Because in the last several years, audio engineers and the people that do the Mastering have been trying to make the recordings as loud as possible, compressing the dynamic range to nil. This makes the average volume much, much higher.

In the past, CDs were mastered in such a way that the peaks of the wide dynamic range stayed under 0dB, making the overall recording "quieter".

I have no sympathy for these assholes. Charged with the responsibility of capturing/recording an artist, they compromise the quality for what they perceive as profit.

Google "Loudness War".

::::::: No disrespect to Axiom, but my favorite woofer is my yellow lab :::::::