Best speakers at low volume

[Another Johnson]

Consider trying a preamp with a Loudness Control.

Suggested multiple times on the first page … but like most threads with many pages, this one has been adrift.

 

[Another Johnson]

A late reply … but after living with a Burmester 911 mk3 amp for the last three months, my sense is that it manages to present better detail at low levels than any of the other amps I’ve owned. It doesn’t fix the loudness issue … but for programs that don’t have a lot of critical bass content, it makes a remarkably pleasant low volume presentation. Notably, female vocalists (Nora Jones, Diana Krall, Melody Gardot etc) and solo guitar (Joe Pass, Ron Affif’s, etc) are very nice.

The 909 mk5 and 159 are reportedly even better. My speakers are Wilson Sasha DAWs.

 

[Zappadaddy]

Horning Agalme. In low volume they produce very clear and balanced sound included excellent bass resolution, even in almost non sound you can hear all fruequencies the same, incredible night listen

 

[Zappadaddy]

It comes down to, what are you looking for in low volume listening. What do you feel you are missing, or what is there you do not want. Are you looking for rich full sound. Or are you looking for clean fres

I knew Devore, not the other 2 brands which look very interesting but difficult to get in Europe.
My boss likes very much the Fleetwood Deville. I have listened them once and they were not bad. But the design is not really my cup of tea.

You think high efficiency is really the solution? I have heard several opinions pointing out that the main issue is hearing certain frequency at low volume and that it's not necessarily linked to sensitivity. Therefore some recommend tweaking with tone controls or loudness button where available.

I have Tannoy Westminster and horning Agalme, both are very high effcient but Horning play much better in very very low volume at night, Tannoy play great low volume tas well but Horning are more clear and balanced at night listen. Maybe the small drive Lowther is the key to hear this way, it will be harder for big cone eventhough very efficient to move the air as a small Lowther driver?

 

[germinal]

Klipsch speakers do well at low volume/late night listening.

I also tend to agree with the view that cone speakers with inefficient drivers need a certain level of SPL to bring out the “finer details” of a recording.

IMHO also planar speakers are nice for low volume listening, except they loose most of the bass, because they are not efficient ? ???

 

[Ricco275]

I would like to avoid a flat sound

 

[Ricco275]

I went for TAD ME-1. I’m happier. Some people say I should add a preamp to my VITUS RI-101 mkii with a short signal path. Frankly I don’t want to start mismatching issues

 

[Tangram]

Welcome back to your thread. Great that you’re still happy with your TADs after six months. As it’s a sleepy, grey morning where I live, I just finished reading the entire thread and I’m surprised how little mention there is of the room. Yours appears very large and open, which makes me wonder what its noise floor is like? In my experience, for satisfying low volume listening, the room’s noise floor needs to be low.

 

[Ricco275]

Welcome back to your thread. Great that you’re still happy with your TADs after six months. As it’s a sleepy, grey morning where I live, I just finished reading the entire thread and I’m surprised how little mention there is of the room. Yours appears very large and open, which makes me wonder what it’s noise floor is like? In my experience, for satisfying low volume listening, the room’s noise floor needs to be low.

The room is awful… the system is sitting on the wrong side of it. It’s boomy despite the ME1 not being bass heavy at all. I have recently put heavy curtains which help. I will improve the whole system isolation with several Symposium products.

 

[Ricco275]

Just to circle back that I am very happy with TAD ME1. I like the energy and clarity and great with my Vitus RI-101 mk II even at low volume.
Now I’d like to move up the ladder with Vitus amplification and wondering if better adding a preamp to my integrated or going for the superior integrated SIA025.
My goal is enjoying as much frequencies and dynamic as possible at 70db.

 

[christoph]

True but he is in Paris so EU taxes etc. Word from a friend is the Martion Einhorn was blowing minds at Munich. A bit above the OP price point but there are smaller models.

How much is the Einhorn?
Including the needed Corner-Horn?

 

[Nemal1]

I feel my own system plays very well at low levels, my pre being used around the 9-15 mark (with 103 steps available) and the dynamics and bass are preserved (to my own taste) which is also non-intrusive in the rest of the house.

 

[Pokey77]

I have had the TAD E-1s for around 5 years now and am in love with them. I have listened fairly extensively to the ME-1 and R-1 and some to the CE-1s. So I know what they sound like.

As to playing music at reasonable levels, I feel the Evolution amp/DAC + matching amp plays very well at lower volumes. I've heard the E-1s with Pass INT 200, Luxman 509X & 900 separates, Burmester separates & the $25k integrated, and the TAD Evolution separates. Of all the equipment I listed, only the Burmester 909 MK5 was better, and you'd think it should be for $80k back five years ago.

The last time I saw a C2000 preamp and M2500 amp listed, they were a very good value. I can tell you I listen most every day around 36 on the C2000 pre and that is in the range of approximately 50-70 db. I tried listening at 30 today, which had a range of around 40-60+ and across the frequency range, it sounded great. I'd rather listen just a little louder, but the lower listening level performance of the C2000/M2500 is very good.

Hope this helps. BTW, love the ME-1s; they were my choice until a very good deal came my way on the E-1s. They are end-game for me.

See my signature below for my system.

 

[Ricco275]

@Pokey77 congrats on your great system. It must sound stunning. The C2000/M2500 is a tempting option, however I’m not keen on that spending amount at the moment, even second hand.
I may opt for the Vitus SIA025. @Amir thinks it could be a good partner for the ME1.

 

[Vinyl Rules!]

After having got accustomed to my new Vitus RI-101 mk II, I came to the conclusion that I need to improve my system's performance at low volume to enjoy music more.

Current sources: LinnLP12, Holo Spring 3 KTE, Nucleus.
Speakers: Avalon Idea.
Shunyata Delta NR V2 and Hemingway Indigo PC, Tara Labs Forté, TQ 2 Black diamond IC.

I am looking at replacing the Avalon Idea with speakers that could improve the low volume listening experience. I listen to 60 / 70db, I can afford to go up to 85db for very short time (neighbours).

I am also considering to purchase a Loki Max which I understood being quite a neutral EQ unit.

I have selected a few speakers which should match my musical taste based on what I have read:

- YG Carmel 2
- Wilson Sabrina X
- Vandersteen treo ct
- TAD ME1

I don't have the chance to listen to them except the TAD ME1 which I have enjoyed very much but not in my apartment.

Budget max $15k new or used.

I am looking for speakers sounding musical, with wide soundstage, not cold, detailed yet not analytical.

I mostly listen to classic rock, blues and jazz.

The system sits at the end of the long wall in a living room measuring 33x13ft, listening position 8ft from the speakers.

Unfortunately I have to face a tough WAF putting several limits:

- speakers must have a clean design, not black, not too hifi looking... and not too big
- distance from the wall behind the speakers 25cm

I don't mind changing amplifier if it will be necessary to match the next speakers.

I haven't found a preamp that I could consider a good candidate except a very expensive CSport featuring a loudness button which works very well (tested at Ana Mighty Sound).

I would much appreciate some advice from who knows well the above speakers or who had similar needs.

.

After having got accustomed to my new Vitus RI-101 mk II, I came to the conclusion that I need to improve my system's performance at low volume to enjoy music more.

Current sources: LinnLP12, Holo Spring 3 KTE, Nucleus.
Speakers: Avalon Idea.
Shunyata Delta NR V2 and Hemingway Indigo PC, Tara Labs Forté, TQ 2 Black diamond IC.

I am looking at replacing the Avalon Idea with speakers that could improve the low volume listening experience. I listen to 60 / 70db, I can afford to go up to 85db for very short time (neighbours).

I am also considering to purchase a Loki Max which I understood being quite a neutral EQ unit.

I have selected a few speakers which should match my musical taste based on what I have read:

- YG Carmel 2
- Wilson Sabrina X
- Vandersteen treo ct
- TAD ME1

I don't have the chance to listen to them except the TAD ME1 which I have enjoyed very much but not in my apartment.

Budget max $15k new or used.

I am looking for speakers sounding musical, with wide soundstage, not cold, detailed yet not analytical.

I mostly listen to classic rock, blues and jazz.

The system sits at the end of the long wall in a living room measuring 33x13ft, listening position 8ft from the speakers.

Unfortunately I have to face a tough WAF putting several limits:

- speakers must have a clean design, not black, not too hifi looking... and not too big
- distance from the wall behind the speakers 25cm

I don't mind changing amplifier if it will be necessary to match the next speakers.

I haven't found a preamp that I could consider a good candidate except a very expensive CSport featuring a loudness button which works very well (tested at Ana Mighty Sound).

I would much appreciate some advice from who knows well the above speakers or who had similar needs.

Ricco275,

I am quite surprised that no one here has mentioned that Graham Audio speakers are known to sound quite good at low volume listening levels. And I believe that Graham Audio’s LS5/5f speaker just might be the elusive speaker Unicorn you seek.

