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Higher power=better sound at low volume?

I have heard numerous times that the more powerful the amplifier, the better the sound will be even at low volumes. If this is true, I assume it only holds true if you are comparing apples to apples so to speak meaning 100 Krell watts problably sound better than 200 Rotel watts through the same set of speakers. But if you are comparing apples to apples, is this true? If so, this should justify more powerful amplifiers, perhaps above and beyond the power rating of the speakers, for someone who only listens at low volumes. Is this true? Is this true only for certain classes of amp, A vs AB VS D, ETC. or is this a myth?
Thanks for any info

thus making a really powerful amp useful even for people that don't listen at loud volumes.
bsooners

Showing 1 response by noble100

noble100's avatar
noble100
2,419 posts
 
I think Audiokinesis brought up an important point about playing music at lower volumes: the lower the volume the less bass and treble the human ear/brain perceives in relation to the midrange frequencies. This is compensated for with switches on a lot of mass market equipment ('loudness' switches, etc.) but never seen on the higher end preamps and integrateds.
I definitely agree, though, that each amp/speaker combo has its own sound or personality regardless of wattage.
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