The Low Volume Loudness Dilemma


I love the power and detail of music played at what I call "Actual instrument volume" which is pretty loud and dominating. 

I like music in the background when I'm reading or entertaining. The problem is that the fullness and richness is thin to gone at low volume. This seems to be the case no matter how much a system costs. I listened to a Burmester rig driving a set of Wilson Alexx V speakers in a perfectly tuned listening room with cabling that costs more than my Lexus and the "missing music" at low volume problem was there too. $350,000 in gear couldn't fix it. 

I did the unthinkable - I bought a DBX 2231 equalizer off of eBay for a couple hundred bucks and messed around with the sound curve. Viola! "Loudness"!  I know this is sacrilege and may cause excommunication by the purist class but I am able to get full rich sound at low levels. The Eq also compensates for the anomalies in my listening area (large great room with other rooms connected to it.)

I don't have the square footage or budget to build a proper dedicated listening room with all the sound management treatments so I'm "making due" with what I do have. 

Does anybody have some guidance or constructive thoughts on how to get full rich music at low SPLs? 

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My Magnepan's are played at quite low volumes about half the time when listening as my wife is nurse and works nights, so I have to keep it quite low when she is sleeping.  I also have two REL subs and I am truly amazed at the clarity of the Maggies and low bass response of the RELs when listening at very low volume.  I have had other people comment on exactly the same when hearing my system.  I've never had a system do this before. 

Class A Accuphase  and Harbeths are a great low volume combo.  It blows away my McIntosh tube gear with high-end Focals for 70db listening with fullness and ooomph.   And no fatigue.  In the 90+ eb range the Mac Focal sounded good, but it sounded so thin at anything below 85 Db.  Almost harsh. 

I built speakers with multiple drivers and that makes a big difference. Each speaker does less work and you put more music in the air. Some people cry comb filtering but I’ve yet to hear it if it’s there it’s so small you can barely hear it or you can’t hear it would be the case. Not sure what brands do multiple drivers like I do. I do usually for tweeters and four midranges one large woofer and the same size subwoofer all on the same unit. It puts a lot of sound in the air and it’s not distorted sound it’s really beautiful. So far I’ve sold eight sets  This year and everybody’s all very satisfied. It does exactly what you’re asking for it puts a lot of music in the air at low levels. DM if you want to talk more 

Wait you have a $350,000 system and bought a DVX 2231 equalizer that cost a couple of hundred bucks and it cured the volume problem....really.I find it fascinating that you would buy one that cheap...So your system is now worth $350,200 buck....come on man.

I think for that amount i'd build detached shed and treated it with proper acoustic materials like a recording studio.