Recommendations for speakers that sound great at lower volume levels.

Earlier in this thread I recommended British mini monitors. One thing I should have mentioned in my post was that I run multiple subs with mine. I do agree that without subs,to my ears,they do sound a little thin.  I’m a subber. I run them with everything. 

You may be right about subs, but my Rogers LS3/5a’s do not sound 
thin at all.  It probably matters which amp is used with them.  Also, I listen nearfield and that must make a difference.  Great speakers!

Hello,
I agree with Cakyol. Subwoofer or even better, two of them. If you don’t have an external crossover set the subs at 60hz. You will be amazed. I have REL and JL Audio. 2 of each. Later add the JL Audio CR1 crossover regardless of weather you have a JL Audio sub or not. Its universal. This JL Audio CR1 crossover lets you decide or should I say your room decide where to crossover the speakers with the subs. It has RCA, XLR, and even TLP connections. This takes serious load off of your main speakers so the highs and mids can come through like a $25,000 speaker system. The subwoofers are powered by it’s own amp so even at low volume levels your system can have a full 20hz to 20+kHz. You will be amazed by the sound. I demoed the JL Audio gear at this store in the Chicagoland area:
https://holmaudio.com/
They also have the new KEF subs that are speced down to 11hz and have a very small footprint. The JL Audio and the KEF can be hooked up wireless up to 100’ away. This makes setup, placement, and even the wife factor a breeze. You would have to spend crazy money on your system to match the sound of adding subwoofers at low volumes. 

i concur with opinions about well integrated subs (a pair) making transformative improvements to systems using high quality bookshelf/standmount speakers that do not produce low bass

there is effort involved, and some learning curve, but the results, when successful, are most certainly worth the effort

i cannot speak for other makes, but rel provides excellent and detailed instructions on how to integrate their subs, and if those instructions are diligently followed, the user will reap great rewards

lots of folks go on endlessly and breathlessly on this forum about how fuses, cables, damped footers, springs, make a difference in the sound of the system... but the improvement from subs - done right - truly has a magnitude greater impact

You want a big full range high sensitivity high impedance system for a good low volume experience or a high quality two way with a good subwoofer where you can adjust the bass for any volume level so you can have a full sound at low volumes but it will not compete with a large system when the music gets challenging or gets played at a higher volume level.

Thanks to all for your thoughtful responses. I think I'll go with a more sensitive speaker. Perhaps the BBC monitor style and hook them up with my REL. Happy listening.

Another consideration is what digital cable are you using?

In the last 2 weeks I swapped out my optical cable for coax. If you're price conscious, check out Audio Advisor who has a sale on Pangea: I started with a 1.0m, then a 1.5m (which to my ears sounded better), and now using their 1.5m XL, which allows me to play at lower volumes as the music is more intimate, BUT, I can also play louder $150/1.5m XL and free shipping!

hth

Don't forget to at least conisder wide band high sensitivity speakers, Great at low vol, 

Of the loudspeakers I have experimented with specifically listening to at low volume the loudspeaker I have found to be the most enjoyable at low volume is the Wilson Audio Chronosonic XVX (and I am a life-long planar speaker person).

Different amplifiers in any range by the same maker have different responses at lower levels. I use Bryston and each new product is slighty better at lower volumes, so it is incremental and not speaker dependent

Find a Pair of ADS Speakers

There are a lot to choose from, but smaller speakers might be too inefficient.  Your power and speakers a a terrible mismatch.  You need way over your wattage for an 86 db speaker.  Get something in the mid nineties, if possible

I agree with lack of power being one issue on an inefficient speaker, however the biggest issue with most speakers is "Linearity" - The speakers frequency response at all power levels and especially low levels. Most speakers are very poor in this respect. Which is just another reason why I’ve always loved studio speakers or speakers designed by Pro based companies like PMC. So not only do they do everything very well, but have great X-over design and phase alignment, they also feature transmission line bass loading which is very articulate and linear at all levels, especially low power levels. They have been my favourite speaker brand for over 25 years now. (PMC 25/23 floor stander is a great example - incredible / but I have a pair of their MB2/XBD’s also)

Get The LOKI mini+ tone control from Schiit Audio....Works like the old "loudness" switch. Fattens up the sound nicely at low volumes and it's under $200...No need to get new speakers.

Audio Note E Series.
I always use mine at fairly low volumes with a 40 watt tube amp and sound extremely full, musical and engaging. 98db efficiency.

full-range single driver rear bass horns powered with 2a3 single ended triodes.

The monitor audio platinum 100 is a very nice speaker. The persona b is very bright one of the reviewers actually hated it.

