System volume vs speaker volume. What is a good balance?

[Mr.Gump]

To Whom It May Concern,

I am a new MAudio customer. I recently purchased the StuidoPro 3 speakers from: http://www.dijitalfix.com

I enjoy the design and sound these speakers add to my workstation and I look forward to moving up the MAudio food chain in the years to come.

My question is this:
1.) Is it best to set my actual Monitor volume (knob) to half its power and set my windows sounds to their full volume?

2.)Perhaps I should set my windows sounds to half their volume capacity and set my monitor volume to its near maximum setting?

3.)Maybe Somwhere in between?
FYI, I use my monitors for iTunes music as well as all types of web content including webcam chat rooms, youtube videos, netflix streaming content etc...

Below you will find the system specs for my notebook computer. Vista Home Premium Home Edition 64/Bit

PC Wizard 2008 Version 1.871
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Owner: Microsoft
Organisation: Microsoft
User: The Boss
Operating System: Windows (TM) Vista Home Premium Home Edition 6.00.6001 Service Pack 1
Report Date: None of your business bub

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<<< System Summary >>>

> Mainboard : Unspecified JHL90

> Chipset : Intel PM45

> Processor : Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo P9500 @ 2533 MHz

> Physical Memory : 4096 MB (2 x 2048 DDR2-SDRAM )

> Video Card : NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT

> Hard Disk : Hitachi (250 GB)

> DVD-Rom Drive : Optiarc DVD RW AD-7560S ATA Device

> DVD-Rom Drive : UFCD AJK12N41A SCSI CdRom Device

> Monitor Type : N154Z1-L02 - 15 inches

> Network Card : Intel Corporation Intel Corporation

> Network Card : Realtek Semiconductor RTL8168/8111 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC

> Operating System : Windows (TM) Vista Home Premium Home Edition 6.00.6001 Service Pack 1

> DirectX : Version 10.00

> Windows Performance Index : 4.8

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***** End of report *****

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[02audionoob]

I think I've generally gotten my best results with the software volume settings fairly high but not at the maximum. I keep the software volume high enough so the volume knob on my amp is around halfway up for my most-common listening level. This practice leaves me a little room for adjustment on the computer but most of my adjustment is at the amp.

[Kevio]

To get the absolute lowest background noise, you'd want to turn your software sound controls to the max and adjust listening level with the analog gain control on the speakers.

I've discovered two caveats to this:

1/ Some computers, laptops and iPods start introducing distortion towards the top of their volume range. Back the volume down a bit and turn up the speakers and on some systems, the sound is improved.

2/ I've got volume control buttons on my wireless PC keyboard and prefer to use these adjust volume as opposed reaching under the desk to adjust volume on my amp. I've found that my system has enough signal-to-noise margin (decent amplifier, decent soundcard, relatively high ambient background noise in my listening space), that my system works just fine under software volume control. I calibrated it by turning the software controls to their loudest useful setting (as per point 1 above) and then adjusted the amp so that the system was as loud as I'd ever like to hear it. I am happy.

[Mr.Gump]

thank you thank you thank you