I've tried the soccer socks type socks and found them to be sort of un-bulky enough and pretty tight...and I'm not one of those guys with the big calves, either.

Another factor is wool versus anything else...wool is fer sure the way to go. Wool, though, means "$$ to $$$$" as opposed to "$ to $$" for the other materials...that's the way it goes, I guess.

Best

AA