From a quality perspective, what is better: Turning volume up in the software, in the OS, or on the speakers?

Posted by Qqwy on Super User See other posts from Super User or by Qqwy
Published on 2012-10-24T16:47:37Z Indexed on 2012/10/24 17:04 UTC
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Filed under:

audio

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sound

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music

I kept thinking about this, and out of sheer curiosity, I decided to ask:

If music isn't loud enough. How do I get the best quality?(Even if the difference is in fact so small it's neglectible)

By making the music louder in my music player, game or other sound-producing software program.
By raising the volume at the Operating System level (for instance, by clicking the 'speaker' icon on the windows bar and turning the volume up)
By turning the volume up on the Amplifier or Speakers that are attached to your computer, and thus changing the volume on the 'hardware'

Does programs vs OS matter? Does software vs. hardware matter?

Thanks,

Qqwy

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