You live in the beautiful city of Paris, and Audio Emotion, a retail store in Scotland, offers Graham Audio LS5/5f floorstanding speakers beginning at £12,995 (https://www.audioemotion.co.uk/loud...raham+Audio&minprice=99.99&maxprice=295900.00). Rosewood and some other finishes cost a bit more. I have no affiliation with this store or with Graham Audio.,

It’s likely there is a Graham Audio dealer in Paris that offers these speakers for a similar price in €. I myself am very interested in these specific Graham Audio speakers, and I may well purchase a pair in April of this year. I’m currently trying to decide between the LS5/5f’s and a pair of ATC SCM100ASLT speakers.

One thing that is very important to me is the ability of the speakers I purchase to sound good at low playback levels, say 60dB to 65dB. SWMBO sometimes retires before I do in the evening, and she has made it quite clear my life is forfeit if I wake her after she retires for the evening .

I have searched threads in various audio forums regarding how the Graham Audio LS5/5 or LS5/5f speakers sound at low playback levels. I have discovered several comments from various Graham Audio LS5/5 speaker forums that they do sound extremely good at low playback volumes (https://forum.audiogon.com/discussi...e at low volume, an,the Fletcher-Munson curve!). However, I have not yet found any information mentioning the ATC SCM100ASLT’s sound at low volume levels.

You mentioned in your post that whatever speaker you acquire must be visually acceptable to your spouse. Graham offers grills with the LS5/5f speakers in either a linen colour or a solid black colour. Graham Audio specifically notes in the user manual that comes with their speakers that their LS5/5f’s are actually VOICED WITH THE GRILLS ON THE SPEAKER.

I hope this information helps.

Kind regards,

Vinyl Rules!

The After having got accustomed to my new Vitus RI-101 mk II, I came to the conclusion that I need to improve my system's performance at low volume to enjoy music more.

Current sources: LinnLP12, Holo Spring 3 KTE, Nucleus.
Speakers: Avalon Idea.
Shunyata Delta NR V2 and Hemingway Indigo PC, Tara Labs Forté, TQ 2 Black diamond IC.

I am looking at replacing the Avalon Idea with speakers that could improve the low volume listening experience. I listen to 60 / 70db, I can afford to go up to 85db for very short time (neighbours).

I am also considering to purchase a Loki Max which I understood being quite a neutral EQ unit.

I have selected a few speakers which should match my musical taste based on what I have read:

- YG Carmel 2
- Wilson Sabrina X
- Vandersteen treo ct
- TAD ME1

I don't have the chance to listen to them except the TAD ME1 which I have enjoyed very much but not in my apartment.

Budget max $15k new or used.

I am looking for speakers sounding musical, with wide soundstage, not cold, detailed yet not analytical.

I mostly listen to classic rock, blues and jazz.

The system sits at the end of the long wall in a living room measuring 33x13ft, listening position 8ft from the speakers.

Unfortunately I have to face a tough WAF putting several limits:

- speakers must have a clean design, not black, not too hifi looking... and not too big
- distance from the wall behind the speakers 25cm

I don't mind changing amplifier if it will be necessary to match the next speakers.

I haven't found a preamp that I could consider a good candidate except a very expensive CSport featuring a loudness button which works very well (tested at Ana Mighty Sound).

I would much appreciate some advice from who knows well the above speakers or who had similar needs.

Ricco275,,

After having got accustomed to my new Vitus RI-101 mk II, I came to the conclusion that I need to improve my system's performance at low volume to enjoy music more.

Current sources: LinnLP12, Holo Spring 3 KTE, Nucleus.
Speakers: Avalon Idea.
Shunyata Delta NR V2 and Hemingway Indigo PC, Tara Labs Forté, TQ 2 Black diamond IC.

I am looking at replacing the Avalon Idea with speakers that could improve the low volume listening experience. I listen to 60 / 70db, I can afford to go up to 85db for very short time (neighbours).

I am also considering to purchase a Loki Max which I understood being quite a neutral EQ unit.

I have selected a few speakers which should match my musical taste based on what I have read:

- YG Carmel 2
- Wilson Sabrina X
- Vandersteen treo ct
- TAD ME1

I don't have the chance to listen to them except the TAD ME1 which I have enjoyed very much but not in my apartment.

Budget max $15k new or used.

I am looking for speakers sounding musical, with wide soundstage, not cold, detailed yet not analytical.

I mostly listen to classic rock, blues and jazz.

The system sits at the end of the long wall in a living room measuring 33x13ft, listening position 8ft from the speakers.

Unfortunately I have to face a tough WAF putting several limits:

- speakers must have a clean design, not black, not too hifi looking... and not too big
- distance from the wall behind the speakers 25cm

I don't mind changing amplifier if it will be necessary to match the next speakers.

I haven't found a preamp that I could consider a good candidate except a very expensive CSport featuring a loudness button which works very well (tested at Ana Mighty Sound).

I would much appreciate some advice from who knows well the above speakers or who had similar needs.