Good sound , low volume?

[stevensuf]

HI All,
I am looking and hoping to set up a system that sounds great at low volume. Now, being back in an apartment and having neighbours, I
need to be considerate about my noise levels. So.. I am trying to figure a system that sounds great with imaging , but at low volumes.

Any ideas or suggestions? I am sure many others have been in this position.


Thanks

Steven.

 

[stevensuf]

PS I am a bit claustrophobic, so hate headphones, speakers only.

 

[coonmanx]

HI All,
I am looking and hoping to set up a system that sounds great at low volume. Now, being back in an apartment and having neighbours, I
need to be considerate about my noise levels. So.. I am trying to figure a system that sounds great with imaging , but at low volumes.

Any ideas or suggestions? I am sure many others have been in this position.


Thanks

Steven.

I use a ten band graphic EQ to set the listening curve so that it sounds good at the level that I listen. That is usually in the 60 dB to 70 dB range because I also live in an apartment. It really isn't much of a drastic curve at all. I am not a fan of loudness switches at all.

 

[coonmanx]

 

[coonmanx]

A little bass boost and a small treble boost as well, but no smiley face. I know some people don't like analog EQ's but I have no issue with using them as long as you don't overdo it. Also pulled out the dB meter to check sound level and it was right between 60 and 70 dB depending on peaks.

 

[unpluggged]

Any ideas or suggestions?

A DAC/Preamp/DSP with dynamic loudness function. Combine this with some good loudspeakers and room EQ, and you are done.

 

[pablolie]

HI All,
I am looking and hoping to set up a system that sounds great at low volume. Now, being back in an apartment and having neighbours, I
need to be considerate about my noise levels. So.. I am trying to figure a system that sounds great with imaging , but at low volumes.

Any ideas or suggestions? I am sure many others have been in this position.

Can you measure the dB you like to listen to?

For real listening sessions, I see myself never exceeding 90dB. Loud enough to discern every detail in my opinion. I don't like any loud constant noises around me.

That said, if the music is bascally a background whisper, bathtub-shaped loudness correction is invariably the way.

 

[pogo]

...sounds great with imaging , but at low volumes...
PS I am a bit claustrophobic, so hate headphones, speakers only.

Sombetzki ESL Home
Your neighbors won't hear a thing, even during loud listening sessions

 

[Matt_Holland]

RME ADI-2 has this feature.

Unfortunately it’s a very rare feature. Meridian Audio’s DSP active speakers have it as standard and that works extremely well. Essentially a set of EQ curves that follow the Fletcher Munson equal loudness contours at varying volume levels. It was not-adjustable in the Meridians, but ideally an implementation will allow you to fine tune the volume level at which the contours are active, based on the SPL at the main listening position and a degree of user preference.

Without a true loudness feature you could create an EQ curve that boosts low frequencies and maybe treble a bit that is a good compromise at the volume levels you typically listen at.

 

[LTig]

HI All,
I am looking and hoping to set up a system that sounds great at low volume. Now, being back in an apartment and having neighbours, I
need to be considerate about my noise levels. So.. I am trying to figure a system that sounds great with imaging , but at low volumes.

Any ideas or suggestions? I am sure many others have been in this position.

You need a good loudness control, like in the RME ADI-2 DAC or the Yamaha stereo amplifiers (A-S301 or above) or (in case of multichannel) an AV amplifier with Audissey Dynamic Volume (e.g. Marantz).

 

[Purité Audio]

A few contemporary active loudspeakers also allow you to programme presets for example late night listening.
Keith

 

[LTig]

A few contemporary active loudspeakers also allow you to programme presets for example late night listening.
Keith

... as do AV amplifiers, but this is a dynamic compressor, not a loudness. Can be useful as well, of course.

 

[Purité Audio]

The Eversolo streamers have both pre configured loudness curves and compression.
Keith

 

[jsrtheta]

A little bass boost and a small treble boost as well, but no smiley face. I know some people don't like analog EQ's but I have no issue with using them as long as you don't overdo it. Also pulled out the dB meter to check sound level and it was right between 60 and 70 dB depending on peaks.

As someone about to turn 73, with the attendant loss of high frequency hearing, I would be lost without my graphic EQ.

 

[Titurel]

If your living situation allows it and most of your listening is done "solo", you might consider going with "near field" monitors, e.g., the Neumann KH 120 A. (Others will undoubtedly have their favorites.) I got by for a number of years doing my critical listening with just a pair of Genelec 1030a studio monitors. They were great close up and served pretty respectably mid-field, where I supplemented them with a sub.

Keeping peace with your neighbors can often be accomplished simply by sitting closer to your speakers.

 

[kemmler3D]

Since you don't need high SPL your budget option is JBL 305P or 308p. Get a WiiM mini and use the EQ to add a low and high frequency boost for loudness compensation. A DAC with a dedicated loudness feature is great, but not a true requirement as long as you don't change the volume level dramatically.

If you can find any of this second hand you will have a very nice sounding system for very low $$.

 

[Doodski]

but no smiley face.

Why not? If that sounds good then that's what sounds good.

 

[Jim Taylor]

Keeping peace with your neighbors can often be accomplished simply by sitting closer to your speakers.

... or bringing the speakers closer to you!
A pair of relatively small speakers (5" 2-ways) positioned within arm's length can perform wonders. If you really need deeper bass, you can add a small sub, set to reasonable level. The neighbors might not hear a thing.

 

[Joe Smith]

Yes, some form of preamp or equalizer, depending on how exact you want to get. Or adjust via software if you are streaming.

I was pleasantly reminded of the nice loudness circuit that my old Yamaha CR-240 receiver has, and used that a lot over the holiday. When the family is over, we listen at very low volumes for background in the main living room. I found that setting the Loudness control to about 7-8 out of 10 worked perfectly to V-shape music played at a very low volume. I think some current Yamahas have this as well.

Some newer mini-amps, many from SMSL, have curves that you can adjust with the remote for different listening situations. I like the AO100 we have in the dining room for this purpose. It has BT and line inputs, digital volume control (not analog) and a lot of different tone manipulations that sound pretty good for the money. I don't think they still offer the AO100 but there are others that have the same tone features.

 

[Timcognito]

Nobody mentioned sensitivity. Speaker with high sensitivity ratings are easier to drive at lower power and will reveal more of the frequency range at low power. Look for something with 90 dB and above sensitivity.