More power for moderate listening levels?

turnbowm 

Thanks for answering my question 

My 3 year old and 6 year old. 

Again, it's a matter preference. I'm hoping the higher power amp (15W Class A before switching) shares some of the sonic character of the current amp. Chalk and cheese or cheddar and brie. I think I will try. 

The "transition" for my lack of a better term for class A to B operation is really interesting. Certainly, the class A watts do not "go away" but get "added to" as more power is needed. Curious how the output device can operate in both modes. Am I thinking about this right?

Thanks for the responses. 
The assumption is that the lower powered amplifier drives the speakers just fine at moderate listening levels. My listening says yes.
At the SAME volume, will a higher powered amp improve the sound quality?

Thanks for the quick response.
Pass Labs Int-25 driving Harbeth Shl5+.
Speakers are about 7' apart and about 3'out from the short wall of a 14' x 24' room. 9' ceilings.
My listening chair is 8-9 ft away and this is where I listen most. In this position, instruments are clearly defined in the soundstage and I'm really happy with tone, clarity, and quite frankly the oomph of this little amp.  Occasionally, we will have "dance parties" with the kids and we turn it up and this is when I notice a difference in clarity. At this point, we are much further away and the room could very well be in play. I do not however, listen at these levels in my chair. 
I've been told by a few folks at Pass that the Int-250 would definitely "drive" my Harbeths better. I'm not sure what this means and I remain skeptical. Hence the question: If I sat in my chair where the acoustics are great and I swapped amplifiers while listening at medium levels, would the bigger Pass make a difference? Let's forget about other differences like the 250 being a balanced design. WDYT?

Great questions and comments.

Do the Harbeths sound strained at your normal listening position at high volume levels? 
This is a test I need to critically evaluate. 

What is the volume level setting when you crank it up and notice the strain?
Definitely can't get well into the 50's. Volume level in the 40's is still sweet and musical.

I think a big takeaway from this discussion is that sometimes you don't mess with a good thing.

Thanks for the replies and Tim, thanks for the offer. My amp is an integrated so no preamp issues here. sorry for the confusion, I'm not reporting a problem so much as wondering whether there could be an improvement on already good sound. Many folks pair their Harbeths with lower power amps and yes, good results can be had. An amp with significantly more power than my Int-25 would certainly drive my speakers to higher volumes with less distortion depending on the amp. Another way to ask the question is: Is this the only benefit?

Aside from helping the dynamic range as turnbown suggested, are there any other attributes associated with extra power in reserve that would augment medium level listening?

I agree that auditioning is the only way to go to see if one amp is better sounding than the other. Just curious about the effect of power at lower volumes.

At high volume I think the amp is staining because horns and cymbals are becoming harsh and not as musical. Overall, music is just not as pleasant and I gather it's not just due to high volume irritating my ears.

Appreciate the thoughts y'all.

Much to sort through here. I thought the thread might die after a few posts but the community here really came through. Thanks all. 

It’s an experiment that I want to try. Also, just using my ears to Identify acceptable listening levels at my chair. Could save the strain on my amp as well as my wallet!

And again, thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I'm seeing that the journey is part of the fun.

All,

As MC stated, it's coming down to personal preference.I really like the sound of the Harbeth/Pass combination. I realize it's not everyone's cup of tea and I do have limited experience. However, I can listen for hours on this system while following precise bass lines and subtleties I did not know existed. Cliche I know.
Given all the great comments, I think the path to audio nirvana is a simple one for me:
1) Sit in the chair and critically listen at highish volumes (without risking speaker damage of course). Do I achieve sufficient loudness without losing clarity and oomph? Case closed.  
2) Sit there and wish for more? Go with more sensitive speakers (doubtful) or get a higher powered amp. If going this route it makes sense to me to skip an animal in the food chain and try the Int-250 with an increase from 95db to 105db at my listening chair. Looking at the distortion/watt graph, the 25 clips at 60W so I'm giving myself a ballpark of about 50W. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but pushing it to 50W may be a problem if there is a big dynamic range in the music. The 250 deserves an audition but it comes at a steep (for me) price. It may be worth it, it may not.

I hadn’t thought of TWO amps!

Your comments are taken to heart. Many folks swear by the difference that power makes. My initial question which is perhaps somewhat naive is whether all that power acts in a way to control the drivers at medium to low listening levels. It’s just sitting there in reserve but can it affect sound quality. I think a few posters here suggest that it can.

@atmasphere 
@twoleftears 

I purchased the Pass based on the measurements given by stereophile as well as reports of folks achieving great sound with lower power tube amps driving the Shl5. So far so good. With the volume halfway, the sound at my chair is fantastic with no strain. I'm a big fan of the sound when these two components are put together. The limitations of the system become apparent at much higher levels and with certain types of music. My assumption is that the bigger Pass integrated would clean up the sound at higher decibels and would be a measure of protection against speaker damage if one of my family members decided to crank it when I'm not around. Aside from the balanced design of the bigger Pass, does the extra headroom power-wise afford better sound at the levels that I normally listen to? For that matter, what are your opinions on balanced vs. single-ended designs? I would also be able to use the balanced outputs on my DAC.