Quote: For the first time ever I have low level detail. I never understood this concept until now. I always would think what's the point of listening to music that way, isn't it just quiet background music at that point? Now I know.
Just thought the comment above was worth repeating!
None of us who started out in the hi-fi hobby with hi-fi gear could understand the concept either. It doesn't really exist in the hi-fi world because the equipment doesn't have the detail and the crossover laden speakers don't have the speed to reproduce it. For example, in that same world of 50 watt amplifiers and up, be it tube or solid state, the amplifiers themselves have to be turned up before they will bloom and develop any bass weight and detail not to mention sound stage.
By doing the exact opposite of main stream audio, we reduce the power and increase the signal voltage needed to drive the amplifier. This creates a gain structure that supports low level detail and bass weight making it possible to listen at lower volumes and hear more music.
It is especially fun when listening to your music library again for the first time with the new amplifier and realizing that you're not listening to surfaces of sound but instead those perceived surfaces become layers of textures and spacial information that most do not know is there because they've never heard it. This would include some hi-end audio reviewers who have dedicated their whole life to reviewing hi-end audio gear which we already know does not have the ability to achieve this kind of low level detail.
How is it possible to hear more music at lower volumes? Simply it is from less cancellation and the polluted sound of room reflections.
Keep us posted as things break in. Usually about 100 hours will make a big difference so in these first weeks having the amp playing all day on the radio when you're not actively in the sweet spot helps accelerate the process.
Steve