What makes -2db sound exactly the same as -7db?

[ravisoni]

I recently was mixing an acoustic song (acoustic guitar and vocals only), and found that the guitar was too loud at -2db. A few days later, I got back to it, changed a few effects and found that the meter was showing -7db, but the guitar still just sounded the same. Does compression/ using the MClass maximizer have any part to play in this?
This is also not the first time I've faced this. On a song with more tracks, I had managed to get -2db down to -5db, and the whole song still sounded just as loud. I thought nothing of it, at the moment, perhaps I had made the horns bit louder giving me that loudness feeling, but this happened a second time and so I wondered if there was an explanation for it.
Thanks!

[normen]

Depends on the track. There could be some very intermittent peaks you limited down which wouldn't really have to be obvious. Or its frequencies you don't even hear on your listening setup. Many possibilities really.

[Stranger.]

ΣΣΣ

[avasopht]

If you're just shaving off 5dB with a maximizer you're most probably you're just limiting peaks, which would yield little difference in perceived volume.

[selig]

My question would be "what do you mean by 2 dB?". Do you mean the channel or master fader is at -2 dB? Do you mean peak or RMS level is hitting - 2 dBFS? Decibels are a ratio, and we would need more information to know exactly what you're talking about without making assumptions.

Or maybe I'm missing the obvious, because others seem to know what you're suggesting…need more coffee this morning!!!

[avasopht]

My question would be "what do you mean by 2 dB?". Do you mean the channel or master fader is at -2 dB? Do you mean peak or RMS level is hitting - 2 dBFS? Decibels are a ratio, and we would need more information to know exactly what you're talking about without making assumptions.

Or maybe I'm missing the obvious, because others seem to know what you're suggesting…need more coffee this morning!!!

Just more of a guess given:

a: he hears no drop in volume
b: he's using a maximizer

Given that it sounds like he's seeing a drop in peak level with -2dB being before the limiter and -7dB being after.

But yes you are right, it would be good to ask rather than assume.

[ravisoni]

Thanks for the replies, everybody. It isn't just the peaks as the volume levels were pretty consistent throughout the track. I've got JBL 4208s (old models), but I still think they give me quite a good frequency response (if that's the term).
Selig, it was the master fader.
I agree it could be many possibilities, and I wish I remembered the exact changes, but I do know I decreased the saturation knob setting, something with the compressor, and increased in-between transient volumes using the DCAM EnvShaper. Probably still not enough info, but again, thanks for the replies!

[selig]

What did the meters do in this instance? What order of processing were you using? Anything patched between the Main Outputs and the Hardware Interface?