Same here, on both counts! Although, in terms of the latter, perhaps slightly higher around the 10 o'clock mark.
If it doesn't sound very 'open and alive' at low volumes, then some form of less than ideal combination of components (particularly the amplifier/speaker relationship), and how they interact with the room, is the likely issue.
I would also say that there is usually a 'sweet spot' for listening, in terms of volume level, where the sound 'clicks into focus', but that's quite different from the sound being lacklustre or musically un-involving at low volume levels.
Marco.