A truly great speaker in which I am saving for and heard many times. 97db efficient ,8 ohms very minimal Xover 3 parts , the Spatial Audio Labs Open Baffle X3, X5   Great Custom Beyma AMT tweeter-Midrange driver in a wave guide,from 1k to -30 khz , 12 inch midbass
From under 1k to 90 Hz then Hypex power Bass to 25 HZ 
x5 12 inch woofer, X3 -15 inch woofer 
$6995 is a steal it beats speakers 2-3x the monies. In my tri state audio club I have heard dozens of quality speakers . I didnot think 
open baffle would be good , I was very wrong ,no box colorations 
fast open and great detail , imaging microdynamics at a whisper 
to thunderous loud and even a small amp of 15-20 watts ,at 97 db 
efficient ,verygood .one highly rated upgrade , VH Audio Odam capacitors I believe 2 per speaker  msybe a $5-600 upgrade 
and worth everypenny . They even have I believe a 60 day return policy .Clayton is great to work with .I owned his original 4 open baffle these are night and day better.

Caintuck Open Baffle Lii 15 in coax. They are delicious and under a grand. Randy is the best!

As mentioned before, high efficiency speakers tend to keep a better tonal balance at lower volume levels (around 45~50  dBA  SPL). In my case, a friend who was visiting mentioned that the Tonian 12.1s I had installed in my living room sounded good at a very low levels. They are about 97db/W/m.

As mentioned before, high efficiency speakers tend to keep a better tonal balance at lower volume levels (around 45~50  dBA  SPL). 


Must be different for planar speakers, my apogee duetta 2's sound great at low SPL's. 

Devore Orangutan o/96 powered with 8 watts tubes are perfect for very low level listening. I tend to agree that high efficiency speakers is the way to reach your goal. 

As a general rule, a high efficiency speaker. Over 95DB. 

Interesting idea, buddyboy1!  At a couple of hundred dollars it's definitely worth a try.

On the other hand, higher efficiency speakers are probably the way to go at the end of the day. Yes, I wish I could afford the Devore's. What say you audiogoners about the Klipsch Cornwall IV? Not cheap, but half the price of the Devores and they're rated at 102 db.

High efficiency speakers, which also have a flat and higher impedance. A number of these will be a wide band single driver design. The tricky part is that there are very very few smaller size high efficiency/high flat impedance speakers made. To achieve efficiency, physics demands some size. However with some careful consideration, certain tradeoffs allow for smaller size AND high efficiency. The main trade off will be volume and scale potential. Small high efficient speakers won't do big and loud well but will beat all others at sounding good softly.

I see no mention of Omega Speaker Systems. I recommend taking a look and a listen. Another very unique brand pretty much unknown in the US is Contrast from Ukraine. They made high efficiency high impedance crossoverless small speakers mainly using a driver of their own design and production. Those are more expensive than Omega and a bit harder to find but are exactly the sort of thing you're after.

Just to add my two cents, some of it repeating what was said above, I think a sub can help with low level listening, it adds body and little umph to make things pop like they should.

I have also found that treating the room with a mixture of absorption and diffusion can improve listening at all sound levels, but especially at low levels.  I thought my Pranafidelity monitors were much better at high levels until I added some ceiling diffusion (in addition to other treatments) and now I listen regularly at 4 - 5 dB lower levels on a routine basis.

Finally, the best low-level speakers I have experience with are the Audio Physic Steps SLEs (not the newer models which are very different) and the Totem Element Fires.  Both have full-range drivers (no cross-over) with a supplemental tweeter.  The Totems have much better bass and are easier to set-up than the Steps but the Steps, properly set-up, image like no other (at least from what I've heard).

C’mon, nothing sounds better than a Martin Logan Summit, Ethos, Spire at low volume levels. Crystal clear mids and highs, respectable bass. What more do you want? 26 tube watts will drive all of these speakers to satisfactory levels, especially at low listening levels. There is no better buy, especially on the used market.  $3k for used Ethos? You can’t top that musical excellence in a box speaker. Fogetaboutit!

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.

here is another +1 for ESS rebuilt Quad ESL 57's; at low volume evening listening levels they bathe you in sound...... (and Townshend super tweeters with 57's open up spatial presentation and a little more of everything)  

So many opinions. Little speakers that sound good at low volume are efficient and that like tubes. Humm sounds like ProAc Tablettes too me

I have the Klipsch Cornwall IVs and they have a full body sound at low levels.  I've owned Harbeth SLH5 and currently own the M40.1.  I also have the Sterling LS3/6 that I like better than the SLH5.  For low level sound, it's hard to beat the Cornwalls.

