Most people turn it up when the music and the system click.
That instinct is understandable but backward. High volume flatters almost anything, but only to a point. Once you go beyond that point, you're working against yourself.
As volume increases, the frequency response of the ear flattens out, and bass and treble become more prominent. This is partly why music sounds thin at low volume and fuller as you turn it up.
There is a perfect loudness level for every single track of music: too low and you miss out, too high, and you destroy the illusion.
A system's ability to render a sustained note blooming naturally, the decay of a string in a real room, the subtle texture of a voice: these become magical only at the right level. At levels too high, the ear's own overload mechanisms take over and some of that detail is masked.
Every track, every room, every circumstance is unique. You cannot always play a piece of music at a predetermined level and hope to win. Learn to listen for the proper level and you'll never miss a beat.
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