Quote Originally Posted by wdunham
for five years now i have been listening to Klipsch RF3s powered by an NAD c340. i have been generally happy with this combo, but have grown increasingly frustrated with its poor reproduction of music played at low volumes. when i listen at low volume, a reality of my shared-apartment life, the music is muddy and unenjoyable. the set-up sounds great when i can crank it a little, but otherwise i get a very flat and muddled sound. no separation, clarity, etc.

The c340 only provides 40 watts per channel, so my first instinct was to search for speakers with greater efficiency than the RF3s. turns out that the RF3s have high efficiency, and that efficiency is really more about producing loud volumes with little power. I'm not quite sure what the characteristic i'm searching for is called, or what speaker specs might determine it, so i thought i would write and ask you all for advice or recommendations. once again, i want a clear and detailed sound at low volumes. i'm thinking bookshelf speakers, and i'd like to stay under $800 for the pair.

thanks for any help you can provide.

will
I'd personally say that you would have to account for a number of things to improve your sound. Generally, any decent 3-way speaker from most major speaker companies should fit the bill, provided they have a decent efficiency rating, I'd say 92db would be ideal. A high-end power cord would also make a huge difference, provided your amp will allow you to switch cords. Investing in a decent pair of speaker cables would help to bring out the detail a little more too, no need to go crazy on these in terms of $$$. Room acoustics also play a big factor, just make sure you have ideal speaker placement and try dampening material to reduce reverberation. It will take some experimenting, but eventually you'll find something that works.