On the past 2 PCs I had, if I used earbuds I had to turn the volume down to 20% at the LOUDEST. Often times I had to go to 10% or lower to not utterly blow my eardrums out. Yet when I use regular headphones, 40% is an okay volume. I don’t know if that’s a problem specifically for Realtek audio drivers or the earbuds themselves. Is there a way to change this so I can have earbuds be quiter at louder volumes?
I’ve always had issues with volume levels on Windows, so I stick with Equalizer APO for my solution now. Just set a preamp on the device in question and set it to a negative number that sounds and feels right, plus there’s a handy on/off for every setting you choose. Other people might have better options, but I’m lazy AF, and it works for me.
Biggest thing I love that program for is setting a lowpass filter for my Bose, so that knocks in videos don’t sound like someone is knocking at my door, then just switch it back off when listening to or working with music. Great tool.
Edit: you can have individual settings per device this way as well.