Amp play a low volumes?

Garfish, I had something different happen over here. My speakers are 88db sensitivity and didn't have much imaging at low volumes with 60W of tube power. When I moved up to 120W of tubes in Ultralinear I was able to listen at very low volumes with good imaging. This put a smile on my face :)

Hi Buckingham; FWIW, I used a big McCormack DNA-2DX Rev. A (600 wpc 4 OHM) with both the Vand. 3As as well as the Vand. 5s. The 3As sounded quite good at low volume, whereas the 5s don't. As noted above, as the 5s continue to breakin, they are sounding better at low vol. levels, so maybe it's just going to take some time.

I owned/used an SF Power 2 110 wpc tube amp for awhile, and found that it needed to be played distinctly louder than the McCormack with the the 3As to make them sound decent. So the amp/speaker interaction is important too. Cheers. Craig.

My experience is that systems ( primarily speakers ) that tend toward warmth sound better at low volumes. This is probably due to how our ears work and perceive tonal balance at different volume levels. This is also why "mid-fi" gear comes with a "loudness" control.

I agree that very low powered amps ( primarily SET's ) or high bias, hot running SS amps will sound best at low listening levels. Sean
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I think opposite about speaker's efficiency. Lower efficiency speakers will sound more quiet at the same volume levels than higher.

Why music sounds thinner and less lifelike at low volumes is a phenomenon called the "Fletcher-Munson Effect". This is when the ear is more sensitive to midrange sounds at low volumes. The "Loudness" button on receivers is designed to compensate for this by equalizing the response curve according to the "Fletcher-Munson Response Curve" which raises the amplitude of the highs and lows at a rate specified in a published,standardized format. This is also why, in the old days, you would see graphic equalizers with all the sliders arranged like a "smiley face". If a speaker sounds flat and neutral at very low volumes, then you can bet it will be boomy/sizzly when listening at louder levels. Conversely, a speaker that is very neutral will sound rolled off at both ends when listening at very low volumes. This is due to the "Fletcher-Munson Effect" as described above. Sean got it right.