How can I lower the volume of my USB headphones?

I had the same issue, that a setting > 2% would make my head explode, like you, I couldn't find a proper solution to this problem. But the solution is here, now!

I found this thread where OP links to a program called Equalizer APO which can turn down your volume. I can now turn up my headset to 100% and comfortably listen to music at this setting!

Fixing this is pretty simple thanks to a handy little utility called Equalizer APO.

Download it here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/equalizerapo/

After you download you are going to want to run the installer. At some point it will ask you to select which devices you want to use the equalizer on. Select your headphones now.

Let the install finish then reboot.

After you reboot open the file C:\Program Files\EqualizerAPO\config\config.txt, delete the contents and replace it with

Preamp: -12 dB

You may change the value to match your preference however you like. As soon as you save the file your output will be adjusted. I picked -12 because some games were too quiet at -15 or -20, but music was too loud at -10.

This is really interesting; I had the same problem also (with a Trust "USB Headset for Mac", which obviously works well with Windows and other OS:es also...). It was really frustrating, only level 1 and 2 was at all usable with the headset.

This posting solved the issue for me: http://forums.logitech.com/t5/USB-Speakers-READ-ONLY-ARCHIVE/S150-USB-speakers-still-too-loud/td-p/410105/page/2

Quoting the posting by mgoblue62:

I had the same problem with Windows 7. Here's how I got around it (I know this is counterintuitive, but...)

1. Go to the volume mixer

2. Set the volume of the USB speaker to 100%

3. Set the volume of your source application (e.g., Media Center Extensibility Host, Windows Media Center) to a comfortable level

This means that you have to set the volume individually for all applications you use that produce sound, which can be a bit of a pain (if they are many)... but so far, this is the only working to the solution that I've been able to locate, and for me this is quite acceptable.

Hopefully, Microsoft will improve the generic USB audio driver in the future to make it possible to lower the scale for the master volume somehow... This is for now a quirk, but it works. :-)

I have had the same problem in Windows 7 of 2% on the speakers settings, both options being too loud on the lowest level volume control (on headphones too).

So I opened the Sounds options on the bottom right. Where it says "applications" and just underneath it says "system sound", I moved this to 100% and then lowered my headphone volume down with the adjuster that came with it.

That gave me a much lower sound like I wanted for the game I was playing.