Glossary
What is the loudness war?
Loudness war
Masters pushed hot so they sound bigger on small speakers
The loudness war is the decades-long habit of crushing dynamic range so a record sounds louder on radio, earbuds, and playlists. HiFi Score never invents a lab DR number for it. When we have preview-measured PLR from 30 s lossy excerpts, or a sourced edition note, we say so — and we still want you to confirm on your own system.
Also called loudness wars, brickwalled master.
Why albums got louder
From the 1990s onward, many commercial masters raised average loudness by limiting peaks. On a phone speaker that can feel “bigger.” On a revealing system it often sounds flat, harsh, and tiring.
How HiFi Score talks about it
We do not scrape unofficial DR databases. Preview-measured PLR uses 30-second lossy excerpts and is labeled as such. Sourced DR needs a citation. Edition Passports only show verified claims. If a page still says Early signal, it is a heuristic — not a loudness-war verdict.
Questions listeners ask
- What is Loudness war?
- The loudness war is the decades-long habit of crushing dynamic range so a record sounds louder on radio, earbuds, and playlists. HiFi Score never invents a lab DR number for it. When we have preview-measured PLR from 30 s lossy excerpts, or a sourced edition note, we say so — and we still want you to confirm on your own system.
- Is every modern album a loudness-war master?
- No. Many recent jazz, classical, and specialist labels keep dynamics. HiFi Score only calls a cut compressed when preview-measured PLR, sourced DR, or a verified edition note supports it.
- How do I hear the loudness war?
- Compare a known dynamic original with a later loud remaster on the same system. If quiet parts no longer drop and cymbals smear, you are hearing limited peaks — not “more fidelity.”
- Does Hi-Fi Score measure full masters?
- No. Preview-measured PLR is from 30 s lossy excerpts. It is supporting evidence, not a lab meter. See the methodology page.
Related terms
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