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SPEAKERS THAT SOUND ALIVE & DYNAMIC AT LOW LISTENING LEVELS

  1. Seeking speakers that sound alive and dynamic at 55 dbs with occasional peaks at 60 dbs. Headphones do not work for me. My ears were just tested and ENT advised my ears are normal for a 72 year old. He said that I have normal age related hearing loss. My ears are uncomfortable when I listen over 55 dbs.  My current system is as follows:

Martin Logan11A impression loudspeakers with 2 SVS 4000 subs. 

Bryston 4B3 Cubed power amp & Bryston BP-19 preamp.

Chord Qutest Dac-with LHY linear power supply.   

Lumin U2 mini  streamer with S Booster power supply.

Before I change speakers I plan to upgrade my DAC to Weiss 204 with Linear power supply, and then purchase Schitt Audio Loki Max equalizer (to boost bass and treble) hopefully to counteract Fletcher Munson Curve.

Finally I was thinking of Klipsch Forte 4 & Cornwall 4, and Frigg 2 by O Audio, as

reviews of all three say they all sound great at low volumes.   I know many say Klipsch is not high end or very revealing, but is there anybody out there that owns or has heard any of the above. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I enjoy this hobby and the great music it brings to the table. I don't want to stop listening and just seeking to find a solution that would allow me to continue musical enjoyment.

Thanks for your thoughts.
 

 

128x128kjl1065
audphile1's avatar
audphile1
5,398 posts
 

Get an equalizer and you can dial down the annoying frequency range and boost treble and bass. You are replicating the function of a loudness button. No other changes required. Another option is to dump your bryston gear and pickup a Luxman 590 integrated. Has tone controls and loudness button. 

larryi
4,105 posts
 

The klipsch speakers are quite dynamic, and like many horn-based systems, they sound alive at low volume levels.  But, they are on the crude and rough side.  You would do better by paying up for Volti horn systems.  I would also recommend the single-driver backloaded horn speakers from Charney Audio and the single driver field coil systems from Songer Audio.  Open baffle systems from PureAudioProject also sound good at modest listening levels.  
For more conventional systems that sound quite good at low volume, look at Audio Note speakers.  
The speakers I have recommended are fairly efficient so they eill work well with low-powered tube amps.  These are my favorite kinds of amps and they bring music to life at quite low listening levels.  Brands to look out for include Audio Note, Yamamoto, and Synthesis Audio.  The combination of high efficiency speaker and low-powered tube amps is hard to beat.

erik_squires
16,393 posts
 

The benefit of ESLs and other planars comes from dispersion.  There's less reflected energy horizontally and vertically hence the proportion of direct sound to reflected is higher.  I hadn't really thought of this as a good low volume listening trait but I suppose it is.

The other trait that we most focus on is frequency response.  Some speakers have a U, W (some Dynaudio) or even just a tweeter up tilt (Dali)  which certainly makes them better candidates for lower volumes.

paqua123
77 posts
 

I own Klipsch Cornwall IVs with a Luxman L-507z, Hifi Rose RS130 streamer , Luxman D07x SACD and DAC and Technics SL-1300G. I may be a newb but the cornwalls sing LOUD and at super low levels. I dont understand the crude rough comment. They sound amazing. I  recommend you go listen to them

russ69's avatar
russ69
3,532 posts
 

Electrostats are good, so are Triangles and Tekton. Sorry but Klipsch are not what you seek, most take a little juice to get bouncy. 

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