Must speakers have certain volume to sound convincing ?

...since the dust is being knocked off this ancient argument....*G*

Not a single mention of ribbons or AMT's, which I suppose one could place in the 'planar' column in a stretch.  Or my preference for a 'well-done' omni, which IMHO actually reproduces the 'original environment', but that starts an entirely different 'discussion' that can also go on forever, much like cables 'flavours', tube vs. solid state, TT/arm/cart combinations, etc.  It reminds me of boxers vs. briefs vs. none at the end of the day.....

There is no 'perfect reproducer', and all the 'upstream' hardware is flawed in some fashion.  'Perfection' existed at the moment of creation of the music itself, and everything deteriorates beyond that in the capture and reproduction of that moment.  We simply exhibit our tastes, preferences, and budget in the pursuit of one's goal to hear that moment, be it aria or zydeco.

And then there's the differences in the original instruments that created the music in the first place.  Stradivarius vs. 'student' violin, the latter in the proper hands can be made to sound wonderful despite it's shortcomings I suspect.  Much like us, different 'voices', subject to skill and combination.

I tire of the argument, another endless 'tail chase'.  Enjoy what you have, pursue what you must.....;)

Play on....

I definitely play my system louder, maybe just because I can, sometimes too loud. But I do remember way back when listening to my Pioneer HPM40's with my Pioneer turntable and Yamaha integrated in my late teens in my bedroom at much lower volumes and actually enjoying it more, amazed at the sound!

Stradivarius will sound great in anyone's hands just as great speakers will sound great regardless of what kind of junk they are forced to play by some so-called audiophiles and giftless musicians.
It's quite telling that no-one so far asked me why I think panels don't sound real. In any case, that notion of mine was not the main line.
It also appears at the moment that what I said about proccessing of perceptions may be an incomprehensible remark. No matter, let's continue with usual bullsh-t.

One hears with their brain not their ears. That was my point early on. We are all slaves to our experiences, education and preferences built over our lifetime.
Also it was mentioned "assuming good hearing". I would bet our hearing abilities across the frequency spectrum are all over the place...collectively. "When is the last time YOU had your hearing evaluated?" I agree with asvjerry. Also the set of preferences, qualities or the like ....with what sound should be is also different for everyone. Each of us will place a higher or lower value on such tags as "soundstage, dynamics, bass depth, etc"

Your hearing is only as good as the best HiFi system you ever heard.