BEST LOW VOLUME FULL RANGE SPEAKERS?


I LISTEN TO MOSTLY INSTRUMENTAL CLASSICAL AND JAZZ AT PRIMARILY LOWER VOLUME LEVELS. MASTER BEDROOM=AROUND 210 SQUARE FEET WITH GOOD ACOUSTIC PROPERTIES.
1) I WOULD LIKE FLOOR STANDING SPEAKERS WITH GOOD BASS INTO 20HZ RANGE THAT DO NOT REQUIRE SEPARATE SUBWOOFERS.
2) THE SPEAKERS SHOULD LOOK GOOD (WAF)AND SHOULD NOT BE TOO BIG,SMALLER THAN 4.5 FEET IN HEIGHT.
3) I COULD SPEND AS MUCH AS 10K OR MORE, BUT WOULD LIKE TO FIND A USED OR DEMO PAIR FOR MUCH LESS THAN THAT.
4) AT THAT MUCH MONEY, THE SPEAKERS SHOULD HAVE GREAT DETAIL, AND THEY SHOULD NOT BE LACKING IN ANY AREA.
I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS. MY ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT SHOULD NOT BE A FACTOR.
REGARDS,
JOHN
jhwalker

Showing 2 responses by glide3

To Trejla's point... an amp/system, that is known to me, that works very well **with the right speaker** at conveying music at low volume is the DNM gear.
Trelja,
I have the DNM PA3S amp and the 3Dsix pre (I'm not sure there are any other sixes in the states at this time) along with all DNM cables and I use the Resolution Audio Opus 21 into the 3Dsix via DIN to DIN (this bypasses the VC of the Opus)
I also have a Nottingham Dais w/12'anna and 47/Miyabi cart.
This all terminates into a pair of John Tuckers 102db Exemplar Horns.
(I have used the DNM gear in many different systems and with many combinations of non dnm gear...while it clearly works best as a system it is excellent in many contexts...as long as normal rules of component compatibility are adhered to)
For sound...I would refer you to the Art Dudley reviews done in Stereophile as he does a much better job of describing the sound than I could. Keep in mind however that the preamp that he raves is two levels below the 3Dsix

Simply put they play music...and from a completely black background. This super low noise floor is perhaps one of their keys to great low level performance.
I suppose it is the sense of immediacy and the spot on tonality that most impress me.
With the right speakers they are about as good as it gets IMHO.
The 3Dsix may be the best pre-amp I've owned...I've owned many :-)
The unit has a world class headphone amp and an excellent MC phono stage that is not embarassed by either the Wavestream Kinetics or ASR Basis exclusive phonostages.

The downsides are the obvious power limitations (22w) although they play more like a tube 22w than SS.
They completely miss the mark with US sensibilites around audio...no remote, they are small, they are plastic, increadibly light in weight and of a...let's say retro looking design....did I mention they are plastic! I love all this about them. and they are absolutely a form follows function design. As a result of the above, along with the general lack of awareness of the product and it's excellence in the US, they have not proven to have good resale.
This is good or bad depending on which end of the transaction you find yourself.
This is actually what got me started with DNM a few years ago....I bought one of their old pre-amps for a song and was blown away by what it did -vs- the multiples times as expensive pre I was using at the time.

Obviously I'm an advocate and my experience with Denis and Martin Moorecroft has been stellar...along with Jeff Kalt of Resolution...who BTW is a great source of knowledge regarding the design behind the gear and the gear itself.

If you find yourself in the Bay Area stop in

Now if I can ever find a pair of Rhedeko 175's I may never come up for air.