@mulveling I think that’s an interesting observation. I find many/most systems don’t seem to perform until they reach a certain DB.. now you’re right about the exponential cost of loudness, but if you get the bass right (2 subs) it seems to be more than satisfying..
@dain There’s definitely some gear that falls apart at lower volumes, for whatever reason (non-linearities such as class AB crossover distortion, etc). But I think the bigger issue is our human hearing response curves, and how it heavily favors midrange frequencies as the volume level drops low (this is how speech maintains intelligibility even at a whisper). This means that systems which boost the bass and treble frequencies will sound more "whole" at lower volumes. Conversely, systems with a truly flat response may need to be throttled to "come alive". This was the whole premise between "loudness" buttons on stereo gear of the past.
