What makes a speaker sound great at low volume?


Most of the time I hear music at a low volume (wifey, apartment, ....). 

I am looking to upgrade my current speakers, but in my market scanning I would like to understand, if there are certain “metrics” to look for, before I start going to stores for listening. 

Any advice? 
mtraesbo

Showing 1 response by avanti1960

You may be barking up the wrong tree.  HE speakers are specialized and have compromises that not everyone warms up to.  
All other speakers of normal to low efficiency will come alive at lower volume with proper amplification.  
Class D amplifiers tend to sound thin and weak at low volume levels.  Higher powered Class AB amplifiers will do the job nicely.  I used to run a 150 watt / channel NAD amplifier and I was simply amazed at how incredible the bass in a typical mid efficient tower speaker sounded at low volume.  
Get yourself an amplifier with some guts and you will be all set with the speakers you already have.