Totem Loudspeakers (1 Viewer)

[maverick_spd]

The center channel you are talking about is the signature model one, i have ordered one with my totem winds. Hook up will be done this wknd cant wait to hear the difference.

 

[maverick_spd]

I have just ordered myself a model one signature myself, i will give you feed back as soon as i get it set up.

 

[Totemguy]

Hey there, ChrisKula! As a fan of Totem Acoustic product, I felt that I had to respond. First of all, let it be said that I am in no way an expert, as I have only recently launched myself onto the slippery slope of audio/video. It all started about a year ago with what I thought to be a simple purchase, our first HD LCD t.v. in the form of a Sony 120 Hz HDMI unit (40" to suit our smallish space).

Then the slope....lol We looked for 2 months for a suitable audio set-up. Well, the longer you look, it seems that your tastes, expectations creep ever higher, and we purchased the Yamaha RX-V3800 receiver as the brains to our system. Beautiful piece, much spent on quality and hopefully a long lasting hub for future add-ons etc. Then came the speakers. First heard of Totems about 5 years ago, as we auditioning home theatre components with my folks. Fell in love , not only with the crystal clear, awe inspiring sound, as well as the genius and passion of the builder/designer, Vince Bruzzese, who has been envisioning and fabricating speakers for 20 years, that draw the emotion and soul of music and present it in a way that ones feels immersed. Check out his story, if you have not already (more in future posts).

Initially we purchased a set of Sttaf speakers for our mains in stunning Mahogany but after finding a great deal in Seattle Washington, at a high end audio shop, they moved to the back of the room as surrounds (how decadent!) to make room for 4 more. We have no children, but we now have six Totems...lol.

Rounding out our 5.1 system, a pair of Model 1 signatures for front mains, a similar unit as a center channel, and a monster sub - the Thunder! We also picked up the 2nd to last version of Panasonic's Bluray player, a lower end (to be upgraded) multi-channel & stereo Denon SACD player, HD PVR cable box, and a very good power filter/supply by Belkin pure-AV.

I must say that after 8 months or so, my wife and I are still absolutely in love with the sound and build of the speakers. We originally took the plunge with the purpose of building a very nice home theater experience, with options for future stand alone audio reproduction, but must say that this system seems to satisfy on both fronts, and we enjoy about a 50/50 split of music and video with hi-fi sound with this system.

Our testing and research before buying was crucial to our current contentment, as we asked many questions of several audio type people and salesmen before taking the leap. We were assured and concur that the Totem loudspeakers do a good job meshing and integrating with other units in the same quality/price line, and even lower/higher speaker classes when balanced with a great receiver with good power and control of it's outputs.

Another thing to consider is build quality. We have been very happy with all of our units, as totem generally uses only very good components, cross bracing and high tech internal damping where required. In an unfortunate incident while setting up our system (read... pulling everything off and out of a heavy cabinet 10 times in the first week for wiring/set-up tweaks), I moved a little too swiftly lifting and turning with a Model 1....the sickly thud as it struck the sharp corner wall of the bay where the system resides.....had to sit a spell to compose before building courage to have a look-see at my handiwork.....!! To my surprise and utter relief, not a ding, dent or bruise to the sharp exposed edge of the luscious Sapele Mahogany veneer, but instead a massive paint and plaster chip on the steel corner bead of my wall! Depressed... went immediately to impressed.

One must also consider warranty/customer support before purchasing. On this, I feel compelled to relate this story: We found there to be a slight, but annoying high frequency flutter/vibration emanating from the back of one of the Sttaf speakers when we had them set up as front mains, only during a brief section of a particular movie. None-the-less, it had to be resolved. We drove the speaker some distance to an authorized dealer, who traced the possible cause to a vibration in the cross-over / banana plug panel, but was unable to fully correct it. We made a call to Totem and they immediately asked if we could send the whole speaker back to them, at their expense, both ways, in the massive custom double box shipping carton.

A week or so elapsed, and the speaker returned, repaired and tested, and working perfectly. It must be noted that the Totems come as matched, sequentially numbered pairs, and we were somewhat concerned about a new cross-over/parts exchange etc. It was our impression however thru this experience, that Totem does the original matching using a scope, and may actually keep the records on file for just such an exchange, to match new components as closely as possible to the original configuration, resulting in a pair that still runs in harmony!

During the repair, I had called the customer service department several times with questions about the individual speaker, and how I had configured the speakers with my receiver, always met with prompt, complete answers. Unbelievably, during this exchange, the owner and founder, Vince himself, had phoned while I was at work, and left a further invite to speak with him about a question I had about possible upgrade to my Totem speaker line-up. That just does not happen these days, as in my experience, one is hard-pressed to get past an all too busy and angry phone geek or file pusher. Again, nothing but impressed!

Wow....sorry for going long, and despite my attempt not to gush, it appears that I have done both! In closing, I would just recommend that one pays special attention to the quality and power of the unit you choose to power any Totems. Look to quality, clean power signal, and err on the side of too much available power, rather that median, or having to run an amp/receiver too high up on it's curve.

All of our units, spec. suggested wattage from 30 to 130 Watts on their I.D. tags. Pay special attention the the ohmage on individual sets/lines of Totems as they have an interesting mix of 4, 6, and 8 ohm models, best matched to the outputs/configuration, especially of a high end receiver.

So, get on that slippery slope! More that just ad hype/jargon, remember that, "You don't choose your Totems speakers .... they choose you"!

Mine have spoken, and I am listening.

 

[TeddM]

I've owned a set of Arros and thought they were incredible for their size. They really need to be placed close to a wall to get decent bass output and they simply throw up a huge wall of sound (with a high power quality amp) and they sonically disappear.

Construction is first rate.

 

[Ron Blinky]

i have to disagree! the arrows are a lengend already!there mids are amazing!rainmakers are good but coloured up and bright! the arrows smoke them! and the hawks are evne better,holographic imaging,supre smooth clean deep clear and powerful! they are dynamite! the arrows are so 3d holographic you will be shocked!they need good gear ,there the real deal! i would say that the rain makers are pritty well the bottom for totems!lol.just saying ,i know the well all of them!....the arrows mids ar so fast and accurate,that if not set right can sound thin,and they do very good base !40 easy!hope this helps!