@smatsui

please describe the differences you hear between harbeth shl5+ and stirling ls3/6 -- and pls let us know what amp, source and music type

and which version/iteration of the super hl5 plus pls

thanks

In my experience Nola / Alon speakers excell at low volumes.
The designer has clearly paid a lot of attention to how they sound at minimum volume. It was quite incredible how the tonal balance never changed as you cranked the volume.
However due to the limitations of open baffle design they had limited power handling in larger rooms, meaning i blew many drive units.

My current Focal Stella Utopias are the polar opposite. They really don't come alive until you give them a good kick up the arse. However their power handling is superb, they have no problems filling the same room that murdered two pairs of (Alon) open baffle speakers.

Almost all earlier hi-fi gear included a Fletcher-Munson "Loudness Control" designed to boost the bass and treble to compensate for their loss at lower volumes.  Harry Pearson via TAS made tone controls as well as (heaven forbid) the loudness control dirty words (if you were a real audiophile, that is.)  So without an equalizer, you are going to miss bass and extreme high end .... goes with the territory.  Mid-range clarity, however, can still exists.  I have a pair of older KLH 5 speakers in my bedroom system that sound marvelous at low levels, with midrange that equals my main system Thiels.  

Reading the above threads, I see a lot of people confusing power with loudness.  A low-efficiency speaker, properly powered, can still play "low" without losing anything .... no more than a high efficiency speaker.

A nice mid-fi low listening levels choice is the new(ish) KLH Kendall. They're about $1,300 USD and certainly certainly not in a class with Harbeth or most of the other things that are being suggested. But they are designed to sound good at low levels. They are respectable at moderate levels and poor at high levels due to distortion - but that's what you get for that price. The key here is that they really seem to be designed for low volume listening, and they are 3-way so the highs and lows get a little more devotion than they do in 2-way models.

I had been looking for speakers that sound good at low levels for many years and was seriously considering Klipshcorn, Belle Klipsch or JBL S4700 because I had heard them at low levels and was really impressed. Of course those all cost a lot more, and those can also play really really loud. Then I ran across the reincarnated KLH and on specs alone decided the Kendall model was worth a gamble. I think they are great at low volumes! Of course they don't do loud very well, because they aren't designed for that. But at low volumes, which is what I am always looking for, they are wonderful! They do not have the flexibility to be house shakers and stay clean sounding, but if low levels are the primary objective, they are a steal in my opinion.

To me a speaker that you don't have to turn up to enjoy is a great speaker. I wish the "reference level" of most home equipment was lower, but of course it's mostly determined by comparison to live performances and that's usually pretty loud.

Incidentally, I think the KLH Kendall is a fabulous budget classical music speaker. It is also great for Techno Dance if you want it to be really really quiet - but who wants to do that?

Thanks, Stingray26. I feel as though you're speaking to what I'm looking for. And actually, lately I'm feeling that I way overspent on my equipment for incremental improvements that are quite impressive, but again, only at rather loud volumes. Indeed, my current system music is often thrilling and impactful, but it's not what I once remember as a warm, musical, forgiving, yet articulate sound. I'm going to check them out online right now. BTW, I had my eye on another KLH, the new model 5. Did you ever compare the Kendall to the 5?

I’ve heard many models from Line Magnetic paired with many different speakers; and I owned the big LM219 (predecessor of your 845) and tried it with some different speakers as well. The best results were always achieved with high efficiency speakers (easy to drive) like Omega, Zu, Audio Note and Tannoy. 

I’m surprised no one has mentioned the Decware ZRock. Seems like a more cost efficient way to low level listening than a speaker swap.

Thanks, yakbob. I just did a bit of reading on the ZRock and it sounds like it could be my solution. They offer a 30 day trial but with a 10% restocking fee, should I return it. Definitely worth a try. I assume they'll work fine with an integrated amp. Thanks!

Did i mention the persona b yet? Probably, for good reason tho’ $7k for bookshelves is ug, but they can be found for nearly half that including stands and with your front end they should excell, if there’s any way you could home demo a pair?

