Which Component Has the Greatest Affect on Low-Level Listening

Loudness, loudness, loudness

Which component, the amp or speaker, has the greatest impact on low level listening quality?

The sensitivity of speakers

https://forum.audiogon.com/users/bgm1911
@bgm1911
what components are you using now? What are you going to replace or remove? What kind of speakers will you be using?
It all matters.. but for example if your using super efficient speakers and a quality solid state amp, yet it doesn’t sound good at low volume there could be a number of culprits in your system that are causing this. You may be able to get what you want without a component upgrade or swap?
 If you currently have a home theater processor in the chain then theres an obvious weak link.

 Whats your source? Do you use a preamp? Hows it all hooked up?

Someone said in an earlier post that power didn’t matter... well that all depends on your power and what else is going on w your whole home. For example I chased what I thought was a ground loop for the better part of a year. The more and more refined my components in my system got the more I could hear this buzzing sound. Then one afternoon I am cleaning out the garage and converting it into a play room for my boys. I removed an LED bug zapper that was screwed into a light socket in the garage... I went into the house for a break and immediately noticed that the buzz was gone. Screw the bug zapper back in the buzz was back. I guess the bug zapper was putting DC on my line and my rig was picking it up.

Another example, I have a Marantz processor,  one of the top of the line ones. After I would watch a movie, and the movie would end, and the Apple TV would just sit there with its screensaver, I could start to hear this buzzing sound. If I didn’t do anything or if I didn’t change inputs on my preamp the sound would get louder and louder. Well one day I’m messing around in the back trying to figure out the source And I decided that I would hook up my Marantz processor to my preamp (which has home theater bypass) via XLR instead of RCA. I had not even unplugged the RCA’s that went from the processor to the preamp and is soon as I plugged an XLR cable into the processor I heard the buzz disappear. it was like there was a static electricity build up that needed to be drained. Somehow there was some kind of electrical buildup or static buildup going on inside my processor that was feeding into my system.

 I guess my point is: for me the pursuit of lowering the noise floor has brought me closer to the music at low volumes. Not only that, I find it that my family enjoys the music more. If a system Has to be turned up to sound good most likely your family is not going to appreciate it but if the system can sound great at low-volume then you can have music playing all day all night and no one‘s gonna complain.
Just my two cents feel free to reach out

Your ears!   @jnorris2005 beat me to it.  Fletcher Munson Curve.

Having said that, clearly some speakers are better at low volumes than others, otherwise Studios wouldn’t have Nearfield, Mid & Full Monitors.

I’ve sold off a long list of speakers & Hifi kit for this very reason.   Thin, lifeless sound at low volume.

I’ve now got a little Bluetooth speaker / DAB radio (Revo) that sounds lovely & rich & full at low volumes.   I can listen to that for hours.   If I want to play at gig levels, I’ve got my main system.

That's an 'effect' silly OP.
The answer is exactly the same as the answer to the same question about normal level listening.  See other string posted yesterday.