Totem Acoustic

[moves]

Hello,

Totem is a Canadian based company and from what I know, is not as popular in the states. I have a pair of Forests and i am wondering if any of you knowledgeable people have listened to this brand of speaker. If so, what do you think? I've never had a chance to hear some of the speakers you guys talk about (phil, Salk, Revel etc.) and I am wondering if you have an opinion on them on them or even maybe a comparison.

Thanks

 

[fuzz092888]

Hello,

Totem is a Canadian based company and from what I know, is not as popular in the states. I have a pair of Forests and i am wondering if any of you knowledgeable people have listened to this brand of speaker. If so, what do you think? I've never had a chance to hear some of the speakers you guys talk about (phil, Salk, Revel etc.) and I am wondering if you have an opinion on them on them or even maybe a comparison.

Thanks

I've listened to several pairs of Totem speakers, the dreamcatcher, rainmaker, and the wind. All were in a showroom and the acoustics of the room and the placement of the speakers weren't ideal so take all I'm saying with a grain of salt. I wasn't overly impressed with the bookshelves. I think you could definitely do better for the money. With the wind, I thought they were good. They were being driven by all Mcintosh gear and I thought they sounded very good. This was all awhile ago and was before I had my Phil 3's so I can't really offer a comparison, but I did like the wind.

At $6500 per pair (I think that's what I was told) I think you can do a lot better for your money from what I remember them sounding like.

 

[moves]

The winds go for around 10k now. I think they sound amazing.

 

[fuzz092888]

The winds go for around 10k now. I think they sound amazing.

I would never spend $10k on those. I'd much rather soundscapes for that kind if money or a selah line array, but that's me

 

[PENG]

I have heard a few pairs of them including the Forest but I don't remember exactly how well they all sounded except that they all sound great. I do remember one pair, the Element Fire, that sounded fantastic to me. I was so impressed that I looked around to see what's driving it and it was only a little NAD integrated amp. I don't know how much the Fire is going for but it won't be cheap.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

It seems like most things are overpriced to me - both BM and ID brands.

I would not spend $10K on the SoundScape either because I think they are overpriced as well.

For $10K, I would try to score a used pair of Revel Salon2.

Or offer $7,500 on a pair of (10/10 condition) like-new Revel Studio2 from a dealer: Revel Ultima Studio 2 Piano Black Piano Black Fact Demos | Full range | Covina, California 91724 | AudiogoN - The High-end Audio Community

I've heard both the Studio2 and Salon2, and they are extremely close in sound.

 

[moves]

I have heard a few pairs of them including the Forest but I don't remember exactly how well they all sounded except that they all sound great. I do remember one pair, the Element Fire, that sounded fantastic to me. I was so impressed that I looked around to see what's driving it and it was only a little NAD integrated amp. I don't know how much the Fire is going for but it won't be cheap.

I know the monitors go for 6k but the towers are probably at least twice the price. I've heard them once paired with a Levinson and they sounded good. Havn't heard them enough to give a solid opinion on them however.

 

[jcunwired]

I'm with fuzz. I think the Totem towers sound great for both 2 channel and HT. They aren't exactly accurate, but their characteristic sound is very pleasant. The bookshelves on the other hand have been less impressive for the asking price. I recently did an in-home audition of the Rainmakers but kept the Kef Q300. I think in a smaller room the Rainmakers might have come out on top, but not so much in a larger space.

 

[cornelius]

I'm not a huge fan, they're ok - they look cool - but they're sort of boom 'n sizzle...

I remember hearing the Mani-2's at a hi-fi show, and Vince, the owner was demo-ing them. They were all about how much bass you could extract from a smallish cabinet - nothing about sounding natural (or "accurate"...).

Last year I stopped by a store and again, Vince was showing a pair of Element Embers - they had a better balance than his other speakers, but again, I wasn't drawn to them. But, Vince is a super nice guy, it was nice hanging with him...

 

[moves]

You are right. Totems are not meant to be played loud. However, I would say that they will play loud enough for I would say a 15 X 20 room. Personally, I find my Forests very accurate.

 

[Andreas]

The U.S is very different from the European/ market where Totem speakers are held in high regard. Most of the top end models sound best with powerful amps.

Ember
6moons audio reviews: Totem Element Ember

The Forrest, Model Ones get great reviews as well. I always wanted a pair of Totems and may look into the Embers.

 

[fuzz092888]

The U.S is very different from the European/ market where Totem speakers are held in high regard. Most of the top end models sound best with powerful amps.

Ember
6moons audio reviews: Totem Element Ember

The Forrest, Model Ones get great reviews as well. I always wanted a pair of Totems and may look into the Embers.

What do you consider a "powerful amp" that would satisfy your caveat?

 

[Andreas]

I don't own Totems so I don't need to be "satisfied" in that way.

 

[fuzz092888]

I don't own Totems so I don't need to be "satisfied" in that way.

Clearly you missed what I was asking. In plain English, what would you consider to be a powerful amplifier capable of driving a pair of totems so that they sound their best?

 

[moves]

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