From howtogeek
You can adjust the your speaker volume in-app, operating system-wide, or by the physical controls on your speaker setup. Which method is best for optimum sound?
The QuestionIf music isn’t loud enough, how do I get the best quality (even if the difference is in fact so small it’s negligible)?
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 in the Windows notification area 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?The AnswerProgram vs. OS generally doesn’t matter. What matters is whether you’re adjusting volume in software or in hardware.
Reducing volume in software is basically equivalent to reducing the bit depth. In digital audio, the signal is split up into distinct samples (taken thousands of times per second), and bit depth is the number of bits that are used to describe each sample. Attenuating a signal is done by multiplying each sample by a number less than one, with the result being that you’re no longer using the full resolution to describe the audio, resulting in reduced dynamic range and signal-to-noise ratio.
Specifically, every 6 dB of attenuation is equivalent to reducing the bit depth by one. If you started with, say, 16-bit audio (standard for audio CDs) and reduced the volume by 12 dB, you’d effectively be listening to 14-bit audio instead. Turn the volume down too much and quality will start to suffer noticeably.
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ThisPDF has more information and some excellent illustrations if you’re interested in learning more. Full blog
