Which speakers excel at low volume?

The Vandy 5As are particularly good a lower volumes, I believe, due to the integrated subs. I find myself listening a lower volumes than I did with my 2 Cis and still experiencing the fullness and impact of the bass.

Sean, I have noticed a drop in the 5As above 10K, as you mentioned, using a RS meter, but how can I separate the contribution due to the amp from the contribution due to the room?

How did you make measurements to come to your conclusion?

I agree with both Karls and Darrylhifi. There are tradeoffs for reduced volume, but I've been happy with Silverline SR12's and SR17's at low volume. The benefit of the 17's is that you can crank 'em too. You can get satisfying bass out of the 17's too with proper stands and positioning, even at low volume levels. Not as good as playing them loud, but still enjoyable listening.

I would second Stenho's suggestion that this is as much (or more) an amplifier question as a speaker question. For example, I would try something that runs pure Class A for at least 5W. I also think that power conditioning can make a huge difference in low level playback, as electical noise seems to be proportionately greater at lower volumes. When I added a modest PC to my bedroom system, the bass weight and tunefulness (articulation) was virtually transformed. Produced major grins, as I had been contemplating a monitor upgrade that would have cost at least 2x. Now I'm perfectly happy with the old ones.

Thiel CS6, fully broken in and powered by a Krell 400cx, do very well at low volumes. They retain all the uncompressed dynamics and frequency response and still allow me to fully engage in the music during "microbreaks" I take every now and then, while working at the computer, writing, editing etc.

Zargon: I did a LOT of research on the subject. Had out every piece of test gear that i owned, paid for consultants to come in and analyze the results, ran confirmation tests to verify out thoughts, etc... It was both exhausting and exhilerating to say the least.

Actually, all i did was read a very interesting Stereophile article on the subject of "impedance interaction" between various amps and various speakers. This specific test used Vandy 2's as part of the procedure and that is what i based my above comments on. Sorry for the big build-up in the first paragraph, but i just hadta do it : )

While some amps load up better / more consistently into various speakers, it is pretty easy to see that some of what we hear is directly related to the stability of the amp being used and how it responds to various impedances. As can be seen here, some amps operate in a FAR more linear mode than others. As a side note, the tube amps are the worst in this respect i.e. offer the least accurate portrayal of what was fed into them with this type of load. The scary thing is that the frequency response that they produce will vary from load to load, so you might hear something completely different from them on a different speaker. At least the SS designs were relatively "linear" even though they too showed high frequency roll-off on the Vandies. At least it was a gentle slope rather than the very noticeable sag that the tubes produced. This is not to mention the erratic bass and mid-band performance on some of the other amps.

This article and testing not only confirm the thoughts that many have voiced concerning Vandies being slightly dull sounding, but that "synergy" and "system performance" really do exist. As such, it is not just a matter of selecting good components on an individual basis, but more a matter of selecting components that work well together. This is one of the reasons why i have a hard time writing reviews and / or accepting the thoughts presented by most reviewers. Changing one component in the system may alter the audible results of that specific signal chain.

This is why i have such great respect for the "audio scientists" such as J. Peter Moncrieff. Not only did he listen to those interactions ( which anybody can do and guess about), he took the time to better understand why those results were occuring via scientific testing and document them. After doing such, he broke things down to the bare essentials and was able to logically show why those measurements verified what our ears were telling us. It is he that led me to believe that some pieces really ARE "superior" to others for design / engineering / implimentation reasons. At the same time, he also explained why some "lesser" designs might work nearly as good given specific conditions and how one could take advantage of that. If one reads various audio magazines, you can see his influence ALL over the place. Most, if not all, independent reviewers try to fill his shows but fall far short. Combining Peter's "scientific know how" with Enid Lumley's "golden ears" made for the most enjoyable AND informative audio reading possible. Sean
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