Does a 30 milliwatt amplifier sound loud?

Yes it can sound loud.


Why?


The ear has a dynamic range of 120dB, or 120deciBels or 12 Bels.


This means it can cope with power change ratios of 12 zeros. Ie a power ratio of a million million.


So just 3 zeros is a walk in the park.


A 30W amplifier will not sound all that much louder than 30mW.


And if the 30mW comes from a class A operating device (electrons flowing all the time) it will sound loud and very natural due to linearity and smoothness at low levels and progressive non linearity (loud subjectively) at peaks. See reference.


As of writing this an Antonio Carlos Jobim CD is playing through the following system.


Signal path, setup:


Jobim Jazz masters 13, Verve - Sony CD Walkman D-EJ758CK (line out) - Pleiades 2N3053 a few milliwatt power amplifier supplied by 12V, 65mA - Philips AD5046N


The sound quality is jaw dropping.


Just one transistor from source to a directly connected to collector 800Ω speaker.


After listening to so many systems, this one makes one feel so happy.


How funny is it. This circuit is always in front of us. Hidden by its simplicity. So one is perhaps reluctant to try it.


It's the first circuit we think we learn. The first circuit we see in all the great electronics books such as Electronic Engineering - Terman.


Life is nice.


References:


Tubes vs Trasistors (vs op amps), Is there an audible difference - Russel O. Hamm - Journal of the Audio Engineering Society


Electronic Engineering - Terman


Madonna's Voice Coming from a Point Source - euroelectron