Is a Volume Booster Extension Safe? How It Works and What to Watch

How does a volume booster extension work?

Chrome can hand an extension the audio stream of a tab. The extension passes that stream through a gain control, which is a multiplier, and sends it on to your speakers.

• At 100% the multiplier is 1 and nothing changes.
• At 200% the signal is doubled, which is about 6 dB louder.
• At 600%, the top of the Sound Booster Max slider, the signal is six times the original, about 15.5 dB louder.

That is all it does to the audio. It does not rewrite the website, install drivers or change your system volume, and it applies only to the tab you use it on. For the practical side, see the set-up steps and sensible levels.

Is the extension itself safe to install?

That depends on the specific extension, so check before you add one:

• Source. Install from the Chrome Web Store, not from a download site.
• Permissions. A booster needs to capture tab audio. Be cautious if it asks for much more.
• Privacy disclosure. The listing states what data the developer collects. Read it, and read the developer's privacy policy.
• Track record. Look at the number of users, recent reviews and the last update date.

Sound Booster Max is listed on the Chrome Web Store, and its privacy policy is published on this site.

What Sound Booster Max asks for and collects

Applying that checklist to our own extension, version 2.2 asks Chrome for five permissions:

It also collects anonymous usage data for analytics. When Anonymous Usage Data is switched on, the extension sends the address of each page you open, and the page you came from, with a random ID that is created when the extension is installed. It does not send your name, email address, passwords, the content of pages or any audio.

New installs are asked before this starts, and you can switch it off at any time in the extension's settings. The setting can be on after an extension update, so check the switch if you prefer it off.

Can a volume booster damage laptop speakers?

Raising a quiet video to a normal level does no harm. That is ordinary use of the speaker.

The risk comes from pushing already-loud audio far past the limit. The signal clips, the speaker is driven with a harsh, distorted waveform, and small laptop speakers do not cope well with that for long periods. The warning sign is audible: buzzing, rattling or crackling. When you hear it, lower the level. Our guide to making laptop speakers louder covers what small speakers can and cannot do.

Can it damage your hearing?

Any loud sound can, whatever produces it. Risk depends on how loud and for how long. The World Health Organization's safe listening guidance suggests keeping to around 80 dB for up to 40 hours a week for adults, with less time at higher levels.

Practical habits:

• Use the lowest setting that lets you hear clearly.
• Be more careful with headphones than with speakers.
• Do not switch off your phone's or computer's headphone safety warnings.
• Take breaks in long sessions.

A booster is for making quiet things audible, not for making loud things louder.

Safe ways to use a volume increaser extension

1. Set your computer's volume to a comfortable everyday level.
2. Start the booster at 150% and go up in small steps.
3. Stop at the point where speech is clear.
4. Treat the area above 400% as a last resort. Sound Booster Max marks it as a quality-warning zone.
5. Switch the boost off when you move to louder content.

Why does boosted audio distort?

Digital audio has a ceiling. Quiet recordings sit well below it, so there is room to raise them. Loud material is already near the ceiling, and multiplying it pushes the peaks past the top, where they are cut off. That clipping is the distortion you hear. More on this in louder than max without distortion.