As I am new to this topic does mp3gain work with vbr files as done with eac and lame

Also if I use the target of 89.0db will the sound be too quiet with my iriver 250 mp3 player and koss ksc50 headphones as it is not that loud on full now

What would be the maximum db recomended

mp3Gain will work just fine with VBR files.

I personally find the recommended 89 db setting way too quiet and I never stick to it, I've had no problems using a 94 db setting, I find this is about right for me. Many people here will probably not advise doing this but... well, whatever. My mp3's sound just fine.

some would say to just bring the dB down enough so there is no clipping. (usually 1.5-3.0 dB on modern recordings)

What is the intial volume? 96 dB?

never had a problem with mp3gain yet.. many 100 lame VBR files processed.

try 92dB in mp3gain for the portable

My portable player is too quiet so I use 98 - though clipping ocurs. I anyway can't distinguish clipped and non clipped tracks

My iRiver iMP-350 + Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphone combo is plently loud with ReplayGain to 89dB. Oddly enough, I found my (~$100) HD280s significantly louder than my (~$20) Sony MDR-V250s and with much nicer sound.

Occasionally I'll still have some files clip at 89dB volume. Which is why I use the "Don't clip when doing track gain" option.