W4S ST-1000, How Loud Should It Play?

You should email Wyred. The ST 1000 has a low (or high depending on how you look at it) sensitivity of 2.9V which basically means it needs 2.9V to get to full power. The DAC-2 has a max output of greater than 5V. So there is something going on there. I own the STP SE and a pair of SX 500 powering some large floor standers and I don't go past 35 on my dial.

IF Wyred is like similar Icepower amps I am familiar with, you could be going louder than it seems by listening due to the highly transparent and non fatiguing nature of the amp.

Ear bleeding is not a good thing. I find it hard to make my ears bleed with my Icepower amps but they do go quite loud, louder than is immediately apparent, and anything I had prior that could reach seemingly ear bleeding levels.

It could be a case of more favorable harmonics to go loud without fatigue with the Icepower amps.

Try talking at a normal level while playing and see if you are able to hear your voice as well as you might expect.

I feel something similar.....I have an STI 500, sometimes I find myself listening to music at about 30 on the dial (which I notice is very loud when my S.O. comes to speak to me and can hear a thing....), on the other hand the amp will go to about 50 on the dial without distortion and the sound is "club" like, so I dont know....this one is rated at 250 @ 8 ohms so yours should really rock at high volume.....FYI, I am using the balanced inputs on my amp, and the RCA inputs give lower sound in my case (I have a CD player which has both outputs) but I cant say for certain if the output have more voltage or if the inputs have different gain.

I'm thinking you are not able to drive them to full power. It's a common problem with ICE amps. Call W4S and see what they say.

ICE amps......virtually all the ASP module amps are strictly time limited at full power.
The Wyred amps are near-clones of the PSAudio offerings of a few years ago.

http://www.icepower.bang-olufsen.com/files/solutions/icepower1000asp.pdf

NOTE: the 15 seconds at max power and the fairly low FTC power rating, which is 'continuous' per FTC testing procedure.

If you require, as average power, more than the amp is capable of, you may simply need to upgrade to something with more......real power....
Perhaps Bryston or Pass?
I own a 'd' amp, so I'm user. At 90db output to my listening position about 11' from the speakers, I measure about 20v to my Magnepans. The peaks must be much higher, but I don't have a scope or peak capture meter.