For efficient speakers, how much difference does an amp really make?

Sadly, I’m an audiophile on a budget.

In fact, my entire system...preamp, monoblock power amps, CD transport, turntable and speakers didn’t cost as much as the Pass XA30.8 amp does all by itself. Maybe one day....

i am absorbing all of this...it’s a lot to process.

My system is very happy at low to medium volume levels. The sound is open and clear and produced seemingly without effort. It ramps up nicely until you get to a place where things start to change. The open sound starts to close up a bit and there is a strident tone that creeps in as the volume gets to what i would call “loud”. We’re not talking Wembley Stadium loud, or vibrate the windows loud, but the kind of volume you’d want for a favorite song when you really want to enjoy it.

Maybe the speakers are just tapping out, but i doubt it. i suspect that the slim, cool running M2200’s are simply running out of puff. Whether that means amps or watts...I have no idea, but I suspect these speakers have more to give.

I think it’s pretty clear that more watts are not always better watts...but i’m curious...what is the secret sauce that makes an amp with less wattage capable of driving a system with more authority and gusto than one with higher wattage?

And the big question....short of buying a dozen different amps and auditioning them on your own system at home, how can one even begin to make intelligent guesses about what to try next?

my audiolab 6000A preamp can output a maximum of 2.3V. I will take a look at the Adcom 565SE. Sadly, it does not have a true balanced XLR output, but that is certainly a feature i’m considering for down the road.