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SPEAKERS THAT SOUND ALIVE & DYNAMIC AT LOW LISTENING LEVELS

  1. Seeking speakers that sound alive and dynamic at 55 dbs with occasional peaks at 60 dbs. Headphones do not work for me. My ears were just tested and ENT advised my ears are normal for a 72 year old. He said that I have normal age related hearing loss. My ears are uncomfortable when I listen over 55 dbs.  My current system is as follows:

Martin Logan11A impression loudspeakers with 2 SVS 4000 subs. 

Bryston 4B3 Cubed power amp & Bryston BP-19 preamp.

Chord Qutest Dac-with LHY linear power supply.   

Lumin U2 mini  streamer with S Booster power supply.

Before I change speakers I plan to upgrade my DAC to Weiss 204 with Linear power supply, and then purchase Schitt Audio Loki Max equalizer (to boost bass and treble) hopefully to counteract Fletcher Munson Curve.

Finally I was thinking of Klipsch Forte 4 & Cornwall 4, and Frigg 2 by O Audio, as

reviews of all three say they all sound great at low volumes.   I know many say Klipsch is not high end or very revealing, but is there anybody out there that owns or has heard any of the above. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I enjoy this hobby and the great music it brings to the table. I don't want to stop listening and just seeking to find a solution that would allow me to continue musical enjoyment.

Thanks for your thoughts.
 

 

128x128kjl1065
paqua123
77 posts
 

How do you know Russ? Im interested?

audiodidact's avatar
audiodidact
89 posts
 

Op, just one more consideration:  Don't forget noise reduction.  You haven't specified your room acoustics or what you are using to reduce signal/source noise.  My goal is to attain a complete black background in the listening space, so that the sound shines through.  I find isolation/dampening and power conditioning help make a significant improvement in enjoying music at any volume level.  I've worked many tweaks into the system just for that purpose. Also, it makes a difference what time of day or evening I listen.  Evenings are flat-out the best for me.  But early mornings can be also be good, as there is, theoretically, less noise from the power grid coming to the house.  The right equipment is vital, but if you  want to "feel" the music at low volume nearly the way you do at higher levels, I suggest you put work into reducing noise, as much as finding better gear.

lanx0003
908 posts
 

RC + PEQ from Wiim, possibly with a Umik-1. You could EQ the L/R channels separately as well as the subwoofer to achieve better integration of the system. Minimize possible phase shift with proper settings in Q, slope, target curve, and so forth. Very effective. Not compared to the Loki Max yet, but I believe the digital EQ coupled with RC is more precise / effective than analog EQ.

Right now, at 5 AM, my room's ambient noise is about 25 dBA, and I'm listening to my system at 50 dBA. The low frequencies below 100 Hz are boosted by about 5–8 dB (I limit it) using PEQ. The bass notes in this setting are clean and articulated. The overall soundstage shrinks, but hey, let me know if you have a better way to maintain a similar soundstage at this low volume level.

dickieboy's avatar
dickieboy
63 posts
 

I agree that hearing aids should be your first upgrade. A nice tube preamp might be next step. 

carlsbad2's avatar
carlsbad2
1,844 posts
 

@deep_333 I have long been intrigued by that speaker pictrued but have never heard it. At 103 dB/watt is should excell at low volumes. I do worry that it doesn’t have the mid bass driver that this manufacturer usually uses. However, the designer prides himself on a flat frequency response so I’m sure he has it figured out. I do have a lot of experience with this brand (although not in my system right now) and the low mass midrange array is one of the best upper midrange performers I’ve ever heard and it does sound great at low levels.

Jerry

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