my musical tastes.

They seem to have a loudness button, too....

 

[Jailtime]

I don't use the loudness button. My 15" sub solves low frequency issues quite nicely at any listening level. And I like to use the tone controls on my Fisher tubes. I used it with my Marantz 2235B when I didn't have the sub, the loudness contour added some fullness to the sound when listening levels were low.

 

[Sam Cogley]

This post sums up the point of the loudness function quite nicely: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showpost.php?p=875966&postcount=14

 

[chadnliz]

This post sums up the point of the loudness function quite nicely: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showpost.php?p=875966&postcount=14

That post and about 100 others just like it, there is usually a "loudness control" thread every 3 weeks.

 

[soundmotor]

That post and about 100 others just like it, there is usually a "loudness control" thread every 3 weeks.

Can we talk about cable & interconnects now, please?



I use the loudness control when I have speakers outside and there isn't good boundary reinforcement for them. Loudness on can make a small set of speakers sound respectable in this situation. Indoors I don't believe I've pushed the button and if I did it was followed by an immediate "Oops!". That however does not mean you won't get good results in your own listening environment.

 

[jancumps]

hi folks...just wondering if i'm the only one that turns this button on most of the time? ...

Only addressing this part of the question:
I use loudness on my Realistic STA-82 and STA-90 receivers, and not on my Kenwood KR-2010. Because I like what the loudness does on the Realistics, and not how it sounds on that Kenwood.

 

[Hyperion]

To answer the question posed - no - I prefer to use tone controls for and lift or cut - I have heard very good things about the Yamaha system which uses a loudness 'contour control' - rather than merely a switch you can throw which just bangs up the bass and treble by a pre-set amount.

I normally run with tone controls flat, or disabled, or as marked on the front panel of the amp "+2dB" bass boost.

 

[ChrisMarantz]

For me it depends on the music. Some CD's just sound better with the added bass from the loudness control. On other CD's it makes the bass to boomy. It also depends on what mood I'm in, sometimes I want the music very loud with all of the bass possible and other times I set the tome controls flat. I think it's all about what sounds good to you at that moment.

 

[reggaenaut]

If you listen at really low levels a loudness button/switch is necessary. However not all loudness circuits are built correctly.

 

[MoreBeer]

If you like it, use it. Pretty much a no brainer. I always use the variable loundess function on my Yamaha CX-1000. It does help AFAIC.

A - As
F - Far
A- As
I - I'm
C-Concerned

Now there's a new one that can be added to the glossary!

 

[cwall99]

On my Sansui G-4700 (pushing a pair of low-end Mirage speakers), it's on all the time. On my Pioneer Elite AVR it's.... um, wait, there is no Loudness button on that (though somewhere in the menu structure, there is a night-time listening mode that does what a Loudness button does - I just don't use it as it's not very convenient to access).

 

[Brett a]

I've had equipment in the past that benefited from its use.

My current set-up only has an input selector and a volume knob.


.

 

[tshoejohn]

I have a variable "Loudness" knob on my old Bell 6060. It varies from -40db to 0db. I usually leave it near the middle of the range and the Bass and Treble flat.

 

[specialidiot]

I don't have a loudness button or tone control.

 

[JohnVF]

The only loudness function I use is the one on certain Yamaha pieces. I like that it's variable. The one-button solution never seemed to actually solve anything, instead of just making everything sound fat.

Currently, in the two systems I have running, there isn't even a tone control to be found and I don't miss them. I tend to pick sources...CD players, cartridges, etc...with a full sound to begin with, and as I've collected more gear I've really gravitated to the stuff with no tone controls. Just sounds cleaner to me.

 

[marqueemoon]

I don't.

The only time I really listen at extremely low volumes is when mixing. Usually I'm checking to see if other important elements are coming across at a whisper, so I don't want to exaggerate the bass.

 

[nukeme]

I use the loudness button, I also like to run with scissors in my hands....

 

[tx_polkhead]

On the bedroom system, I usually use the loudness. Loudness gives the music more body at the lower volumes we usually listen to music in said bedroom!