amplification at low volumes

[kyrie]

While an amp does more than just make the music louder, it's also true, from what I know, that the difference is more perceptible at higher decibel levels. Does the increase in sound quality as a result of the quality of an amp make a big difference at low volumes as compared to high ones?

[kuma]

Originally posted by kyrie
Does the increase in sound quality as a result of the quality of an amp make a big difference at low volumes as compared to high ones?

Yes.
Amps can do well at low volume as well as high means their dynamic capability is good.

FWIW, very few solid state amps can match the dynamics intersm of both macro and micro of tube amps.

typically, solid state amps do well on macro dynamcis at high SPL yet quite often they fall asleep at a low level.

[MgmtGuru]

Not exactly a headphone oriented response but I went ahead and bought a Hsu subwoofer - together with its big heavy special amplifier -specifically because I wanted great great bass at low, low volumes - and boy does it deliver. Makes 'quiet' listening to my R-645 Newform loudspeakers absolutely wonderful. Best hi-fi investment I ever made -- all made possible by an amp that lets me crank up the bass no matter how softly the music is playing. I don't know for sure but I'll bet there's got to be a similar story for headphones...

[Geek]

I think that a good amp does wonders at all volume levels. Solid state amps sound best at moderate to high SPL. Tube amps seem to do better at medium to low SPL, as kuma has also observed. I find that the best solid state amps and tube amps still follow this profile, but to a lesser extreme (the best headroom models, for instance, sound alive and full at 60 decibels, although they sound best at 85 or so decibels, or whatever I consider to be moderately loud, while the E.A.R. HP4 sounded great at all volumes but was a bit harsh and overfocused on the mids at higher volume).

Overall, though, a great amp does more than just improve on dynamics - detail, imaging, soundstaging, tonality/texture, layering, you name it. A good amp delivers precisely what the source is sending on up the chain - if the source sucks, though, a better amp may sound even worse than a lower quality model, since a great amp will just reveal garbage for what it is. The greatest headphone amps/sources are this way: a double-edged sword, demanding perfection of the audio chain in order to reach their potential.

If you were going to do a long calculus problem, every single step along the way is equally important - one slight blunder throws it all off. Audio is the same way. Amps are just one key part of this chain and improve the sound as mightily as good headphones and sources.

Cheers,
Geek

[ServinginEcuador]

Yes, volume of the amount of amplification, is totally independent of volume settings. An amp sounds the same at low volume and high volume. Our ears perceive sound differently at different volumes, and a response curve exists to show how we preceive certain frequencies differently at different volumes, but that doesn't change the output of an amp one bit.

The only limitation of an amp is the quality of the input signal. When fed with a bad signal even the best amps in the world will sound bad. A balance must be achieved when building a system, and as such one can't sink too much money in any one component and expect to achieve better results than spreading it better across the whole system. (Although the best source will still make any given amp sound better, it is a minor exception to this gross over-generalization. )

[fredpb]

The frequency response of your ears change with volume. Better with higher (not high) volume.

I forget what the name of the "curve" is. That is the reason for "loudness" controls on some and old amps, to compensate for ears response at low volume....although most loudness controls were pretty bad.

[kuma]

Originally posted by fredpb
I forget what the name of the "curve" is. That is the reason for "loudness" controls on some and old amps, to compensate for ears response at low volume....although most loudness controls were pretty bad.

• fletcher-munson curve

[ServinginEcuador]

Thanks kuma. I was trying to find the name in my files, but came up blank. It's neat to see how our ears react at different frecuencies, thus making the perfectly neutral sound to our ears WAY less than perfectly flat in response on a graph or meter.

[Edwood]

The quality of the pot or better yet stepped attenuator makes a much bigger difference when listening at low volume levels.

-Ed

[hadron]

Different amps didn't make that much difference in my experence, but after upgrading my source (dAck w/various, albeit cheap, transports), I find that I tend to listen at lower volumes. The music is all still there, and in fact more so, full dynamic range with tons of low-level detail without blowing out my eardrums when a loud passage kicks in.

Edit: my amps are decent quality, Gilmore V2 and EarMax Pro.

[kuma]

Originally posted by hadron
Different amps didn't make that much difference in my experence, but after upgrading my source (dAck w/various, albeit cheap, transports), I find that I tend to listen at lower volumes. The music is all still there, and in fact more so, full dynamic range with tons of low-level detail without blowing out my eardrums when a loud passage kicks in.

Non-upsampling filter-less design tend to be more dynamic than middle of the road upsampling dacs.

Starting at low-level and still abel to handle loud complicated passages is a sure sign of improved dynamics.

Source, amps and transducers that can provide better dynamcis have a better chance of playing almost all kind of music at any volume well. On contrary to a popular belief, even dynamically challenged pop/rock mainstream music benefit from it as well.

[hadron]

Originally posted by kuma
Starting at low-level and still abel to handle loud complicated passages is a sure sign of improved dynamics.

Yep, and the ability to push volumes to skull-imploding-levels while retaining extreme clarity no matter what genre is a bonus, don't do it often but it's a nice feature.

[Rameish]

A good amp should be able to present the soundstage/headstage at low volumes. This is a sure sign of an amps capabilities. Another quality I look for is rez at low volumes. If an amp can do these 2 things at slightly lower than your normal listening level then you're on the right track.

My 2¢