@patrickdowns that seems familiar. I haven’t experimented too much but recently tried several preamps. I’m still confused as to what a high quality preamp does, but in this instance the one I tried needed to be quite loud to have any impact compared to the great one I currently have. So that’s an area to explore. I figured it was more about amps, but perhaps it’s about the lowest current gains. I also have a fully balanced system so that seems to raise the average outputs, but as with all systems it seems to do with synergy.
Turn down the Volume!
One topic that seems rarely discussed is volume. If you listen to mixing engineers, it’s their most feared aspect of how their work is measured, since it’s out of their control. This leads to things like loudness wars (assume the worst). As my system has improved, my main takeaway is I can be engaged with 60db peaks, where when I hear other systems you often have to turn it up to 90db peaks for it to sound decent. I’m pretty sure it all has to do with bass and room energy, but wonder if others have a similar experience. Side note that reviews or any subjective ‘better’ statements about gear rarely indicate how loud they are listening. since all we can perceive if volume it is puzzling. I will say if it sounds good with 110 db peaks then that is impressive.
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@curtdr I have the opposite sort of speakers (Magnepan) but a friend has horns. Listening to his system once and while it didn’t ‘seem’ loud, I checked and it was actually over 100db in average. Now perhaps it’s a mistake but could the ‘focus’ of horns have this effect? Bass also plays a huge role, having twin subs seems to counterintuitivey let me turn things down. |
@dain. Well, I can’t speak for all horns, just the ones I own, the Heresy IV, but they play so cleanly that they can get actually very loud without seeming as loud as they are... I’m not sure what you mean by focus, but the Heresy have a large soundstage without losing imaging, to the extent that it’s almost bizarre, and I can sit off to the side and still experience the imaging effects. They are remarkable speakers in that I’ve never really experienced anything quite like them. Plus, to the topic, all those qualities hold even at low volumes, including a non-boomy bass that somehow still pushes against my chest and pulses my legs ... even at low volumes! However, I also get great dispersion and imaging and sound quality from my good old Epicures (updated w Human Speakers parts now, so they’re even better although the originals were already excellent), including engaging bass that tickles the eardrums even at low volumes, though it doesn’t have the chest push of the Heresy... The Heresy and the Epi 100 speakers are very different in their designs and approaches, but both are excellent at low volumes. So, I think it’s not the design itself that matters, but the execution and the quality of the drivers. And yes, a sub or two done right can certainly help maintain the foundational bass at low volumes. I just use one modest but high-quality sub set to unobtrusive levels with low (40hz) cutoff levels because I believe in running speakers the full range that they were designed for, if they are designed and excecuted well, but either set of my speakers would still be excellent without it and in fact I ran w my Epi 100 for many years w/o a sub and they were fine indeed still at low volumes (or high). |
@curtdr that was what I experienced. Very clean but still loud. For his speakers though, he was very focused on midrange, it felt like if there was more bass then you wouldn’t need that volume. Seems like your system and the heresy balances better. |
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