Hello, I am looking for advice / recommendations on a secondary system for late-night / low-level (below 50dB) music and movies.
I live in an apartment in a very old house and as I listen to music late at night, I am increasingly reluctant to use headphones. My living room/listening room is about 35 sqm, with a 3.7m high ceiling.
I am now looking for a second system that would sound good, and hopefully look good, for late-night listening and listening in the background during the day.
The music I listen to ranges from jazz, electronica, opera, classical, but very little amplified rock. I am looking for a detailed, musical, something easy to live with and kind of keep in the background.
If I try to describe my goal in my own terms, I think I am looking for something that can literally disappear against the wall and 'fill the room' with music (musical is more important than realistic or resolving) even at very low levels, and yet still have good center imaging for watching TV or movies when I want to (the speakers would obviously be placed on each side of the screen).
I guess it describes a 'lifestyle' system more than an audiophile system, although audio quality should be evident and non-fatiguing even over long periods of listening, even if I want to turn the volume up (some Bose systems make good background wallpaper music but do not sound good at moderate levels in my experience).
Note - I already have a resolving, full-bodied system that I like and which works for me, only it does not really 'lighten up' below 60 dB), and then it becomes almost 'too' resolving. I also have headphones, wired and wireless, and I want something that sounds good and enables me to walk around the room freely.
On the wishlist - Ideally the amp/receiver should have a good quality integrated DAC which supports DSD on USB or HDMI (I have ripped my music to high resolution PCM to DSD64), be able to drive 2 pairs of speakers (in case I want to use a separate set of speakers for daytime listening). If it doesn't have a DAC, it should at least have a remote control.
I already own a DAC (two, in fact) of decent quality so if the built-in DAC is average, I'd rather invest in the amp section and use my DACs instead. Some people say that built-in DACs these days are as good as separate DACs of 10-15 years ago, so I guess I am open to trying new things.
I don't need a phono input, as I already have a very decent phono pre (Audiomat) which works fine for me.
For amps, my research leads me towards the more recent Yamaha or Technics lines of integrated amps, and the budgets are (almost) reasonable. The top of the line Technics model (SU-R1000) would be of interest, but it is too expensive for me. In terms of pure-analog integrated amps, Luxman L550 AXII or Accuphase E280 would be on the high side for me, so I would hope to find something slightly less expensive.
A class A integrated amp with high efficiency wall speakers is probably one option, if I can find a good combination.
Hegel is a name that is often mentioned by reviewers, but I am not sure Hegel would have the 'musical' or kind of late-night sound that I am looking for. However, if there is a well-established synergy with some wall speakers and Hegel amp, why not.
Note = If the amp is detailed and musical, it can eventually take center stage and help me simplify my system, so I am flexible regarding the budget (within reason).
As for the speakers, I have heard many times that high-efficiency speakers are ideal for late-night listening, but all I can find is Klipsch and they are big speakers and usually quite bass-heavy.
I have identified some 'wall' speakers (Jean-Marie Raynaud EMP Nano, but I am sure there are others), and I like the idea of on-wall speakers because I don't want to clutter my living room with yet more speakers (I have one, and sometimes two, pairs of floorstanders and a pair of LS50W on stands which take up a lot of space).
My ideal budget for an integrated amp, speakers and cables would be in the €5-6K range, although if there is a real benefit in stretching to 7K that would be possible.
If I have to stretch out to 10k but that would mean disposing of my other gear, so it would really need to be a great system combination.
If some of you have recommendations or suggestions (ideally, of products you are using or have used for some time), I would be very interested.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Happy holiday season to all.
I live in an apartment in a very old house and as I listen to music late at night, I am increasingly reluctant to use headphones. My living room/listening room is about 35 sqm, with a 3.7m high ceiling.
I am now looking for a second system that would sound good, and hopefully look good, for late-night listening and listening in the background during the day.
The music I listen to ranges from jazz, electronica, opera, classical, but very little amplified rock. I am looking for a detailed, musical, something easy to live with and kind of keep in the background.
If I try to describe my goal in my own terms, I think I am looking for something that can literally disappear against the wall and 'fill the room' with music (musical is more important than realistic or resolving) even at very low levels, and yet still have good center imaging for watching TV or movies when I want to (the speakers would obviously be placed on each side of the screen).
I guess it describes a 'lifestyle' system more than an audiophile system, although audio quality should be evident and non-fatiguing even over long periods of listening, even if I want to turn the volume up (some Bose systems make good background wallpaper music but do not sound good at moderate levels in my experience).
Note - I already have a resolving, full-bodied system that I like and which works for me, only it does not really 'lighten up' below 60 dB), and then it becomes almost 'too' resolving. I also have headphones, wired and wireless, and I want something that sounds good and enables me to walk around the room freely.
On the wishlist - Ideally the amp/receiver should have a good quality integrated DAC which supports DSD on USB or HDMI (I have ripped my music to high resolution PCM to DSD64), be able to drive 2 pairs of speakers (in case I want to use a separate set of speakers for daytime listening). If it doesn't have a DAC, it should at least have a remote control.
I already own a DAC (two, in fact) of decent quality so if the built-in DAC is average, I'd rather invest in the amp section and use my DACs instead. Some people say that built-in DACs these days are as good as separate DACs of 10-15 years ago, so I guess I am open to trying new things.
I don't need a phono input, as I already have a very decent phono pre (Audiomat) which works fine for me.
For amps, my research leads me towards the more recent Yamaha or Technics lines of integrated amps, and the budgets are (almost) reasonable. The top of the line Technics model (SU-R1000) would be of interest, but it is too expensive for me. In terms of pure-analog integrated amps, Luxman L550 AXII or Accuphase E280 would be on the high side for me, so I would hope to find something slightly less expensive.
A class A integrated amp with high efficiency wall speakers is probably one option, if I can find a good combination.
Hegel is a name that is often mentioned by reviewers, but I am not sure Hegel would have the 'musical' or kind of late-night sound that I am looking for. However, if there is a well-established synergy with some wall speakers and Hegel amp, why not.
Note = If the amp is detailed and musical, it can eventually take center stage and help me simplify my system, so I am flexible regarding the budget (within reason).
As for the speakers, I have heard many times that high-efficiency speakers are ideal for late-night listening, but all I can find is Klipsch and they are big speakers and usually quite bass-heavy.
I have identified some 'wall' speakers (Jean-Marie Raynaud EMP Nano, but I am sure there are others), and I like the idea of on-wall speakers because I don't want to clutter my living room with yet more speakers (I have one, and sometimes two, pairs of floorstanders and a pair of LS50W on stands which take up a lot of space).
My ideal budget for an integrated amp, speakers and cables would be in the €5-6K range, although if there is a real benefit in stretching to 7K that would be possible.
If I have to stretch out to 10k but that would mean disposing of my other gear, so it would really need to be a great system combination.
If some of you have recommendations or suggestions (ideally, of products you are using or have used for some time), I would be very interested.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Happy holiday season to all.
Last edited: