Should Loudness Be Turned On or Off?
1 Answers
Loudness should be turned on when the volume is relatively low and turned off when the volume is high. The loudness function primarily enhances bass and treble, making it advisable to activate it when driving at high speeds or when the sound is faint. Loudness adjustments should ideally be based on actual loudness levels, but amplifier circuits can only make relatively fixed adjustments based on the position of the volume potentiometer, which may lead to slight discrepancies when used with speakers of varying sensitivity. The purpose of loudness control is to boost the volume of high and low-frequency components at low volumes, ensuring that the loudness proportions of low, mid, and high frequencies remain consistent with those at higher volumes. The actual loudness of sound and the perceived loudness by the human ear are not entirely linear. At lower volumes, the human ear experiences physiological attenuation of mid-to-high frequencies, which becomes more pronounced as the volume decreases. There are two types of loudness control circuits in principle. The first is a fixed loudness control circuit, which is relatively simple and typically includes a loudness switch that can be pressed when needed. The second is an advanced linear loudness control circuit, where the amount of loudness compensation varies with the volume level to achieve the most linear effect. Such circuits often do not have a loudness switch and are instead controlled linearly by the volume potentiometer.
