What is a really good sounding low volume system??

Thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge!

Rrog, I seriously laughed out loud to you response. I'll probably cry later this afternoon because your statement might hold some truth :-)

Rar1, thanks for the input on the pl2. Your statement about your wife hearing mice pee on wool was pretty funny too. Thankfully my future to be is a total sweetheart and very giving; she'll either a. Not be bothered by my music, or b. wear ear plugs if need be.

Marakanetz, thanks for the input on the headphones; I'll research the components that you suggested. I'm wondering though if I move to a headphone set-up though, if some of the appeal of listening to music will be lost. I really like my music to pass through the room vs. humping my ears, lol, if that makes any sense.

So, this leads me to possibly consider some panel speakers? I know most don't have large amounts of bass and the ones I heard had good amounts of detail...

feeling of air from speakers will be the only thing lost. the rest of music such as detail, clarity imaging will be at it's best with good headphones. I took T70 for demo and despite reviews stating that they lack the bass, I'd say that they're one of the most accurate and balanced headphones that i've ever heard so far. it's a big step up from AKG K/Q/701/2. you can also listen to them long long hours with no fatigue at all.

A high quality, small size system would be the Magnepan Maggie Mini system with a Wadia 151 DAC/amplifier. Magnepan sells then as a bundled pair and they are designed for near field listening.

The Magnepan Maggie Mini system looks like a great option for a small apartment...

http://www.magnepan.com/model_mini_maggie