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 4 responses by trelja

I'm going to fourth, fifth, sixth, or whatever Nrchy and Duke are pointing out.

Lower volumes, without some sort of equalization will not get you where you are trying to go. The answer lies not only in your speakers, but what comes ahead of them. I will say that no matter what loudspeakers you choose, the right amplification will go a long way towards giving you a sense of weight or not. From what I see and hear, most of what I hear these days does not.
Thank you, Glide3 and Jacytoy.

I am more than a little curious about the DNM equipment. They offer a lot of interesting ideas in terms of their approach. Can you please share with me a bit of your insight as to the sonics of these components, Glide3? I hope to one day be able to listen to this company's products.

I have found that tone/loudness controls to be appropriate in many an application, regardless of whether they are accepted by the "experts" or not. That they have become taboo boxes us into a dangerous corner. Given the number of audiophiles I encounter listening at low volume, I am most surprised why more companies do not implement good tone/loudness controls, more audiophiles do not use them, and why I see such a faint amount of discussion of the Fletcher - Munson Curve.

My old Jadis Orchestra Reference came with bass and treble controls, and the often came in handy. More often than not, at low volumes, though I tended to listen at about 90 dB+. The DA30 that replaced it does not have these, but instead offers up a most unique sound for today. It sounds incredibly rich and warm, and while they seem to be terms thrown around with abandon, I can assure everyone, the amp sounds like VERY little that is produced these days. What I mean is that there is a most definite weight and body to the bass and lower midrange that exerts exactly the kind of sound that I was alluding to earlier.

THIS has finally led me to be able to listen to music at low volumes in an enjoyable manner. And, it is what has shown me that for the most part, this sound comes not from the loudspeaker, but the amplification of one's system.
Mitch, a GOOD graphic equalizer would probably serve an audiophile well.

The only trouble is that I've tried a few when they were more in vogue, and the results were always less than good. They simply took many good things away from the music (dynamics, slam, liquidity) and added just as many bad things (noise, distortion, harshness, brightness). I loaned a friend one about a month or so ago, with the proviso that if he liked/loved it, simply consider it a gift. I told him to expect poor results. We talked not even a day later, and he let me know it was utterly awful.

This sort of goes along with my opinions on preamps, I've yet to hear one that sounded better than no preamp. The best of them still do what I just described, only to a far lesser degree. Of course, anyone spinning vinyl or needing to correct other flaws certainly can make a case for using a preamp.

It would be interesting if a company offered a GOOD graphic equalizer. I'd be game for an audition. The Cello units from the past were supposedly on that level, perhaps someone can chime in with what their impressions were of them, as I have never heard one.

When Jadis introduced the Orchestra Reference, they were making a statement in the way of tone controls. It took some guts, but they aren't a company that with the herd mentality. They haven't put them into anything else in the product line, and have since introduced another JOR model sans tone controls. I will say that I found them worthwhile, and was not afraid to be considered part of the great unwashed by having them. I liked them a lot, and they often came in handy when the wife or friends wanted to hear some boom boom woof woof ala what the rest of the world considers good sound.
Ah, now here in Krellm7's recommendation I have FINALLY found a suggested speaker I will agree with. Electrostatics!

That being said, most electrostatics do not meet the 20 Hz bass/no subwoofer requirement, and they certainly do not meet the WAF requirement. But, no matter how much we hope, pray, beg, borrow, or spend, there is no perfect speaker in the world. Regardless of price range. You do as well as you can, and I think the electrostatics may come closest to what you are searching for sonicwise.

The rest of what I say will cause a lot of people to come out of the woodwork after me with the most vehement opposition... What I hear when I listen to electrostatics is far, far different from how the "conventional wisdom" describes them. Not ultra fast, ultra open, ultra detailed, ultra neutral, or any of the ultra terms normally thrown out there. NONE of that. I hear rich, warm, relaxed, and easy to listen to. Especially at low volumes. Rich and warm above all else, but then, from what we were angling for in a lot of our posts is exactly that. What I call the "pipe and slippers" sound. So, I think that the electrostatic recommendation is particularly brilliant with the aforementioned caveats.