Which speakers excel at low volume?

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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Drubin:

Other than concentrating on speakers only there is a device that improves the sound @ very low listening levels.

It is the TDS Passive Audiophile. I'm not certain if it's still produced as TDS/PA as I have seen the same/similar circuitry marketed under the AR label (the inexpensive AR units have cheesy looking plastic cases unlike the heavy metal ones used by TDS).

Don't have a clue as to how it works (passive device that offered an audible amount of volume increase in the systems I used it in - approx. 3 dB I would guess), but I liked what it did for late night listening.

I did not care for it's sound @ higher sound levels and only used it for low (very low) level listening.

It helps if you have a tape monitor to make use of the unit, but there are other ways to incorporate it into a system.

Megasam here originally turned me on to the product, though in his system he had better results @ all volume levels (think he liked using it with headphones as well). He mentioned that it may have not been a good match for the 300B DH/SET amp I was using @ the time (i.e., higher volume ), but still I used it for a couple of years for the late night/low volume application.

I lost mine (the TDS) somewhere in our spare/junk room and have been trying to locate it for the past 6 months. Would like to try it out in a non/Hi-fi 2-channel HT system in the bedroom for late night listening.

The TDS units had an optional on/off bypass switch and I'm not certain what the AR units offer in this regard. As I used it as a low volume only remedy I preferred to have it completely out of the line @ other times (an on/off switch was not of any use to me). The street price of the AR version sells for approx. $50-$80/new online, though I have seen them sell for as little as $15 on Ebay. TDS produced 2 main versions (I think) with the first one being more expensive. Their second version retailed for approx. $250.

I have to say the speakers I have heard that excel at low volume are all the pure electrostats except the old Koss. Infinities Kappa 8 and 9's. Some little swiss minimonitor I can think of the name of it.

I have the Europa's and they may just be the best sounding speaker I have heard at lower listening levels. Having sold retail high end audio for many years I have heard a lot of speakers. None I have heard, including stats sound as good as the Europa's at low volumes. Highly recomended.