What Does a Preamp in iTunes Do?
If you are listening to some audio with iTunes on your computer, you might find that you can’t hear it very well, even when you turn up the volume control on the iTunes application, as well as the volume control of your entire system and any connected speakers or headphones. However, you can increase the volume some more with the iTunes application’s preamp feature, as well as reduce the volume of louder audio files.
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iTunes and Audio
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iTunes is a free application from Apple that comes installed on every Mac, and is available for Windows users to download. You use iTunes to play media files on your computer, rip CDs to MP3s, and purchase audiobooks, songs and albums from Apple’s iTunes Store. You also use iTunes to manage Apple’s iPad, iPhone and iPod.
Equalizer
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When you are listening to songs from different music genres with iTunes, you might prefer to use equalizer settings to adjust how the music sounds. Click “View” from the iTunes menu bar, and then click “Show Equalizer.” Click the equalizer check box to select it and enable the equalizer. Click the equalizer drop-down menu, and then click an option such as “Rock,” Lounge” or “Jazz.” The equalizer panel also includes the pre-amp controls.
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Preamp
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Click “View” from the iTunes menu bar, and then click “Show Equalizer” when you want to adjust the preamp settings. The preamp control is a vertical drag bar on the left side of the equalizer panel, with “+12 dB” at the top, “0 dB” in the middle, and “-12 dB” at the bottom. The default position for the preamp control is “0” or neutral. Drag the slider upward to increase the volume of the audio, and drag it downward to decrease the audio’s volume.
Considerations
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When you increase the volume of audio in iTunes with the preamp feature, be careful not to play it to loudly for prolonged periods, especially if you are wearing headphones, to avoid damaging your hearing. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, you will know if the headphones volume is too loud if you cannot hear other sounds in your environment, or if someone can hear the audio from the headphones while you’re wearing them.
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