I've got an Arcam Solo and some Monitor Audio Bronze BR5s, silver anniversary biwired. I like the sound a lot when it's loud, but it really is as dull as dishwater when quiet. I know that's fairly typical and it's due to the ear's insensitivity to bass at low volumes, but I've played with the bass level and the "bass correction" (whatever that is - I never did understand the manual's explanation, lol), but nothing improves it much. I suspect I underspent on speakers to begin with. So what does one do for great quiet sound? It's going to be a long time before I can buy a place where I don't have neighbours, lol! At the moment I'm wondering whether to begin an upgrade by buying a bass bin then switching to stand-mounts later, but I confess to being a floor-stander addict. My room is 16' x 12' and fairly soft, acoustically.
Low-level listening
- Thread starter VCalegon
- Start date
There are amps such as the Yamaha AS amps which you can alter the Loudness for when you want to listen at lower volumes. The other option and probably the best is to get some headphones if you don't already have some. You could also experiment with other speakers. Try a few on Ebay and re-sell if their not your cup of tea. Headphones are definitely the best option if you can't always listen at loud volumes using speakers.
Yes, I've got some Sennheiser HD650s, but even they are not as good as listening to speakers. In 1978 I heard a Linn Sondeck played through a Cambridge amp and some Kef speakers and it seemed to fill a huge room beautifully with no effort, so I wish I knew how to reproduce that sound!
idc
Well-known member
- Jan 2, 2008
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I think that it is the hardest thing for a hifi system to do, play well quietly. My grandmothers B&O could do it. It is why I have switched to listening to headphones all of the time.
I don't know for sure, but a power house of an amp with very sensitive speakers makes sense as a way of doing what you want. But I suspect that in the real worrld it is not that simple.
I don't know for sure, but a power house of an amp with very sensitive speakers makes sense as a way of doing what you want. But I suspect that in the real worrld it is not that simple.
chebby
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- Jun 2, 2008
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If you are not doing it already (and if it's practical), sit closer.
The best speakers I had for low-level listening (with an Arcam Solo-Mini) were my old Rega R3s.
The R3s had an odd configuration (mid-range driver near the top of the front panel with tweeter just underneath, bass drivers on the sides - pointing towards each other in my set-up - and front ported) and I sometimes wonder if that, and their tolerance for placement near corners/against walls, and their 89db sensitivity all conspired to make them ideal for low-volume listening.
The Rega R3 successors (Rega RS3) are £700 so they are not a practical suggestion in this instance. But if you find any R3s on ebay for a good price, and in good nick, then snap them up. If you don't get on with them (you will) then you can sell for what you paid - easily - as they don't hang around long on there!
The best speakers I had for low-level listening (with an Arcam Solo-Mini) were my old Rega R3s.
The R3s had an odd configuration (mid-range driver near the top of the front panel with tweeter just underneath, bass drivers on the sides - pointing towards each other in my set-up - and front ported) and I sometimes wonder if that, and their tolerance for placement near corners/against walls, and their 89db sensitivity all conspired to make them ideal for low-volume listening.
The Rega R3 successors (Rega RS3) are £700 so they are not a practical suggestion in this instance. But if you find any R3s on ebay for a good price, and in good nick, then snap them up. If you don't get on with them (you will) then you can sell for what you paid - easily - as they don't hang around long on there!
Perhaps Harbeth might be worth checking out :
Alan Shaw - Designer/owner Harbeth UK : "The home hifi secret is to use as little acoustic power as possible yet to achieve a warm, natural sound. That means you will have to be very selective about the fundamental speaker design philosophy that you use. All Harbeth speaker share this common, 'natural sound at a moderate listening level' concept."
Their P3ESR would be unobtrusive in your room and is £1500.
Alan Shaw - Designer/owner Harbeth UK : "The home hifi secret is to use as little acoustic power as possible yet to achieve a warm, natural sound. That means you will have to be very selective about the fundamental speaker design philosophy that you use. All Harbeth speaker share this common, 'natural sound at a moderate listening level' concept."
Their P3ESR would be unobtrusive in your room and is £1500.
Get a single ended valve amp and some compatible speakers. Job done, the best, and imo, the only way to go. I loves spending peoples money i does.
Oi modders, thats my old avatar,lol.
Oi modders, thats my old avatar,lol.
Found this thread interesting, as despite having a 50wpc amp, I’m getting sparkling results at low levels. I have speakers at 88db sensitivity, a higher than average output from my source, and good cabling to get at much of the signal through the system as possible. Found Chebby’s post interesting because my speakers are also front ported, and they don’t rely on being close to a rear wall. They are sited about 2ft from both rear and side walls. I think the speaker design does have a great deal to do with it, allied to a good quality source. I’ve had other sources in my system that have sounded as ‘dull as dishwater’ and because of this simple fact, they gained little sonic presence at low level. However, there’s no doubt that there are a number of factors at work.
plastic penguin
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- Apr 28, 2008
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VCalegon said:
Simple answer: Monitor Audio RS6s. Sounded great at low levels with my A65+ which was only 40 watts per channel. They can be picked up for as little as £300 on the Bay.
Low-level listening was a priority when I decided to upgrade my speakers recently and I think the Epos Epic 2 are doing a very good job of it. The spec is basically a good quality standmount, easily driven with sensitivity 90db, excellent detail retrieval and a very clear mid range. Bass is punchy and accurate without feeling like it's travelling through the floors and ceiling.
My musical preferences will be informed by the time of day, and late-night, post-pub it will often be female vocal, acoustic instruments, etc as opposed to heavy rock, and for this type of listening I really think the Epic 2 do a great job so worth considering if they're within your budget.
My musical preferences will be informed by the time of day, and late-night, post-pub it will often be female vocal, acoustic instruments, etc as opposed to heavy rock, and for this type of listening I really think the Epic 2 do a great job so worth considering if they're within your budget.
PhilPub said:
My set-up is geared for low volume listening too sadly *Grrr*, which is why I have my Focal's and an excellent job they do too. Your description of the Epic's attributes mirror mine of the Focal's exactly, so they would make an interesting comparison I think.
Clearly I should have bought the RS6s first off. But now I'm looking at an upgrade, probably plugging a Cyrus CD player (I haven't decided whether it will the 6 or the 8 ) into the back of the Solo, then finally going for a suitable amp, so the RS6s will no longer be good enough for that. I was thinking of starting the upgrade with the speakers and killing two birds with one stone. But the question has now become a bit too broad. I could have gone for the Dali Icon 6s, but the review mentions their mid-range and doesn't say anything about the bass.
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