Nearfield Low-Level Listening : New Speakers or EQ? Thoughts?

@OP. I have no experience of the Totems but it is certainly the case that certain speakers do not sound right at low volume levels and sensitivity measurements are not always a perfect guide to that. You could try something like a pair of DeVore O series - that will tell you if there is potential for a speaker replacement.

I'm curious, given the room dimensions and the picture with the LPs, it looks like the speakers are about four feet apart. Are you really that compromised regarding placement?

@OP I don't think the placement per se is the cause of the issue you are experiencing. But it does seriously compromise soundstaging. Unfortunately, it also means that the Devore O series won't work as their front baffles are too wide for the available space. The Gibbon series might. I'm presuming that the Forest Signatures, which are floorstanding, have replaced the stand mounts shown in your picture. That said, the Forests are essentially stand mount speakers with a cavity for mass loading built into the speaker. I think, in essence, the situation is that you have a small volume speaker that is slightly insensitive so you have a speaker with limited bass extension which is exacerbated by the relative reduction in perceived bass at low listening levels. Your use of the loudness control on the amp is an attempt to compensate for that, as will be the use of the Schiit. That is something of a sticking plaster rather than a full solution. I do think that you would get better results with a pair of more efficient speakers that also have a driver / cabinet combination that will allow them to move more air at low listening levels.