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Recommendations for speakers that sound great at lower volume levels.

I have a pair of Harbeth SHL5 Plus and they sound wonderful when I crank them up. But at moderate to low volume levels they sound disappointingly flat and unengaging - instruments are less palpable, bass has less bloom, and soundstage has less air and dimensionality. I drive my speakers with a tube integrated - a Line Magnetic 845 rated at 26 watts of power. My Harbeths are rated at 86db. Would a higher sensitivity speaker be helpful? Or how about a good quality small shoebox sized pair of speakers coupled with a subwoofer? Or not. What speakers are going to deliver music you can feel at low volume levels? What say all you wisened audiophiles?
neptune123

Showing 1 response by desktopguy

desktopguy
398 posts
 
Props to OP for a great topic that matters a lot in some systems but isn’t often talked about.

1st off, I have to agree with @yogiboy -- I get the best sound IMS with true acoustic suspension speakers in my nearfield/desktop system which crosses over to a good sub @70 Hz. Of the 2 sets that rock my world & sound very good at low volumes, one is a vintage unicorn while the other is a current model:

-- ATC SCM12 Pro passive monitors: the ATCs sound essentially the same at low volume as a higher volumes. That same very present, dynamic midrange and good bass are distinctly audible even with very low volume classical music

-- KEF 103.2 passive 2-way: these big vintage speakers sound very good (nuanced, detailed but not at all bright, with real punch in the mid-bass) at any volume. They’re not designed for nearfield but excel in that application. They rock like crazy at higher volumes, but even at low volumes, it’s all there.

PS: Both pairs are low efficiency (~84 dB/1 meter) & sound best with lots of power--so there goes the theory about high efficiency speakers sounding good at low volumes.
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