tom32801
B&W 805 monitors.
Happy Listening!
Stand Mount Speakers for Classic Rock that sound alive at lower volumes ?
I would like some advise for used speakers that:
- Play Classic Rock well without sounding flat or harsh (I only listen to 70s/80s)
- Sound alive and snappy at lower volumes (to avoid noise complaints)
- Won't overload my listening room but still have some boogie factor.
I've had B&W 803 Matrix for 20 years but they don't sound good at lower volumes. When I play them at a volume loud enough to make them come alive in my condo, they interact with the room too much and sound harsh. They sounded great when I lived in a house with carpeting and a bigger room. I will probably get noise complaints trying to use these speakers in my condo. The room is 12' x 13' with the speakers along the 13' wall.
I want to buy used so I don't take a hit if I need to buy different pairs before I find the right one for the room. I was thinking of trying ProAc D2's or the really old B&W Matrix 1 which was a bookshelf speaker with a 6" woofer that many say was the first 805 but without the 805 name. I heard these back in the 80s and thought they sounded really good because their small size presented a smaller musical experience and still boogied which seems like what I need. I see some used ProAc DT-8s for $3500 but they are full towers with (2) 8 inch woofers so they would probably overload my condo which has no carpet and floor to ceiling windows that reflect sound. I heard the B&W 805D3 back in 2017 but that was at a stereo store with a big room. They really thrilled me at the time but maybe they would sound bright in a smaller room. Anyone else been down this road of playing Classic Rock in a smaller room?
21 responses Add your response
I have a pair of large (bear with me) floor standers I was going to supplement with a pair of bookshelves specifically for low volume listening, but the dealer sent me home with a pair of 600 wpc monoblocks instead and presto, my big speakers became dynamic and detailed at low and moderate levels...I'd been using a 301/525 wpc integrated and really didn't think I needed more power, but I'm glad I went this route. 'coarse after reselling the integrated I was still out of pocket an additional $11k so there's that. |
I helped my son set up a stereo in his bedroom. We found that Wharfedale Diamond 225 are pretty darn good if used with a subwoofer. I originally bought some Monitor Audio and they were too bright. I recently found a used pair of Wharfedale Diamond 10.7 floor standers. They don't take up any more floor space that bookshelf speakers on stands. I let him use my Cambridge Audio cxa60 integrated amp and Bluesound Node as well as some decent cables. His bedroom is small and placement is less than ideal, but it sounds really good. No subwoofer needed with the 10.7. Far from high end gear, but I'm impressed with the sound quality given the cost. |
Amplification has as much to do at low listening levels as speakers...A pure Class A amp like Pass Labs or Sugden,aligned with a decent pair of 8 ohm speakers like the ProAcs you mentioned,Spendor,Harbeth or Reference 3A De Capo's will give superb low level listening... |
If any speaker is essentially flat it will sound bass shy and a small treble loss at low volumes due to Fletcher/Munson affect at our ears. Bass and treble roll off at low levels at our ears. Our ears are flat at about 100dB. Even at 80 dB, fairly loud actually, our ears are down over 10 dB. What you are looking for are speakers that are dynamically linear, that change level at mini, midi and macro levels linearly(no or little compression). They will still have Fletcher/Munson affect but will have some jump factor. Off the top of my head(and without having heard many speakers) the one manufacturer I can recommend is ATC, the SCM 7, SCM 11, and especially the SCM19
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Tekton monitors. Read the reviews. IMO those Klipsch speakers would not come close to the neutrality and imaging of these speakers. https://tektondesign.com/product/full-range-speakers/monitors-loudspeakers/impact-monitor/#color |
Fritz or Fyne would work nicely. I listen to a lot of classic rock at somewhat low volumes, usually somewhere in between 50-70db. I have a pair of Fritz that I run with 2 subs and it sounds very good to my ears. While it sounds very good at lower levels, I will add that the speakers really start to come alive in the upper 50s lower 60s db range. That is within range of normal conversation, maybe a bit on the loud conversation side though. |
Get some Hifiman planarmag headphones for the classic rock listening...a model that works for your budget Classic rock at gnat buzz spl levels of 50db ain’t classic rock. Contrary to forum echoes, Klipsch sounds horrid at low and high levels (an equal opportunity offender) and not good for rock. A true hifi experience for rock and metal will be large (could get expensive) speakers that just won’t work out in your small room, not dinky standmounts. Headphones may be the right choice for your classic rock.
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Completely agree with @ozzy62. When I had my Heresy IV’s I remember how good they were at lower levels. Still dynamic, musical, open. Only other would be the same IMO would be my Volti Razz, but they are not stand mounts. One other that may be an option would be Tannoy Arden, I’ve not heard a modern version, but I really liked a pair I head 25 years ago. Or look at Fyne offerings. (Former Tannoy folks)
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