Low volume listening dynamics

and......of course......there is always the ’sit closer’ idea for times when you want more immersion at lower SPL’s.

it does allow for less ’room’ and more ’direct signal’......so the energy does not dissipate as much.

i’m in the near-field all the time anyway. but my room is ’super-tuned’ to be balanced at ’warp-9’ even when i’m in the near field. took many years of work to do that. room reflective glare drove me back until i figured it out. but at low volumes that reflective glare is much less. so it’s a quick and easy (and free) thing to try.

might need to adjust toe in for tonal balance and imaging for sitting closer.....but the advantages might be worth it even if those are slightly compromised if it's occasional.

Not just sensitivity of the speaker but also how resolving they are matters 
amp at lower volumes loose these resolutions 
most class A amp do a good job 
But very few has special loudness button 
that helps to beef up the music and dynamics at low volume 
try Luxmans 590Ax Int amp

Here is a neat article for your enjoyment.  

https://www.decware.com/paper43.htm

It may help you with your quest for low volume listening. It is biased to tube/SET amps, but it also works for any setup (solid state). My latest amp purchase was a 1959 Motorola tube amp that was pulled from an old console stereo. They are real sleepers.

I am using it to run a pair of Decware Imperials. based off of the 1956 Jensen Imperial Reproducer.  Just bought a pair of Altec 811b horns to go with them.

I was using Tube Depot's tubecube 7 to run them. It is a neat little amp and a cheap way to try a set amp at $180. I own two. Got the second one on sale.  It is a toy and the stock tubes suck. Buy some Sovtek EL84s and a 12ax7lps. I have also rolled some Amperex 8bq5 power tubes and a Raytheon 12ax7 backplate in it. All I have to say is WOW!

I listen to music at a relatively low volume, but I still want the clarity to hear the details.

I'll take a different tack from most of the posts here. The most important thing for clarity at low volume is the room. What is the background noise level? Has bass overhang been controlled? First reflections? Slap echo?

The cleaner the acoustic, the more detail you will hear.

Yes only as good as the first watt! So do you have an idea of the db level your trying to archive at low level? I have a pair of Magnepan 0.7's that have a lot of inner detail/soundstage and are driven by a high watt/current D class amplifier that is very musical to say the least. I normally listen around 72 lb with a few peaks depending on the music With all that wattage and current from my amp the music still has dynamics and energy, even at lower levels 

I am running Klipsch Forte III's (99db) with a First Watt F7 (20wpc) and the combo sounds great at low volumes.

A high sensitivity speaker may or may not be more detailed than a low sensitivity speaker. The most detailed speakers are ESLs and they are not so efficient. 
The problem of listening at low levels is that our ears sensitivity to bass and treble is greatly diminished so unless you have some way to compensate for this low level listening is always going to be low fi. 
Compensating for this means loudness compensation for the volume you like listening at. Only a digital room control system with the ability to create custom target curves can do this effectively. 
The other solution is.....just turn it up:)

If you are going with very low power you may want to consider speakers as effecient as possible. I have a pair at 106db.

Clams are happy, and so will I be too. Don't want to dominate this format at all, but would like a couple of suggestions on a good first timer tube integrated. Will probably build my own full range speaker pair, concentrating on high efficiency drivers. Most of my listening is CD and HD streaming. No vinyl at the moment unfortunately. Thanks guys for the feedback this far. I have lots to learn.

I went down this path a couple of years ago and now use a 2 wpc SET amp to drive my speakers (94.5 dB). Low level listening is wonderful. Happy as a clam at high tide.

Completely agree about the quality of the first watt and high sensitivity of the speakers for quality low-volume listening...but also consider high efficiency speakers with a flat impedance to really coax some magic out of a low volume.

Great feedback, thank you guys. Perhaps this is the nudge I needed to whet my beak on the tube side of life with high sensitivity drivers. A private and personal musical experience, if you will.

mikelavigne nailed it. As the Great Robert Harley once said, "If the first watt isn't any good why would you want 200 more of them?"

You need a loudness switch or speakers tuned to be loud. What I mean is, a frequency response characteristic that promotes the treble and bass. You can get this via electronics, or you can find speakers that have this built-in.

Brands that come immediately to mind are Dali, Dynaudio, Golden Ear, and B&W to a lesser extent.

Give the mid-range Yamaha integrateds a try, their loudness dials are pretty interesting.

Best,

E

Great advice from @mikelavigne as usual and another thing high sensitivity gives you is a lot of choice in amps. I run my speakers on a 17 watt class A triode wired pushpull EL34 amp and they sound great at all volumes. Consider a good lower powered tube amp if you can.

high sensitivity speakers are important, but even more significant is the ’first’ watt of your amplifier. most music lives in the quiet subtle passages, and some amps suck at low volumes. they need to get going to come alive.....especially some (but not all) high power amps with lots of ’junk’ in the circuit that the music has to ’come through’. the speaker can't overcome a degree of sluggishness for an amp at low volumes. it's just the messenger.

so it’s the combination of speaker and amp that is significant.

a great ’first watt’ typically comes down to a great power supply and a good, low noise, power grid. minimal parts count in the amp circuit and zero global feedback also contribute to a great ’first watt’. it frees up the energy to be more immediate and alive at low volumes.

good luck in your quest.......if you can put the whole picture together it will improve the musical involvement.

Nothing better for low level listening than a pair of either Quad 57's or 63's! I have two pairs of 57's. The newer Ch*nese-made Quads are also a possible choice.

Great, thank you for the feedback. You're right, 93 is already very sensitive, I may not need to search higher. Thanks again.

You are right on track a high sensitivity speaker will give you more liveliness and detail at lower volume. 95db is very high sensitivity my speakers are 93db and do the job nicely as low volumes.