I run 52/17 and when I go over to geared (albiet not that often anymore), I don't find ANY help in spinning...BUT..

When I rode 32/13 on my SS MTB I would spin at 110-130 constantly. When I would go back to geared I would totally notice my spinning had improved...

I was actually thinking about this the other day, and as a result, I'll be using the other side of my Level and putting on an 18T