Audiogon member suggestions for a speaker that sounds good at low volume!!!

Jim (Tomic) makes a ton of sense as he always does.  Thank so much for sharing.  I know you have helped me a great deal.

Speakers need juice, period. Not trying to be argumentative, but spending 1-4 thousand on speakers you won’t hear doesn’t make sense. I get that people are sleeping and the need for lower volume, so just get yourself a good set of headphones instead. Listen to music the way it was meant to be heard.

Much prefer near-field lower level listening to headphones. For the imaging and soundstage. A very nice experience. Besides headphones hurt and you crank the volume too high. Maybe listen 5 hours a day to my desk top system and half an hour to my (very loud) main systems so makes it wiser to spend most money on the desk system (which I havn't...). 

I don't have the time to read all of the responses to this question. Please forgive me if someone has already mentioned what I am about to discuss. The real issue you are asking about is called "power balance". The frequencies to be produced by a speaker are based on the driver and crossover design. At a given frequency, more or less power is required to produce that frequency. Usually this manifests itself when the bass disappears in relation to the other frequencies as the volume is turned down. To listen at low volume levels, the bass must remain at the same level as the rest of the frequency spectrum. We normally talk about the frequency response of a speaker. Power response goes a little farther in that the frequency response curve of the speaker may actually vary with the volume level provided by the amp. This is not a desired condition in a speaker system! Regardless of volume, the response curve should remain the same.

I suggest that you listen to a number of speakers and listen for the balance of highs and lows at low volume that it had at normal listening levels. As you turn the volume down, the bass should maintain the same level relationship with the rest of the music as it had at normal volume levels. Once you are satisfied that the power balance is correct, then determine if you like the sound of the speaker!

I caution against using devices that "correct" the balance of frequencies as they usually introduce additional noise and distortion into the playback chain. A well designed speaker should not need external equipment to "correct" its balance. If the rest of your equipment is capable of reproducing the full spectrum of frequencies and the speakers are designed to reproduce those frequencies also, you should not need additional equipment to get you there. 

Paradigm is going to do a Trade-Up Promotion on their Persona Speakers starting February 1st.  If you’re considering trading or selling your current speakers, you should take a listen to their 3F’s.