Which speakers excel at low volume?


I do much of my listening at lower volumes than I imagine most of you do: 60-70db for me much of the time. I understand why many speakers are designed to sound correct at live-music levels, and the hell with how they sound at lower levels. But that doesn't work for me. I need a speaker that resolves details, conveys proper tone and timbre, expresses microdynamics, and has a respectable balance, including a sense of weight, even at low volume. (Low volume does not mean low amplifier power.) This is an aspect of loudspeaker performance that is rarely addressed in reviews. It must be that most audiophiles don't care about it, or that reviewers feel it is not a criterion that loudspeakers are or should be designed for. Fair enough, but I still want what I want.

I used to have original Quad electrostatics, which were terrific at low volume. My ProAc Response 2.5s aren't bad (though they don't resolve detail too well even at high volume). The Thiel 1.6 is pretty good, the 2.4 less so.

What have you heard, particularly in dynamic speakers, that fits my requirements?
drubin

Showing 3 responses by drubin

The Europa's need stands and sub, don't they?

By the way, thank you everybody for your responses in this thread. Good discussion. I'll have more to add in a little while. --Dan
So I've done a little reading on the Green Mountain Europas. Design principals seem very similar to Thiel: first-order crossovers, time coherent. But I have an impression that they don't sound anything like Thiels. Any thoughts?
Interesting point, Henry.

I am now evaluating a CD player with excellent built-in attenuation, so I am trying it direct to amp. What I am hearing lends credence to Stehno's position about amplification, because the sound is so pure and the background so quiet that the music and detail shine through even at very low levels. I think that detail is a real key to low-volume listening.