Hello guys,telling the poor man to buy Martin Logan’s,are you kidding,don’t kick the guy when he’s down,atleast now his system sounds good at higher levels,don’t strip him of that too. Don’t get me wrong,mls are wonderful for home theater,but music,ok,not the best advice.An easy way to address your problem is Less Loss makes a transformer winding you hook up to your speaker cables,right before they reach the speaker terminals. Your speaker cable attaches before the winding,then there’s about a foot wire on the opposite side that attaches to your speaker terminals. If I remember right,these change the sensitivity that your amps see from the speakers. The owner brought a pair over to my house,probably four years ago or so. These made my speakers able to really open up,with  much lower power tube amps. It was quite impressive,and sounded beautiful. I didn’t buy them from him,but always thought I probably should have. We went from 210 watt ARC Ref monos to 60 watt Atmosphere monos,and actually they sounded more powerful. I think they were about 1100$ unboxed,or 1500$ with nice finished boxes and speaker terminals. John

I have not been able to hear any of the new incarnation of KLH except the one's I bought on faith, the Kendall. The KLH 5 does indeed look like a wonderful speaker and I seem to see nothing but good press about it, but I have not seen or heard them for myself. If I can find a place to go hear them I certainly will. From everything I have read, they are the best speakers that the new KLH makes, but as we know, best for what exactly? I will say that I am quite happy with the Kendalls, so if the 5 is of a similar build and design quality, it would be quite nice. Now the only question is; how does it perform at low levels?

To further qualify my appreciation of the Kendall, I have had it for close to two years and am still quite happy with it. I listen to all sorts of music from the entire history of recorded music and it does all of that just fine, as long as I keep the volumes to reasonable levels. I have experimented a lot with placement and have settled for relatively close to side and back walls (maybe 15" from back and 2 feet from sides) which emphasizes the bass quite a bit, but at the relatively low levels I'm using, it's about right. Even though they are really good for quiet bassheads (is that even possible?) that doesn't mean the low end extension is all that deep. I think they do very little below about 35Hz. Tweeters are metal dome but not harsh to me, even when I crank them up above their sweet spot. Midrange is the best of any speaker I've ever owned, and I think that is a function of being a 3-way speaker with a modern midrange design. Imaging? Again it's fine, but it's not at the level of >$10K super-imagers. I find almost anything images well if you set it up right and sit in exactly the right spot. These are probably like most other $1.5K-3K towers on imaging, good but not above its peers.

So the KLH Kendall has its limits for sure. But it shines for me at low levels. If people say the 5 does the same, I believe them.

At least to my ears and my system the best I’ve heard at low volumes for detail and bass definition have been my sonus faber olympica 3

Thanks, Stingray26. I appreciate the effort and time you put into your response. I'll have to find out who in the North Carolina Triangle region sells KLH. I'm anxious to try them out. As I said earlier, I feel like the answer to my hifi dilemma is a high efficiency speaker (perhaps KLH or Klipsch) or a some kind of equalizer tone control, like Decware, 

Most of my listening now is in the late evenings or early mornings, at low to moderate volumes. The good thing about that is less competition from outside noise (less outside traffic noise, no TV going in the other room, cleaner air ways, less line noise, etc etc.). Unlike some who think that Maggies don't perform well at low volume, I find quite the opposite. With some pains taking detail to speaker placement and moderate room treatment and the help of a good sub/subs - Maggies can sound incredible, even at low volumes. During my late night sessions my little Maggies provide all the subtle details, fullness, richness and engagement of a live acoustic or great vocal performance, without having the next day numb that comes with loud.
With the exception of the larger 3.7i or 20.7i, I don't think there are many speakers at any price that could satisfy me more, than my little Maggie 1.7s, for the type of listening and music I enjoy......Jim

Higher efficiency speakers often do sound better than low efficiency, and can do so by a wide margin. But, some lower efficiency speakers do sound pretty darn good at low volumes. 

I agree that loudness controls are a huge help--yet, as stated above--they are nearly extinct.  I have a preamp with tone controls.  I use them about once or twice per month--typically when I want to work while listening or read.  At low volumes they do not impart distortion that I can hear or that bothers me.  As I tick the dial up, I don't like them or use them as much.  It's nice to have a tone defeat. 

+1 on the Loki.  I had one before I got a preamp with tone controls.  Very nice unit and when defeated I couldn't hear it doing anything adverse to the signal.  Great product. 

Important to note that, to the human ear, high frequencies up to about 16K Hz, balance out at about 60db while bass below 50 Hz is up near and over 100db. so a good sub with an adjustable volume control is helpful to add fullness and weight to any speaker when listening at lower volumes.....Jim

A large horn system can be one of the best choices for low-level listening. One of the reasons that conventional designs require compensation isn't so much the fault of the human ear but of the modern loudspeaker. Horns have controlled radiation patterns and have throw since they couple transducer to air column.

I've not read all the posts in this thread so excuse me if my question has been answered.

Can OP kindly clarify what "lower volumes" means?  What are your preferred average decibel levels? 

As an example in my dedicated listening room, approximately 80db is more than enough, and does not disturb my golden-eared wife who is sound asleep in our upstairs bedroom.  This is volume is either with Magnepan .7's or Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage speakers and all-tube gear paired with a small REL subwoofer.