Hi,

I just moved into a new apartment and am looking into buying a
surround-speaker system in about the $1000 range... Unfortunately my new
apartment is an APARTMENT so I can never play anything at a satisfying
volume. So can I trade volume level for quality? What kinds of speakers do
better at lower volumes? so is it POSSIBLE to fulfill the following wants
/ needs?

1. Don't annoy the neighbors too much - I don't want the coop board throwing
us out on the street, espcially in December
2. High quality at low / medium volumes
3. Speakers will be used 50% music, 50% TV and Movies - so music
reproduction is REAL important.
4. I'm thinking that giant loud Bass is NOT that important cause that's
exactly what's going to make the neighbors hate me.
5. Budget is about $1000-$1500 (Plus more if I need to get a new tuner)
6. 5.1 6.1 or 7.1 ???? Should I start with 5.1 and then just buy an addl
pair of speakers if I need to upgrade?

What about a tuner? I've been looking at a few Denons that look good, but is
it worth $400 - $500 if I can't even crank them?

Are there any things I can do to minimize the sound transmission through the
floor and ceiling to my neighbor's ears? (in addition to turning down the
bass) - Are there any magic different-apartment floor-phase-cancellation
devices?

Our room is a rectangle - approx. 14' x 21' and about 9.5' high

There are just TOO many choices out there! Where do I begin?

Thanks a lot

-Mike

Afew years back, Kef made floorstanding speakers with an interesting woofer
arrangement. The woofers were opposed and connected with a force cancelling
rod. Consequently, very little bass was transmitted to the cabinet. These
were the "Reference Series", prior to replacement with the current lineup. I
have a set and can attest to their excellence.

Aside from that, you could go for very high quality minimonitors. Provided
the cabinet construction is heavy enough, you could get away with placing
the cabinets on thick foam pads. This is generally a bad thing to do, but if
the cabinets are sufficiently massive, it will work at low volume.

One speaker to look at, if cost is no object, is the Platinum Audio Solo, a
small monitor of massive construction. The Kef RDM is also quite solid, as
are a number of small bookshelf speakers.

There isn't really a speaker that is particularly suited to low volumes, but
the better the speaker, the better it will sound. In your case, you may
benefit from electronic compensation for the Fletcher Munson effect, which
describes the reduction of the ear's sensitivity to both low and high
frequencies at low sound levels. To restore the subjective balance, boost
curves can be used that compensate for Fletcher Munson. Hence, a good
equalizer may serve you well.

You would probably also enjoy the effect of a compander, which has the
ability to compress the extremes of volume of music to levels that can be
perceived by the ear when played at low volumes. High end home theater
processors have this function.


"Mike Goldsman" wrote in message
nk.net...
Hi,

I just moved into a new apartment and am looking into buying a
surround-speaker system in about the $1000 range... Unfortunately my new
apartment is an APARTMENT so I can never play anything at a satisfying
volume. So can I trade volume level for quality? What kinds of speakers do
better at lower volumes? so is it POSSIBLE to fulfill the following
wants
/ needs?

1. Don't annoy the neighbors too much - I don't want the coop board
throwing
us out on the street, espcially in December
2. High quality at low / medium volumes
3. Speakers will be used 50% music, 50% TV and Movies - so music
reproduction is REAL important.
4. I'm thinking that giant loud Bass is NOT that important cause that's
exactly what's going to make the neighbors hate me.
5. Budget is about $1000-$1500 (Plus more if I need to get a new tuner)
6. 5.1 6.1 or 7.1 ???? Should I start with 5.1 and then just buy an addl
pair of speakers if I need to upgrade?

What about a tuner? I've been looking at a few Denons that look good, but
is
it worth $400 - $500 if I can't even crank them?

Are there any things I can do to minimize the sound transmission through
the
floor and ceiling to my neighbor's ears? (in addition to turning down the
bass) - Are there any magic different-apartment floor-phase-cancellation
devices?

Our room is a rectangle - approx. 14' x 21' and about 9.5' high

There are just TOO many choices out there! Where do I begin?

Thanks a lot

-Mike