BEST SPEAKERS FOR LISTENING LEVELS BETWEEN 50 AND 55 DBS

[Alrainbow]

Have you tried headphones ? My reason is any closed back headphone gives acoustic isolation . Like making your room have a lower noise floor . Then eq to your liking .
Even more acoustic isolation is an iem ear.bud . Bluetooth types are cheap and some are very good . Lastly a ciem where the ear bud is custom to fit you . They yield from 20 to 30 db isolation. I used them on subways for years .
Most headphones and better ear buds play low level details better then most speakers can .

 

[Hear Here]

Harbeth M40 series. They sound full and complete at lower db’s. They have been designed for monitoring at sensible levels. Audition if possible. I was surprised how satisfying they sound a lower volume levels.

The big Harbeths do sound great and very realistic at low volumes. I was visiting an Audio Show and, while walking the corridors, heard music as life-like as I'd heard all day, although it was very quiet from where I was walking. They turned out to be Harbeth M40s playing quietly in the background and not blasting away to audio geeks demanding crazy volumes!

However, the OP's ML electrostatics should also be pretty good at low volumes. I used to own their bigger brother, the Expression 13A speakers, but never liked them, so I kept my 17-year old Avantgarde Uno speakers and sold the MLs. The AGs retain the sparkle and detail in music at low volumes far better than any other speakers I've experienced, so perhaps consider these. The new prices are pretty spectacular, but good used ones can be sniffed out with a little patience. I replaced the original 2002 Unos with 2006 Duos (very good speakers for their used price) and more recently Duo XDs that are probably still rather costly - but great if you can find a pair and have the space to accommodate them. If the OP has space for MLs with their need to be placed well forward from the wall behind them, he'd have room for AGs as they are very happy close to side and rear walls.

PS - I wonder if your multiple-box electronic collection is helping you. I recently embarked on a 2-year long home testing session with 12 different ss amps or all-in-ones. I chose a modestly priced all-in-one that offers all the sound quality my £35K speakers require and I have fantastic sound quality at all listening levels. Some of the amps I tested delivered what can generously be described as elevator music / musac - they were that dull, but others including the NAD M33 (with Gamut D200 Mk III in second place) offered great sound at low levels as well as high. The M33 Version 2 is soon to be released with better DAC, improved power amp and other benefits at the same price as the Version 1 that I use. One advantage of all-in-ones (apart from the small box count and hugely lower cost) is the absence of cables and these cannot help at low volumes in particular

 

[DaveC]

I'd go with a single driver and tube SET amp. These Omega speakers are an amazing value:

Super 8 XRS

Price per Pair Omega Super 8 XRS: Precision and Craftsmanship The Omega Super 8 XRS is a premier example of Omega Speaker Systems' dedication to superior audio engineering and craftsmanship. This model combines advanced acoustic design with meticulous handcrafting, delivering an experience...

omegaloudspeakers.com

No crossover and an amp that has excellent performance at low power levels like a tube SET will work very well and doesn't have to cost a lot. The typical disadvantages of this kind of system, like intermodulation distortion and breakup, are minimized at low SPLs, and all the advantages are maximized. At the SPLs you are asking about this kind of system will be as good as it gets and speaker + amp can be well under $10k. Even at higher SPLs simpler music and vocals without extreme lows can be amazing and competitive with high-$ systems.

I've heard a lot of single drivers, I've owned high-end AER and heard almost every Feastrex driver, heard a lot of Voxativ and Lowther too... Omega is competitive for a fraction of the price. The aforementioned brands are marked-up to meet audiophile expectations.

 

[Alrainbow]

Woo audio wa5 is great for headphones and iems
It has two puts for low and high imp buds and phones .
But I think a ss amp yields a lower noise floor and can be more neutral .
But keep in mind high imp phonesat need a higher output imp to make the phones sound best .
The hd800 I love but at 300 ohm nom imp it is not great on all amps
Senn made there own amp for it and I owned it too very good amp