I have some fancy UI from Soundblaster XtremeBooster to change those settings (it's probable I can change on my amplifier but I don't know how) but I can only change in percentage and where should I leave subwoofer? Currently I've center 12%, front (left/right) 6%, subwoofer 6% and rear (left/right) 9%.

Well, 4 dB are around 50% louder than the rest. I use 10 dB boost in AC3 codec, because it's somehow much quieter than other codecs. (it's called "Voice" in settings) +10 dB is three times louder than normal, I think

In ffdshow I use 4 dB boost (at most!) for center channel.

Note, that this is a guide only for PC audio codecs! If you tune up your center speaker internally, 2-4 dB should be more than enough. You don't want to blow your head off :P

Smart advice. I was thinking the same thing. You should get your hearing checked Orcish and then learn what to do to preserve it, etc.

Can't help you there, I can usually turn the volume down quite considerably and still hear just great. Obviously, God has a sense of humor, and gave me a sister who likes to shoot the volume into the stratosphere.

I wish there were volume controls for real life, too. I'm useless in large crowds because I am unable to pick out the voice of the person sitting next to me. I think its related to my inability to hear voices in video games over all the other stuff. I find it hard to believe that every game dev/publisher out there deliberately sets the effects and music volumes to levels that obscure speech - so I guess I'm the abnormal one.

Anyone else get the crowd thing, too?

Time to head out and get your hearing checked that's one symptom of the aforementioned high-frequency hearing loss.

Oh fun one, most people who work around computers have some mid-frequency hearing loss... mostly right around the frequency of cooling fans drone.

Umm, me...

You probably didn't want to hear that (get it? har har)... sorry.
umm... fuck...

Hmm i got crappy speakers for my Pc but a great headphone piece i could try. definitely using it on my PSP, a lot less for my Ds. PSP sound is sooo bad without them.

I think I have an issue with being too sensitive to high frequencies. I could hear an old PC squealing for its life in the next room when noone else could. My old DVD player makes an annoying high pitch squeal. I have a portable speaker which isn't old but make a high pitch sound that annoys me, I suppose it could be a fault but again I seem to be the only one hearing it. A TV had been left on and there was a program about bats, from across the room I was wondering what that noise was whilst another person nearer said they couldnt hear it. I do seem to have Tinnitus too, a high pitch ringing :( Googling about it seems a few others with Tinnitus also have higher sensitivty to high pitches, but at least it isn't actually "painful" just annoying.

And hear I thought it was a Fred about affordable and quality headphones.

I get that too sometimes......damn.

Active is nice, but a good set of properly fitted in ear earbuds can do wonders. I personally like my Shure e2c earbuds, they're reasonably comfortable and block most of the sound. And when I go back to the US, I'm seriously considering getting custom fitted ones. Basically have an audiologist fitting and slip my current ear buds into them.

It's kind of expensive, but for comfort and quality it's worth it. But, even just my current set up is plenty comfortable, provided that you've chosen wisely.

I don't know, what do you mean by getting older?

I'm 43 and can hear fine - my gf is the one who insists on having the tv twice as loud as I would!

If it's the same device, it could also be the output or a broken cable. I'd definitely get an evaluation just in case, but if you're plugging different speakers into the same jack, it could be a broken cable or jack.

It is a bit suspicious that it's just one ear, if it were hearing damage due to listening to things too loud, I would expect for both ears to be roughly equally damaged. Of course, that's not a physical law so it's certainly possible.

It could also be a build up of gunk in your ear on one side. I have problems with that from time to time, and that's something that the audiologist would look for as well. I suppose it could also be allergies causing the tube on one side to swell preventing the normal exchange of gases to normalize the pressure behind the ear drum.

But, as TET suggested, go to an audiologist as that way all the possibilities will be looked at and hopefully if there is damage further damage can be prevented.
Depends on what's causing the ringing. I've got ears like a bat. And more literally than normal. I get problems with tinnitus pretty much whenever it gets quiet. I can usually drown it out by concentrating on music in my head. And thus replace the noise with auditory hallucinations. I've gotten pretty good over the years, I can reproduce, in a pitch perfect way, some amazingly complex music.

But yeah, I remember before the digital switch over that I couldn't go into the TV section of the electronics shop because it would cause unbearable pain and I've had trouble at times with loss prevention devices at some stores.

OTOH, I can locate things to within a couple inches with my ears and sometimes I have to navigate solely on sound as I can't see and hear and touch at the same time.

Wow interesting that your hearing can be used as sonar! And that you were affected by electrical equipment too.
I think so far its just been equipment that is old or possibly has a fault or certain frequency issue, don't seem to get blasted with ringing going into an electronics shop on a general basis thankfully. I'm guessing my Tinnitus ringing might be due to my messed up jaw joint (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder) as apparently over 30% of people with it also have Tinnitus (since the joint is near the ears I guess). Think the jaw thing runs in the family for me :|