2. amps-preamps
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Full detailed sound at 30 - 40 - 50 dB

I love the nuance you can hear when listening to music at loud volumes, but unless no one is home, it’s not considerate or feasible to listen at such high volumes. Plus I just had a baby so everyone is always home and volume levels are limited to 40ish dBs. 

Any recommendations for getting the most detail at these volumes? Additional gear or recommended integrated amps?

My NAD 7175PE has a loudness button which boosts the treble and bass a little, and that certainly helps things in the Kitchen. 

My living room amp is a Rega Brio-R which doesn’t have any tone controls. 

Any thoughts? Thanks!
leemaze
erik_squires
16,059 posts
 
+1 for good tone controls. :)
leemaze OP
330 posts
 
The Loki tone controls are really great.  Got the unit 5 days ago and used it to add just a touch warmth and boost the upper register.  It sounds really excellent - crystal clear, doesn't muddy anything at all.  I got matching AudioQuest ICs for the in and the out, and listening at night I no longer have burning desire to keep turning up the volume.

Worked like a charm - thanks for the idea @wolf_garcia @tketcham 
analogluvr
859 posts
 
@chakster 
atmasphere  is too much of a gentleman to recommend his own amplifiers but those specifications are begging for a pair of M60s or an S30. I have altec 604Es with those exact specifications and they are sublime with a pair of M 60s 
tketcham
291 posts
 

leemaze,

Good to hear your Loki mini is working out. I moved my Loki mini to the main stereo system for a week just to see what it can do and when I put the Loki back into the smaller system it was a night and day improvement. Sometimes it takes an absence to really appreciate the difference. I think Schiit Audio is on to something.

-Tom

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,806 posts
 
But if the total is low, the components must be even lower (or theoretically at most equal).
@willemj  When you have really low numbers typical of traditional solid state amps, the problem is that the higher ordered harmonics are simply not as low as they should be, while the lower harmonics are indeed suppressed. It cannot be denied that this is a coloration!

This results in the amp being brighter and harsher than real life, even though on the bench the amp measures perfectly flat. Our ears are very sensitive to this distortion spectra, and we've known this for the last 80 years(!) or so (see Radiotron Designer's Handbook, 3rd edition).

I suppose I should not be amazed that basic physiological information about how we hear is ignored on an ongoing basis if the last 8 decades are any indication.
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