Best quiet speakers?

[admin_exported]

Evening

WHF often talks about speakers coming into their own when you give them a bit of juice. I was wondering what are the best speakers at different price points for quieter listening.

Any thoughts folks?

Chris

 

[plastic penguin]

There are a couple of factors involved: Type of amp and whether your preference is standmounted or floorstanders. Generally speaking floostanders give the best overall quality across the board, due to the cabinet size they tend to not lose any depth at idling levels.

 

[poldo]

Exposure 2010s2 is awesome.

Good example when I was testing the Primare i21 against the Exposure 2010s2, the Primare was not so good at low volumes.

 

[moon]

Evening

WHF often talks about speakers coming into their own when you give them a bit of juice. I was wondering what are the best speakers at different price points for quieter listening.

Any thoughts folks?

Chris

you could try my old Dali's, they're broken and don't make a sound. Or you could try a speaker with a very high sensitivity.

 

[CnoEvil]

As well as high sensitivity (eg. Audio Note), transmission line speakers can sound well at lower volumes (Proac, PMC).

The type of amp plays a role as well....Class A are often great in this respect.

 

[chebby]

WHF often talks about speakers coming into their own when you give them a bit of juice. I was wondering what are the best speakers at different price points for quieter listening.

This is the purpose of a 'loudness' button. To make things a little richer and 'filled out' at low volume levels.

Unfortunately they got a bad name from (a) mis-use by people who just left them switched on at all volumes (b) 20+ years of hair-shirted hifi 'purists' (users, reviewers and manufacturers) who sneered such sensible little niceties into non-existence on so-called 'audiophile' equipment.

Interestingly, Naim introduced a 'loudness' function (for the first time ever) on their UnitiQute. I guess one of their designers realised that the UnitiQute was more likely to be used in a lot of small rooms/offices/studies/bedrooms and with more likelihood of being used at lower volumes.

 

[the record spot]

Simply employ tone controls if you amp has them, EQ-tweaking at the lower end if using the likes of iTunes or similar, or, as Chebby says, use the Loudness button. Saves a lot of time, hassle and for the sake of a couple of hours round midnight , you can ignore the hairshirted brigade too...!

 

[CnoEvil]

This is the purpose of a 'loudness' button. To make things a little richer and 'filled out' at low volume levels.

Unfortunately they got a bad name from (a) mis-use by people who just left them switched on at all volumes (b) 20+ years of hair-shirted hifi 'purists' (users, reviewers and manufacturers) who sneered such sensible little niceties into non-existence on so-called 'audiophile' equipment.

Interestingly, Naim introduced a 'loudness' function (for the first time ever) on their UnitiQute. I guess one of their designers realised that the UnitiQute was more likely to be used in a lot of small rooms/offices/studies/bedrooms and with more likelihood of being used at lower volumes.

My AV amp has Dolby Volume, which (amongst other things) is really just a fancy "loudness" button, and makes listening to films at lower volumes much "gutsier".

 

[plastic penguin]

This is the purpose of a 'loudness' button. To make things a little richer and 'filled out' at low volume levels.

Unfortunately they got a bad name from (a) mis-use by people who just left them switched on at all volumes (b) 20+ years of hair-shirted hifi 'purists' (users, reviewers and manufacturers) who sneered such sensible little niceties into non-existence on so-called 'audiophile' equipment.

Interestingly, Naim introduced a 'loudness' function (for the first time ever) on their UnitiQute. I guess one of their designers realised that the UnitiQute was more likely to be used in a lot of small rooms/offices/studies/bedrooms and with more likelihood of being used at lower volumes.

My AV amp has Dolby Volume, which (amongst other things) is really just a fancy "loudness" button, and makes listening to films at lower volumes much "gutsier".

I always understood that loudness buttons or switches were purely for low listening. I know with old JVC and Pioneer amps once you went over, let's say for example, 9.00 on the volume it either cancelled itself or couldn't hear the difference.

 

[CnoEvil]

I know with old JVC and Pioneer amps once you went over, let's say for example, 9.00 on the volume it either cancelled itself or couldn't hear the difference.

...that's very fancy, on my old amp, it just blew up the speakers. :O