Why do speakers improve with more powerful amps?

https://youtu.be/th8CxTk22pY

https://youtu.be/Rtx2pYOS-dg

So why the hell do people buy inefficient speakers? 

I raised basically this question.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/low-sensitivity-speakers-what-s-special-about-them

While it is fun to talk about our hobby, there are tons of opinions out there but it is up to each individual to decide what works for them.

No one would deny that "each individual to decide what works for them."

The point of these discussions is to understand some of the scientific principles so that individuals spend less time looking for needles in haystacks. Thus, it’s not just frivolity ("fun"), it’s about community inquiry and fact finding, where possible.

The conflation of inquiries into facts with some kind of abnegation of "individual decision making" is sort of dystopian; why would anyone suspect that?

@sejodiren

I’ve had a couple folks tell me in the 10’s Dahlquist group TELL me I need 200 wpc and my amp will never drive them to their capability. MY ears know what I’m hearing. How would they know?

Here’s what they might know: they tried powering the speakers at 200 wpc level and it improved things for them.

This happened to me -- I had what I thought was a good level of power for my speakers. They sounded good to me.

Someone else said they would sound better with more power. I asked why?

They said, "Because I tried what you have and it sounded good to me, but when I tried it with more power, it sounded better in a way I could not have imagined."

This is why others’ experience is valuable. Because the metric of "good for me" may be limited, and others who have experienced more can help shine a light.

It’s not about them telling me "what I should hear."

It’s about them telling me that "there may be more to explore."

And that’s how they would know about your speakers.