Yep, you are absolutely right. After a few weeks of listening to this combination, I also got the impression that only the volume was increased, which has nothing to do with the dynamics of the music.
Because volume and dynamics are two completely different things.
- The Difference Between Volume and Dynamics
Volume (Level):
This is pure sound pressure. When you turn the knob on the amplifier to the right, everything becomes louder equally—the quiet tones just as much as the loud ones.
Dynamics (Dynamic Range):
This is the difference between the quietest sound and the loudest bang in a piece of music. A highly dynamic signal has extremely quiet passages (e.g., a gentle violin) and suddenly erupting, extremely loud moments (e.g., a timpani stroke). If everything is compressed to be uniformly loud, the music no longer has any dynamics.
Conclusion for your setting:
Your ears and brain did not deceive you: by changing the setting, the amplifier simply released more energy (especially in the bass range), which the human ear perceives as “louder.” However, this has nothing to do with better dynamics.
For pure Hi-Fi enjoyment in the music room, the rule is:
Always set the menu exactly to match how the speakers are physically built.
If you have bookshelf speakers, select “bookshelf speakers.” Only then will the amplifier operate in its optimal range, relieving the small speakers of deep bass and keeping the membranes free for perfect, clean dynamics in the midrange and high-frequency spectrum.
But decide for yourself what sounds best to you!
If your ears and brain tell you that it sounds better with the floor-standing speaker version, select it and listen to it for a week. Then switch back to bookshelf speakers and compare… see which one you like better.
