High power amp, does it matter at low volumes?

Per Lanx0003 my amp seems to have a rated THD+N of .05 or -66 dB. A stereophile review showed it was actually .0019 or -94 dB Cold and .006 or -84 dB Hot.  Crosstalk is over 100 dB below 1 kHz and between 81 and 85 dB R-L and L-R.   Not the greatest specs..

I downloaded a sound meter app, I understand it runs on an Android, so accuracy is really an indication only. At normal listening levels I didn't exceed 65 dB at my listening position. Okay, some times I crank it up, but rarely. 

My speakers are rated to be 90 dB efficient, and I sit 10 ft away from them.  You are supposed to need a minimum of 50 watts upto 500 watts.

For solid state amps... of the same sonic quality it matters. The doubling of wattage is showing the current the amp has... which is what you care about and will make the speakers sound better more dynamic even at low values.  I have run 250wpc to 350wpc high current amps for decades until I discovered tube amps. 

This is not nearly as pronounced in tube amps and not as high a wattage is required on tube amps. Tube amps tend to sound different than solid state, although there are a number of solid state designed to sound warm and natural like tube amps generally do... like Pass XA series, the new Audio Research - series. 

The first watt matters.  A better low power will give you a better SQ than more power.  The Gaku-on from Audio Note is/was probably the finest sounding amp in existence and is 45 wpc - and was about $200K 15 years ago.

For much of the music I listen to my SE 2A3 amp is gorgeous (a few wpc).  I am currently in an orchestral frame of mind and have put the 50 watt into 4 ohm XA 25 back in, it is cleaner on crescendos, but a hair of the magic is missing on pp voices.

Class A sounds better than AB.

If you are listening at low-medium volumes you are probably not going above that first watt.

Download/stream a test tone (AudioCheck.net and Spotify e.g.) adjust the volume so that it is a loud as you want at your listening seat and put a voltmeter across the speaker terminals.  It will probably measure 2 volts or so.  ( P = V^2/R) => 1/2 watt into 8 ohms.  Your speakers are nominally 90dB @ 2.83 volts so that is 87dB @2v.

I measured a 3 or 4 dB drop from 1 meter to my listening position so the 1/2 watt gives about 83 dB.  Enough to damage hearing after 4 hours.

Per Welcher, I normally listen at a max 65 dB, at my seating position. Mostly rock, blues, some lighter music like Jesse Cook.   

If I understand everything correctly, I am using 1/4 watt of power to get 65 dB at 12 ft ( I added a bit of distance ).  Adding in the dynamic factor for rock, normally what I listen to, guys like Tommy Castro, I get 108 dB spl at the speaker, which works out to 64 watts ( to handle the dynamic range ).

Some fascinating information here.  The 3 dB rule gain for double the power. 6 dB rule for double the distance. I don't remember ever hearing any of this..

So, what I am getting from this discussion is I would need atleast 64 watts ( with that extra distance of 12 ft vs 10 ft ) and I would run my amp at full output, if I bought an amp rated for 65 wpc.  Of course, buying an amp at 120 wpc would mean I would run that amp at half power, a 250 wpc amp at 1/4 power, etc.

I suspect the next factor is running anything at near it full rated load has drawbacks.  Hence, using a high powered amp at lower power is preferable.

I have always thought working the tubes a bit makes them sound better.

Also most potentiometers degrade the sound at lower settings. Stepped attenuator maybe not.

SET amp for low volume.