No single loudness compensation curve can serve music with dynamic range

Evidence

This is wrong. It is also wrong to think that a simple variable bass boost can compensate for all components in a program that has dynamic range; loud portions need only slight bass boost, while quieter portions will need much more boosting. If the loudness compensation addresses the low-level portions, the high-level portions will have greatly excessive bass and so on. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 334 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

More data would be enlightening, but this amount is sufficient to indicate that a single target curve is not likely to satisfy all listeners all the time. Because these preferred curves were subjectively determined, they include the “circle of confusion” issues. Just as they changed with listener experience and training, they are likely to change with different programs. It is proof that we need easily accessible bass, treble and/or tilt tone controls in playback equipment. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1422 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Simple loudness-compensation bass boosts cannot work for dynamic-range music — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 334; No single equalization target curve can suit all listeners — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1422; Loudness curves from anechoic pure tones fail on real broadband program material (+3 more)

Related

• Simple loudness-compensation bass boosts cannot work for dynamic-range music (similarity 0.93)
• Reduced dynamic range forces nonlinear amplification to avoid over-amplifying loud sounds (similarity 0.89)
• Equalizing to a universal target curve cannot reliably improve sound (similarity 0.87)
• No single equalization target curve can suit all listeners (similarity 0.87)
• Mixdown at loud levels makes tracks need bass boost at quiet levels (similarity 0.86)
• Treble boost in loudness controls damages sound quality unnecessarily (similarity 0.85)
• A single headphone target curve cannot satisfy all listener preferences (similarity 0.83)
• Loudness compensation reduces effectively to a bass tone control (similarity 0.82)
• Consumers prefer boosted bass, a forgivable audible sin (similarity 0.82)
• Ear sensitivity variation cannot be fixed with simple treble and bass boost (similarity 0.81)
• Loudness curves from anechoic pure tones fail on real broadband program material (similarity 0.79)
• Listeners prefer excessive, even colored bass over deficient bass (similarity 0.79)
• The ear’s sound-level-dependent nonlinearities cannot be substituted or corrected for (similarity 0.78)
• No single headphone target satisfies most listeners (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Simple loudness-compensation bass boosts cannot work for dynamic-range music #corroborates (0.95) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 334
• Equalizing to a universal target curve cannot reliably improve sound #corroborates (0.90)
• No single equalization target curve can suit all listeners #corroborates (0.85) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1422
• Loudness curves from anechoic pure tones fail on real broadband program material #corroborates (0.85)
• Treble boost in loudness controls damages sound quality unnecessarily #complicates (0.75) — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 917