Low volume (loudness) listening
I do a lot of my listening early in the morning and/or late at night when my wife is sleeping. I listen to CDs I have ripped to my MacBook Air and to Tidal, both via Roon, and a few internet radio stations. The loudest I listen would be 60dB. I understand and it has been my experience that at lower volumes I am missing a lot; especially bass and vocals. Suggestions on what I can do?
My system: Sonus Faber Olympica Nova 3 speakers, Pair of REL T/7x subwoofers, Moon 390 preamp, Moon 330A amp, Emotiva CD player (used occasionally), Roon Nucleus One (Roon core) and LAIV Harmony DAC.
The Room: 16 ft X 22 ft living room. 8 ft ceiling. Oak floors. Reasonably damped with furniture, rugs and wall absorption. TV mounted on wall between speakers and behind furniture with equipment -- common setup.
Thanks for the help.
Evan
+1 Headphones. Over the years I assembled a truly great headphone system. I had no idea how incredible and fully satisfying they can sound... but it constitutes a lot of work and expense. Although for me I have only about 10% the value of my main system... so there is that. One of the great things as well, is that you can use them at times when the house is quiet... adding to their dynamics. |
Nice setup! You’d be surprised how much you can hear when you’re close to the speakers. I do a lot of near field listening in my office any a little less bass is the only thing I notice and that’s listening @45-55 dbs and that’s probably my old cheap Yamaha speakers. While headphones will give you the best performance, I think you will enjoy the SF sound. All the best. |
Nicely curated system Evan! I had the same problem in a large room such as you have. I also like to listen to full range music quietly in the late evening. I upgraded my REL T7/x to REL Serie S which added more presence. I also added a Manley Massive Passive EQ. While I like tweaking on the EQ the most substantive and satisfying upgrade was the subs with the correct crossover settings. I found this valuable https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rdo4yWobFwc
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