Nearfield Low-Level Listening : New Speakers or EQ? Thoughts?

Thanks for all the input, feedback, advice, cautions, and even the non-sequiturs.  The Loki Max arrives today, so I should have impressions here next week.  Any further counsel on EQ settings will be heard and heard.

Kind regards, gm

OP here, time to check back in. I received the Schiit Loki Max EQ, and wow. I have always enjoyed my new/current system, but during my frequent low volume listening sessions, a fullness and sound stage were missing. As mentioned before, I thought about buying new speakers.

So I’m a week or so into the Loki Max EQ, and I would not send it back, or trade it, and would fight anyone who tried to take it. Upon first listen, the low volume details were profound. The room filled with sound. Not surprisingly, I do enjoy being able to tweak the sound, subtly, from the couch with the remote. As for the three preset EQ settings; one each for flat, low volume, loud. Perfect for me.

My only complaint about the Loki Max EQ, and the also excellent Schiit Skoll Phono Pre, is their stubbornness to not put a power switch in the front. I keep my components in a rack, so it is very difficult to reach my hand in behind and shift things around in order to just turn them on and off. Schiit says it does this for cost reasons. But in the Loki Max case, they call it a “cost is no object” component, so there’s that. Anyway, that’s a minor complaint, but I do find that I use them both less often, solely due to this inconvenience.

In summary, I like the Schiit Loki Max EQ, a lot. Solved my low listening level woes. If the power switch were on the front, I would love it.

EQ.  Mainly for flexibility.  I miss the Denon style variable loudness controls.