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Sound level variations Qobuz - up to about 15/20 dB, need to adjust preamp volume by track

I have been going hot and cold on Qobuz for 3/4 years - subscribe, cancel, subscribe, cancel.   I now have great streaming device and DAC.  Started subscription and notice that I have to adjust volume significantly between album to album, sometimes track to track.

Much larger sound level differences from track to track than both vinyl and CD/SACD.

How do others feel about this and deal with.  Thank you!!!

Will this go away if I pick another streaming service like Tidal?

dcaudio
audphile1's avatar
audphile1
8,083 posts
 

Try Tidal but I don’t think it has anything to do with streaming services. If you’re listening to Beethoven Violin Sonatas and switch to Metallica after you will have to adjust the volume. 
Some streamers and streaming software offer volume leveling if you are bothered by this too much. Although using this option will most likely affect sound quality in a negative way. I haven’t tried it. I use volume control to address this inconvenience. 

lanx0003
1,975 posts
 

You need ReplayGain, which is a metadata-based loudness adjustment system that does not affect bit processing or sound quality. I know BluOS, WiiM, and Audirvana offer this feature, but it is not commonly available across platforms. Roon has a similar function called DSP volume leveling.

bigshutterbug
395 posts
 

Certain record labels are known for having high or low gain recordings, and some do vary a great deal. If your music server has the ReplayGain software feature mentioned, give it a try. Eversolo servers have that feature. 

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