Pandora Low Volume

Chris Brown

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I like to use Pandora from time to time. What I've noticed is that Pandora seems to have a restricted max volume. When I play audio files on my computer using Foobar2000 (music player software), I have to decrease the volume within the player by about 9dB to have it equal the reduced volume from Pandora.

When listening to Pandora by itself, I can simply turn up the volume on my preamp in order to compensate. Unfortunately it can cause issues if I go back to using another sound source afterward (another sound source on my PC or a different overall sound source) without turning the volume back down on my preamp. Compensating for 9dB difference in source volume can result in significant differences in preamp volume, to the point of potentially damaging equipment if I don't turn it back down after listening to pandora.

I don't understand why Pandora restricts it's max volume so much. The only thing I've found that somewhat works is to basically turn down the volume on every other source so that everything is mostly equal. Unfortunately while that is great for preventing accidents, I'm not sure that using a lower source volume for everything else is really worth the potential reduction in SNR.

For anyone who has dealt with this, what was your solution?
 
How is the Pandora signal transported from the PC to the preamp?

I use Pandora Premium from an iPhone via CCA (there's a DAC in the path too; I used to run it without a DAC). I haven't experienced this discrepancy myself either way.
 
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Regular RCA cable from my X-Fi Titanium HD soundcard to the input on my preamp.
I could try the audio out from my laptop (3.5 mm) but that's not how I would typically connect my laptop. Normally it would be USB > DAC > preamp. The DAC has variable output.
 
I could try the audio out from my laptop (3.5 mm) but that's not how I would typically connect my laptop. Normally it would be USB > DAC > preamp. The DAC has variable output.

My soundcard is really no different than an external DAC, it just isn't located inside an external enclosure, and doesn't use a USB interface. The DAC on the X-Fi Titanium HD is actually very good. By variable output, do you just mean the ability to adjust the overall output volume or do you mean something else? I can adjust the volume of the soundcard output but I prefer to just leave it at 100% and adjust the volume from the preamp.

I don't believe the Pandora volume issue is hardware related. The volume of everything on the PC is fine, except Pandora from within a browser window. I would bet that it's intentional by Pandora, for the same reason that many phones and apps these days flash hearing damage warnings at you when turning up the volume. They probably think that they are playing it safe, or even doing their users a favor by restricting the max volume.
 
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