Optimal Volume Levels?

[nms553]

Message: Hi I have looked all over the internet for years now and I have yet
to find an answer to my question: At what levels do I set my Windows Volume
controls to ensure OPTIMUM sound processing/quality. For example, I play
music through iTunes on my PC. I always have the ITUNES VOLUME at maximum
level, along with its equalizer set on rock. In WINDOWS' Volume Control,
however, I'm unsure about what levels the WAVE and MASTER sliders should be
adjusted to ensure optimal sound quality. Can someone please provide me with
their professional opinion about the best configuration for my playback
volume?
SOME OF MY UNCERTAINTIES:

FOR MAXIMUM QUALITY, SHOULD THE "WAVE" SLIDER BE AT ITS MAX EVEN WHEN
CHANGING THE MASTER VOLUME?

OR, WHEN ADJUSTING THE OVERALL VOLUME, IS IT BEST TO ADJUST BOTH "WAVE" &
"MASTER" SIMULTANEOUSLY (AND AT EQUIVALENT LEVELS) FOR MAXIMUM QUALITY?

AND LASTLY, IF I WERE TO HOOK UP EXTERNAL PC SPEAKERS, WHAT CHANGES WOULD I
MAKE TO THE WINDOWS' VOLUME CONTROLS -AND- HOW SHOULD THE SPEAKER'S VOLUME
KNOB CHANGE WITH RESPECT TO THE WINDOW'S VOLUME CONTROLS?

 

[Chris Laarman]

nms553 ([email protected]) in
(e-mail address removed):

Message: Hi I have looked all over the internet for years now and I
have yet to find an answer to my question: At what levels do I set my
Windows Volume controls to ensure OPTIMUM sound processing/quality.
For example, I play music through iTunes on my PC. I always have the
ITUNES VOLUME at maximum level, along with its equalizer set on rock.
In WINDOWS' Volume Control, however, I'm unsure about what levels the
WAVE and MASTER sliders should be adjusted to ensure optimal sound
quality. Can someone please provide me with their professional
opinion about the best configuration for my playback volume?
SOME OF MY UNCERTAINTIES:

FOR MAXIMUM QUALITY, SHOULD THE "WAVE" SLIDER BE AT ITS MAX EVEN WHEN
CHANGING THE MASTER VOLUME?

OR, WHEN ADJUSTING THE OVERALL VOLUME, IS IT BEST TO ADJUST BOTH
"WAVE" & "MASTER" SIMULTANEOUSLY (AND AT EQUIVALENT LEVELS) FOR
MAXIMUM QUALITY?

AND LASTLY, IF I WERE TO HOOK UP EXTERNAL PC SPEAKERS, WHAT CHANGES
WOULD I MAKE TO THE WINDOWS' VOLUME CONTROLS -AND- HOW SHOULD THE
SPEAKER'S VOLUME KNOB CHANGE WITH RESPECT TO THE WINDOW'S VOLUME
CONTROLS?

1) The Volume Control (accessible through the loudspeaker icon on the
taskbar, "bottom right") consists of sliders for the Master volume (the only
one shown upon single-clicking) and a number of sliders for individual
devices.

These individual sliders determine the input to the Master volume, so if you
should want maximum gain, the you set *both* the Wave and Master sliders all
the way up, and if you should have changing levels of environment noise,
then you'd probably adjust the Master slider only.

I happen to know that the SW Synth slider (that may matter when playing MIDI
files) determines the input of a synthesizer in software to the Wave slider.

2) I'm not a professional. I take these sliders to be working entirely in
the digital realm, adjusting the numbers that get translated into the
voltage levels at the output connectors.
I would not expect any response differences across frequencies in this
digital to analog conversion.
I would expect setting the sliders to "full" to have the source numbers to
be divided by exactly "1", which would result in more accurate output
(representation) than dividing by "1.005" or whatever. But would that be
audible at all?

3) Loudspeakers "always" have some frequency response curve. I'm under the
impression, that the settings of a digital equalizer (in software) amount to
manipulating the numbers to be fed to the digital-to-analog converter, in
such a way that the frequency response curve of the intended target device
gets compensated for, or even adjusted (like probably low frequencies
boosted in a "rock" profile).

4) Assuming that the computer output and the amplifier input match, I would
transport the signal at maximum level until the final Volume control - in
order to keep the signal/noise ratio as good as possible.