Hi Mark, I'm talking about historical trends, not individual experience, individual instruments, every single genre, etc. That's it! I agree. (Doesn't everybody?) That's why I brought it up. See my earlier posting here (nonlinear processes in inner ear). I'm not claiming that everybody prefers this under all circumstances, just that there MAY be a general preference for denser spectra that drives this loudness increase. I also suggest that a preference for better dynamics occasionally reverses this trend. Other explanations (for the gradual increase in loudness) I've seen are not very satisfactory, esp. "Oh, it's just fashionable." I think it's related to the general trend towards richer orchestration which occurs in many genres.