diff --git a/src/TeamsISO.App/Services/UIPreferences.cs b/src/TeamsISO.App/Services/UIPreferences.cs
index b68e7a9..9434e8c 100644
--- a/src/TeamsISO.App/Services/UIPreferences.cs
+++ b/src/TeamsISO.App/Services/UIPreferences.cs
@@ -30,8 +30,10 @@ public static class UIPreferences
     /// Sort modes for the participants DataGrid. <see cref="JoinOrder"/> is the default
     /// and matches the engine's discovery order (operators with custom Stream Deck
     /// layouts sometimes prefer Alphabetical for stability across meetings).
+    /// <see cref="LoudestFirst"/> resorts at the 1Hz stats tick so the active
+    /// speaker bubbles to the top — useful for operators reacting to who's talking.
     /// </summary>
-    public enum SortMode { JoinOrder, Alphabetical, OnlineFirst }
+    public enum SortMode { JoinOrder, Alphabetical, OnlineFirst, LoudestFirst }
 
     /// <summary>The on-disk shape. New fields added here become opt-in for older files via default values.</summary>
     public sealed record Prefs(
diff --git a/src/TeamsISO.App/ViewModels/MainViewModel.cs b/src/TeamsISO.App/ViewModels/MainViewModel.cs
index 37c79e9..8c70116 100644
--- a/src/TeamsISO.App/ViewModels/MainViewModel.cs
+++ b/src/TeamsISO.App/ViewModels/MainViewModel.cs
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ public sealed class MainViewModel : ObservableObject, IDisposable
     /// </summary>
     public void SetSortMode(Services.UIPreferences.SortMode mode)
     {
+        _currentSortMode = mode;
         ParticipantsView.SortDescriptions.Clear();
         switch (mode)
         {
@@ -78,9 +79,20 @@ public sealed class MainViewModel : ObservableObject, IDisposable
                 ParticipantsView.SortDescriptions.Add(new SortDescription(
                     nameof(ParticipantViewModel.DisplayName), ListSortDirection.Ascending));
                 break;
+            case Services.UIPreferences.SortMode.LoudestFirst:
+                // Sort by the displayed audio level (which already includes the
+                // decay envelope) so participants don't snap-reorder on every
+                // tiny audio frame. ParticipantsView.Refresh() at the stats
+                // tick re-evaluates the sort with the latest values.
+                ParticipantsView.SortDescriptions.Add(new SortDescription(
+                    nameof(ParticipantViewModel.DisplayedAudioLevel), ListSortDirection.Descending));
+                ParticipantsView.SortDescriptions.Add(new SortDescription(
+                    nameof(ParticipantViewModel.DisplayName), ListSortDirection.Ascending));
+                break;
             // JoinOrder: leave SortDescriptions empty.
         }
     }
+    private Services.UIPreferences.SortMode _currentSortMode = Services.UIPreferences.SortMode.JoinOrder;
     /// <summary>
     /// Live filter substring. Empty = show everyone. Matched case-insensitively
     /// against display name. Setter refreshes the view immediately so the
@@ -642,6 +654,16 @@ public sealed class MainViewModel : ObservableObject, IDisposable
             }
         }
 
+        // If sort mode is LoudestFirst, refresh the view so the new audio
+        // peaks re-evaluate the sort. Skipped for the other sort modes
+        // since their keys (name, online state) don't change every tick —
+        // no need to pay the Refresh cost.
+        if (_currentSortMode == Services.UIPreferences.SortMode.LoudestFirst)
+        {
+            try { ParticipantsView.Refresh(); }
+            catch { /* defensive — Refresh occasionally throws on collection mutations */ }
+        }
+
         // Update footer badges. Recording count is "ISOs that have a recorder
         // attached" — _controller.RecordingEnabled tells us the global toggle,
         // but the actual recorder count = number of running pipelines while