Sadly it works though.
Better low volume listening quality was striking when I demoed a 300DR vs olive 250’s.
Sadly it works though.
Better low volume listening quality was striking when I demoed a 300DR vs olive 250’s.
Kudos S20A perform very well at very low volumes. Especially so, after I went from 250.2 to 300DR. I was actually quite surprised by the amount of music being transferred, even at hardly audible levels. Low frequencies are actually quite outstanding. I believe both 250DR and 300DR are excellent amps (it does not hurt me at all, to switch back from 300DR to 250DR). When it comes to quiet listening, 300DR is a clear winner to my old ears (I am still not deaf).
Efficient speakers with large drivers tend to play better and more dynamic at low volume.
My Dynaudio Confidence C2 Platinum with a pair of REL S/510 subs sound excellent at low volume (e.g. mid-60s to low-70s) - much more so with a 300DR than they did with the 250DR I had for them at first.
Right now I am playing a mono Debussy recording by Walter Gieseking at about 55-65db and it sounds sublime.
Larger woofer & concentric design.
Fyne 700 series
Tannoy SGM
driving a CD player, 135s would be terrific but what would be the ideal preamp to use? How about a tube preamp like the Cary SLP?
That’s a good question, to which I don’t have answer. Traditional wisdom suggests a good preamp, such as the 52; but other options should exist.
The Kudos are fantastic speakers in every respect.
They always sound good.
I wouldn’t know what other speakers I could replace them with…
Absolutely no intention of changing.
Quality drive units and minimal high quality components.
I’ve use mine with KS-1 too.
X3s.
My listening room is 4x4 metres.
I sometimes wonder how a Harbeth Compact 7 would sound against the X3?
Speakers are very personal and room dependant best advise always is try before you buy.
I know it’s a pain but you don’t want lumped with a disappointment.
Different speakers might have different signatures but in different rooms and furnishings can be deal breakers.
No Bass? Buy a Naim Qute and Activate Loudness
I loved my old NAP 200 however the only concern I had was the lack of good bass at low to moderate listening levels. Upgrading to the 250 fixed that.
Any Ls3/5a sound good at low volumes and they have a pseudo bass boost that sounds like it is happening but doesn’t move through walls and floors so good for neighbors. They image well have a very deep sound stage (with Atoms) and still retaining PRAT. All the music is there at low volumes even with large orchestras and rock and roll. Please note there are limitations out of a 12 inch high speaker but if you think of the small size and the quality of play back it will blow your mind. Use 3.5m Nac A5 cables and good quality 24” stands for best results.
Spendor A4. On my SN3, I hardly ever go beyond 10 AM on the volume. Most times less.
I’ve asked my wife for a Naim NE 200 Equalizer for Xmas but she misunderstood it and hired some Assassin.
Are you going to use him?
Referring back to the thread title, “Speakers that sound good at low volumes”, I think there are a lot of speakers that would sound best at zero volume, sounding increasingly awful as audible level rises… and Some I have heard, others just based on perception from other peoples’s descriptions or from specifications…