I’m running in a 1960s Pioneer SX-1000TW receiver that’s been completely recapped and refurbished. It definitely sounds better than it has over the past 20-30 years. But I find that hitting the loudness switch along with the low filter switch expands everything - soundstage height and width, presentation is a little more forward, instrument separation, the whole nine yards. Normally at moderate (but not ear splitting) volume. In short bursts it definitely sounds better.
But I wonder if this is like eating sugar / salt - short term fun but bad over time. I know people will say ‘do what your ears tell you’ but wondering if there’s any science behind this. I’m guessing that the loudness switch just bumps the highs and lows on the EQ, but really I have no idea what happens behind the scenes.
Wondering if anyone has experience with this. Or some real-work data. Or a whitepaper from the University of Bologna
Loudness button on all modern gear boosts the low frequencies because they tend to vanish at low listening levels. Rather than muck with the sound, it’s a very basic form of room correction I suppose. It helps the frequency response remain more linear.
Hence even Naim Uniti range has this feature.
You tend to just leave it on permanently if the setup of the system is such that the volume is always very low. Such as normal space but played quietly or nearfield listening where the volume feels reasonably high only for those in close proximity (like a desktop).
So rather than flick it on or off, it tends to be one or the other permanently depending on the scenario that system is used in. I use it on my UQ2 which drives desktop speakers. Obviously, engaged in an unnecessary scenario it can have quite an unpleasant “MEGA BASS!!!” effect.
You’ll know if it should be on because music will sound tinny and thin.
Thanks - that’s very helpful. The lows are definitely more pronounced, but I feel like the high-mids come alive as well. Without the low filter on it definitely gives that Mega Bass! feel. I’ll take your advice and keep it on for a while and see what’s tolerable. The Klipsch Heresy need a little help at the low end, so maybe this is an effect with this particular speaker. And I’m only using it with my turntable, so there’s another factor.
Bear in mind the age of the amp means I have no idea how well it was implemented compared to modern designs. It should be a standard curve correction but you will have to experiment. But if this is driving normal speakers in a normal sized room at normal levels, with you sitting on a sofa, you almost certainly do not need it on.
Mmmmm - yeah, that’s a good point; probably a shade towards nearfield. I’ve sort of split the room in half with the sofa, and given the size of the speakers they’re a little close. Just a touch closer than I’d like for something that size. Maybe I rearrange the room!!!
Loudness buttons are very crude (and your question directly results from that. But volume of course should read sound level and only indirectky to do with volume control setting which some people may otherwise cite, meaningless on its own due to variabilities in speaker sensitivity, listening distance, source kevel, amp gain etc.
I have oft argued in favour of a sophisticated ‘loudness’ control linked to average sound level, requiring initial calibration in situ.
Whilst some people might use it that way, the loudness control is not intended for that! The vanishing of bass at low listening levels being a natural feature of human hearing, rolling off both bass and treble as sound level lowers, but bass more so than treble.
Think this is what I’m experiencing - the multivariate experiment of distance, sound level, and general room treatment is giving significantly different results on different recordings.
I just had side 2 of Mellencamp’s Scarecrow at moderate volume with the loudness on and it sounded great. Side 1 of Seger’s Night Moves and was completely the opposite - massive bass effect, but with the loudness off I lost some of the mid/top end separation. So left it on and turned the bass down. Then went 2 feet behind the sofa / listening position and was good. Maddening I tell you.
If you were playing around the same sound level, then that is showing the difference in recording balance. The answer to that sometimes can be tone controls. Rejected by quality hifi manufacturers as detrimental to sound quality, they can help enormously where the recording has been rolled off at either end, or for some reason has excessive bass or treble. Whilst I can understand the reasoning for exclusion, but that assumes well balanced recordings, which does not recognise available reality if people choose by music they like rather than choose by recording quality. A better approach in my view is to provide them but with a bypass switch for when not needed - I had an amp once with that, and most of the time it was on tone control cancel, but invaluable to be able to switch in on some records. In my view the slight degradation that having tone controls Is more than compensated for if poor recordings can be corrected even if only partially. These days with DSP it should be possible to make easily usable but more sophisticated/flexible tone controls, and even address the ‘loudness’ matter.
My Luxman has a loudness button and whilst I don’t use it, have been tempted to. I have been looking at the atc scm40s but was put off by how they perform at lower volume, and wondered if the loudness button might help address those limitations. But I primarily don’t use it because like putting sugar in coffee, hard to stop once you do it!
Well you have to decide. It’s not like you’re contemplating a shot of heroin. If it sounds better with your low listening level and you stick with it what’s the harm? Fear of the judgement of audiophile purists?
I’m honestly not sure exactly what you want to know. It’s either set to on or off from settings in the Naim app. Though the 1st gen Uniti could also set this via the green screen. But like I said, it is either “Loudness = on” or “Loudness = off” in the speaker settings. With my small speaker nearfield desktop system, it absolutely needs it set to on to sound normal.
With no meaningful manuals anymore, we may never know. I have this loudness option on my UQ2 (gen 1 platform) and Qb2 (gen 2 platform). I know it’s not relevant to streamers (sources) only Uniti. What box are you looking connecting to?
With no meaningful manuals anymore, we may never know. I have this loudness option on my UQ2 (gen 1 platform) and Qb2 (gen 2 platform). I know it’s not relevant to streamers (sources) only Uniti. What box are you looking connecting to?