Recommendations for speakers that sound great at lower volume levels.

@smatsui

please describe the differences you hear between harbeth shl5+ and stirling ls3/6 -- and pls let us know what amp, source and music type

and which version/iteration of the super hl5 plus pls

thanks

In my experience Nola / Alon speakers excell at low volumes.
The designer has clearly paid a lot of attention to how they sound at minimum volume. It was quite incredible how the tonal balance never changed as you cranked the volume.
However due to the limitations of open baffle design they had limited power handling in larger rooms, meaning i blew many drive units.

My current Focal Stella Utopias are the polar opposite. They really don't come alive until you give them a good kick up the arse. However their power handling is superb, they have no problems filling the same room that murdered two pairs of (Alon) open baffle speakers.

Almost all earlier hi-fi gear included a Fletcher-Munson "Loudness Control" designed to boost the bass and treble to compensate for their loss at lower volumes.  Harry Pearson via TAS made tone controls as well as (heaven forbid) the loudness control dirty words (if you were a real audiophile, that is.)  So without an equalizer, you are going to miss bass and extreme high end .... goes with the territory.  Mid-range clarity, however, can still exists.  I have a pair of older KLH 5 speakers in my bedroom system that sound marvelous at low levels, with midrange that equals my main system Thiels.  

Reading the above threads, I see a lot of people confusing power with loudness.  A low-efficiency speaker, properly powered, can still play "low" without losing anything .... no more than a high efficiency speaker.

A nice mid-fi low listening levels choice is the new(ish) KLH Kendall. They're about $1,300 USD and certainly certainly not in a class with Harbeth or most of the other things that are being suggested. But they are designed to sound good at low levels. They are respectable at moderate levels and poor at high levels due to distortion - but that's what you get for that price. The key here is that they really seem to be designed for low volume listening, and they are 3-way so the highs and lows get a little more devotion than they do in 2-way models.

I had been looking for speakers that sound good at low levels for many years and was seriously considering Klipshcorn, Belle Klipsch or JBL S4700 because I had heard them at low levels and was really impressed. Of course those all cost a lot more, and those can also play really really loud. Then I ran across the reincarnated KLH and on specs alone decided the Kendall model was worth a gamble. I think they are great at low volumes! Of course they don't do loud very well, because they aren't designed for that. But at low volumes, which is what I am always looking for, they are wonderful! They do not have the flexibility to be house shakers and stay clean sounding, but if low levels are the primary objective, they are a steal in my opinion.

To me a speaker that you don't have to turn up to enjoy is a great speaker. I wish the "reference level" of most home equipment was lower, but of course it's mostly determined by comparison to live performances and that's usually pretty loud.

Incidentally, I think the KLH Kendall is a fabulous budget classical music speaker. It is also great for Techno Dance if you want it to be really really quiet - but who wants to do that?

Thanks, Stingray26. I feel as though you're speaking to what I'm looking for. And actually, lately I'm feeling that I way overspent on my equipment for incremental improvements that are quite impressive, but again, only at rather loud volumes. Indeed, my current system music is often thrilling and impactful, but it's not what I once remember as a warm, musical, forgiving, yet articulate sound. I'm going to check them out online right now. BTW, I had my eye on another KLH, the new model 5. Did you ever compare the Kendall to the 5?