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For Best Results, this record should be played at Full Room Volume.

tcdriver

tcdriver

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As found on the record insert of my latest record find; a copy of Mercury Olympian Series OL-2-100, Smetana, My Fatherland, Rafael Kubelik and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

"FOR BEST RESULTS, this record should be played at FULL ROOM VOLUME. Only in this way will the quieter musical passages be hard in proper relation to the full orchestral climaxes. Owners of wide-range reproducing equipment are advised to set their bass and treble controls so that playback characteristic will be in accordance with the response curve published by the Audio Engineering Society."

It is not very often one reads that one should set their equipment to FULL ROOM VOLUME. This record does have a very wide dynamic range. I am trying to imagine what Hi-Fi equipment would have been most suitable for playback of this disc, released in 1953.

Comments invited.
 
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Is this one of those records, you really need to turn the volume knob to hear anything? I found these are usually the better sounding records.
 
Solist said:
Is this one of those records, you really need to turn the volume knob to hear anything? I found these are usually the better sounding records.
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The record Smetana, My Fatherland, Rafael Kubelik and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has a wide dynamic range with much of the music at very soft levels then there are full orchestral portions. This means that if one sets the level for a moderate level for the loud portions the soft potions are just too soft to hear all the detail. If the levels are set for a moderate level for the soft portions, then the loud portions are loud. Overall the sound is very clear and a joy to listen to.
 
Most music sounds better loud...unless it's stuff you don't like lol.

I don't mind a little compression and limiting with Classical since my listening room is not a concert hall. Not too much... just the right amount to drown out the noise outside can be wonderful.
 
There are a number of records I bought in the 1970's with the instruction "PLAY LOUD!".

Wish I could but can't anymore. Been living in 2nd floor building suite since 2001.
 
I have seen several CDs which mention in the liner notes that they play at a lower average volume level than most others in order to preserve the full dynamic range of the recording. I believe there was even an attempt to create a "Turn it up!" logo and unified marketing campaign for these CDs in the 2000s as a response to the "loudness war", although it unfortunately never caught on.
 
My great uncle used to ask if i played at full room volume. He had a leak amplifier and an electrovoice patrician in the early 50s. Some of that stuff sounded amazing. Old mono cassical records are real treasures. Enjoy that piece of history!
 
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