Pic of the banjo n brand of strings in question..

You could try adding 1/8 of a turn once around the head nuts and see if that brings up the volume,Al.

You'll perceive a boost in volume (up to a point) when detuning strings because the lower tension allows them to oscillate more freely. But you sacrifice brightness and clarity of tone that helps you cut through other sounds. And really under-tensioned strings start to behave erratically in terms of intonation.

The simple way to test it yourself is to play into an app that measures decibel levels (I use Spectroid). Is the lower tuning actually that much louder, or is it mostly perception?

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Originally posted by steve davis

You could try adding 1/8 of a turn once around the head nuts and see if that brings up the volume,Al.

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We are on the same page..

But I actually baked off the nuts..a tiny bit..

To me suprise it did seem to get louder..

"But I actually baked off the nuts..a tiny bit.

"To me suprise it did seem to get louder."

Considering the banjo, the head, the strings, the bridge, the tuning, the tightness of the coordinator rods, the downpressure of the tailpiece on the bridge, and the player's touch, banjos can be set too darned tight, too  constricted.    This is why (for a typical Mastertone design) as the head gets tightened, the tone and volume will reach an optimum point, and then after that the bass and the volume start to fall off.  Therefore, sometimes when the head tension is decreased, volume and bass increase.  More is not always "better."  

This banjo is a simpler design, nevertheless there is an optimal range considering string tension (which also increases the tension on the head) and head tension, and I think you're finding out where it is.

I have also wondered about string tension. Mostly I am trying to use strings with 12 to 16 lbs of tension (using Stringjoy tension calculator). I play without picks (clawhammer or 2-finger) and I need as much volume as I can get and lower tension seems to help to a point. I've done a lot of trial and error (a lot of error) to find the right string gauges. I would love to know what tension others use.

Re. "... play into an app that measures decibel levels... "

My phone is decidedly not smart [i.e. it has b-i-g square buttons] so I did a quick Google search and came up with https://decibelpro.io/ for my laptop.  Dunno if it's what others can use, and I might not do anything productive* with it, but it is straightforward and easy to use.

* but I've already spent some time comparing my two banjos from different distances and angles and w/w.o a capo.  [Now to get my lovely and talented assistant to check the readings from 2 meters behind me, and Bob will be my uncle.   ]

I've experimented with different strings and gauges, too. One thing I've found is that having a relatively even distribution of pressure across the bridge seems to make a difference.
I actually wrote a little program to calculate the pressure each string puts on the bridge. You can find it on my website, "ddBluegrass.de" (ddbluegrass.de/). It's called String-O-Mat — just a little German banjo nerd project!
For the calculation, I group the two outer strings together (G4 and D3), keep the G3 string separate, and group the other pair (B3 and D4). I find this makes it easier to get an overview of how the pressure is distributed across the bridge.
Of course, string tension is only one part of the equation, but I thought you might find it interesting.

Mainly I assess the tension by feel (with respect to how I play) and tone.

For many years I've been using GHS JD Crowe Studio, which are 9.5, 11, 12, 20, 9.5.  These are fairly balanced in tension as banjo strings go, except the .012 third string feels a little light, but has better tone and a quicker response to me on my Prucha compared to .0125.  

Mr. JD's "Stage" set is 10, 11, 12, 20, 10.  

Shows that you don't need heavy strings to get power.

Some players that use(d) heavier gauges on some strings, such as Jens Kruger, Bela Fleck, Bill Keith, often mention(ed) the feel to them, particularly on the outside strings 1st and 5th.  Not so much the volume difference.