It’s not so much high volume I’m after but dynamics.
@southofdallas Proper ’dynamics’ should arise from the signal and nothing else. Quite often amps can generate higher ordered harmonics which the uses to sense sound pressure, so just as often these harmonics are mistaken for ’dynamics’. So you can see that in many audiophile conversations you can replace the word ’dynamics’ with ’distortion’ and not change the meaning of the conversation.
I’ve found (using LPs and CDs I recorded personally) that the mark of the best systems is that of a relaxed, effortless presentation even at higher volume levels.
You don't need great power for that; just finesse.