Hello Jimmy,
It seems like you're describing the well known acoustics principle of how loudness effects human perceptions of sound which was first scientifically studied and documented in the 1930's by Dr. Harvey Fletcher and Dr. Weldon Munson. The resulting Fletcher-Munson Curves are a bunch of curves which show how sounds of different frequencies and at different sound pressure levels have to be boosted/subdued in order for the human ear to perceive an equal loudness level across all frequencies. Therefore they are also called Equal Loudness Contours. Each individual varies somewhat on how they perceive loudness by frequency and these curves, contours and graphs are generally based on statistical averages.
I believe you're trying to compensate for this universal and natural deficiencies in our perceptions of sound by utilizing a different amplifier.
Logically, I would normally conclude that this is not possible. Due to my personal and subjective experience, however, I'm not ready to eliminate a change in amps as a possible solution. I'll just detail my experiences and let you determine their value to your situation.
About 10 yrs ago, I decided to audition a class D amp in my system for the first time, mainly out of curiosity due to very good performance results I'd been reading from users on this audio forum and others.
My system was of decent quality and consisted of a Sony DVP-S7700 dvd/cd player, VTL 2.5L tube preamp, Aragon 4004 MKII class AB amp and Magnepan 2,7QR speakers. I ordered a Class D Audio SDS-440-CS stereo amp on a four week free in-home trial offer.
I noticed immediately that the class D amp was a significant improvement over my previous mostly class AB amps I had used in my system such as Adcom, McCormack and Aragon. Mainly its very low noise floor, overall well detailed but neutral presentation and its much better bass response, the best bass I'd ever heard my Magnepans produce. I easily noticed these qualities right out of the box with no break-in time.
In an effort to accelerate the break-in period, I left the amp on playing cds almost continually, often turning the volume to low levels as background music as I was on the computer, reading or just doing other things. So, it took me a little longer to realize that this amp sounded exceptionally good at low volumes, without the bass and treble being recessed in relation to the midrange as I was accustomed to always perceiving on music played at low volumes through my previous class AB amps.
It was almost as if this amp had an automatic loudness control that boosted the bass and treble proportionally as the volume was decreased. What was equally unusual is that as the volume was increased , I perceived the natural balance of bass, midrange and treble contained in the music increasing in volume in unison from a low volume all the way to an extremely high volume.
I was so impressed with this class D amp, that I gradually replaced all the class AB amps in my combo music and HT system with class D amps. I bought an Emerald Physics EP-100.2SE stereo amp, run in bridged mono mode, now drives my center ch speaker, a pair of D-Sonic M3-600-M mono-blocks drive my main speakers and my original Class D Audio amp now drives my rear surround speakers.
They all have similar sound quality characteristics and I perceive the same 'automatic loudness control' quality built into all of them. I should caution you, however, that it could be I'm the only individual that perceives this quality in class D amps since I haven't read of other class D amp users perceiving this quality.
But I I recall an interview with a well respected pioneer in the development and designing of class D amp power modules, Bruno Putzeys, in which he stated that class D amp designers are able to make their amps sound virtually any way they want. Would they want to incorporate circuits in their amp designs to compensate for the well known Fletcher-Munson curves?
I prefer the theory that they would and have but I have absolutely no proof of this besides my highly subjective perceptions.
I would just suggest you may want to audition a good class D stereo amp, or good pair of class D mono-block amps, in your system to determine what you perceive before spending more on other options.
Best wishes,
It seems like you're describing the well known acoustics principle of how loudness effects human perceptions of sound which was first scientifically studied and documented in the 1930's by Dr. Harvey Fletcher and Dr. Weldon Munson. The resulting Fletcher-Munson Curves are a bunch of curves which show how sounds of different frequencies and at different sound pressure levels have to be boosted/subdued in order for the human ear to perceive an equal loudness level across all frequencies. Therefore they are also called Equal Loudness Contours. Each individual varies somewhat on how they perceive loudness by frequency and these curves, contours and graphs are generally based on statistical averages.
The Fletcher-Munson Curve is a graph that illustrates an interesting phenomenon of human hearing. When listening to music through speakers or headphones, as the actual loudness changes, the perceived loudness our brains hear will change at a different rate, depending on the frequency.
Here’s what this means:
- At low listening volumes – mid range frequencies sound more prominent, while the low and high frequency ranges seem to fall into the background.
- At high listening volumes – the lows and highs sound more prominent, while the mid range seems comparatively softer.
I believe you're trying to compensate for this universal and natural deficiencies in our perceptions of sound by utilizing a different amplifier.
Logically, I would normally conclude that this is not possible. Due to my personal and subjective experience, however, I'm not ready to eliminate a change in amps as a possible solution. I'll just detail my experiences and let you determine their value to your situation.
About 10 yrs ago, I decided to audition a class D amp in my system for the first time, mainly out of curiosity due to very good performance results I'd been reading from users on this audio forum and others.
My system was of decent quality and consisted of a Sony DVP-S7700 dvd/cd player, VTL 2.5L tube preamp, Aragon 4004 MKII class AB amp and Magnepan 2,7QR speakers. I ordered a Class D Audio SDS-440-CS stereo amp on a four week free in-home trial offer.
I noticed immediately that the class D amp was a significant improvement over my previous mostly class AB amps I had used in my system such as Adcom, McCormack and Aragon. Mainly its very low noise floor, overall well detailed but neutral presentation and its much better bass response, the best bass I'd ever heard my Magnepans produce. I easily noticed these qualities right out of the box with no break-in time.
In an effort to accelerate the break-in period, I left the amp on playing cds almost continually, often turning the volume to low levels as background music as I was on the computer, reading or just doing other things. So, it took me a little longer to realize that this amp sounded exceptionally good at low volumes, without the bass and treble being recessed in relation to the midrange as I was accustomed to always perceiving on music played at low volumes through my previous class AB amps.
It was almost as if this amp had an automatic loudness control that boosted the bass and treble proportionally as the volume was decreased. What was equally unusual is that as the volume was increased , I perceived the natural balance of bass, midrange and treble contained in the music increasing in volume in unison from a low volume all the way to an extremely high volume.
I was so impressed with this class D amp, that I gradually replaced all the class AB amps in my combo music and HT system with class D amps. I bought an Emerald Physics EP-100.2SE stereo amp, run in bridged mono mode, now drives my center ch speaker, a pair of D-Sonic M3-600-M mono-blocks drive my main speakers and my original Class D Audio amp now drives my rear surround speakers.
They all have similar sound quality characteristics and I perceive the same 'automatic loudness control' quality built into all of them. I should caution you, however, that it could be I'm the only individual that perceives this quality in class D amps since I haven't read of other class D amp users perceiving this quality.
But I I recall an interview with a well respected pioneer in the development and designing of class D amp power modules, Bruno Putzeys, in which he stated that class D amp designers are able to make their amps sound virtually any way they want. Would they want to incorporate circuits in their amp designs to compensate for the well known Fletcher-Munson curves?
I prefer the theory that they would and have but I have absolutely no proof of this besides my highly subjective perceptions.
I would just suggest you may want to audition a good class D stereo amp, or good pair of class D mono-block amps, in your system to determine what you perceive before spending more on other options.
Best wishes,