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Any fans of Totem Speakers?

i'm on my second pair of Totem Forest speakers, heard the originals at a hifi show outside Edinburgh...

had Linn Kabers tri-activ at the time, they and their associated amps/Xover box went bye bye.

the originals were cherry and came with "beaks".

popped into Loud 'n Clear one day and they had a pair of Forest Signatures!....wowsers!.

for their diminutive size and WAF factor they're hard to beat :).
 
Mike Hanson said:
Having the system in place for a day now, I can report that the bass is exactly as hoped, and high frequencies are still rather soft to my ear. I couldn't live with this as my main system, but it's suitable for the bedroom.
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The Mites are definitely warmer than the Royd stuff (A lot of it was quite tipped up) still, They are quite a musical speaker. They seem to draw me in to just listen to the song rather than worrying about the gear as much. With them over a foot from the wall on my brio they sound fantastic.
 
@Mike Hanson: After playing with the Mites a bit more I remembered about a little box that might liven the top end. It's a Bellari Exciter. I have some software ones running on my Foobar instance and it definitely helps there.

Interestingly enough for me they have about the right amount. I have actually heard people say they are too bright too!

Gervais Cote said:
Female voices, oboe and violin sound way more realistic with the LS3/5A. Not in the same category IMO.
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Can the same be said across the Totem range? I have heard the Model 1 and Mani 2 are absolutely amazing on classical music.
 
x21 said:
@Mike Hanson: After playing with the Mites a bit more I remembered about a little box that might liven the top end. It's a Bellari Exciter. I have some software ones running on my Foobar instance and it definitely helps there.

Interestingly enough for me they have about the right amount. I have actually heard people say they are too bright too!



Can the same be said across the Totem range? I have heard the Model 1 and Mani 2 are absolutely amazing on classical music.
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Model One is way better than the entry level Totem and lovely. If I wasn’t a bass freak, they would be on my top wishlist for all kinds of music.
 
Mike Hanson said:
The Mite's soft highs and warm demeanor are fine in the bedroom, as I don't want it to be too engaging there.
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My pair seems to be right where I want them. Although I am likely 25 years younger so that makes a fair difference.

I do also have a pair of Royd Eden's, Rega Ela Mk i, Totem Hawk, Technics SB-C700, and NHT SuperOne 2.1 among others.

Gervais Cote said:
Model One is way better than the entry level Totem and lovely. If I wasn’t a bass freak, they would be on my top wishlist for all kinds of music.
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So Mani-2? :)
 
x21 said:
My pair seems to be right where I want them. Although I am likely 25 years younger so that makes a fair difference.



So Mani-2? :)
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Mani 2 long has been on my wishlist and I own a NAP 250.2 that’s a good match for them.
Nevertheless, they are difficult to find and use a metal dome tweeter that I am not a fan of.
So, one day I got tired and asked one of my friend who is a speaker designer to build me something between the Totem Mani 2 and the Linn Sara and he did with success as these monitors go down to 32 Hz and have a ton of punch while having a sweet and soft treble :

 
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Gervais Cote said:
1: Mani 2 long has been on my wishlist and I own a NAP 250.2 that’s a good match for them.


2: Nevertheless, they are difficult to find and use a metal dome tweeter that I am not a fan of.
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#1: I have heard even that struggles to drive the Mani-2 properly. NAP 300+ is recommended on those apparently for Naim.

#2: It all depends on what you pair with. I heard Totem Hawks impress me on vocals about as much as P3ESRs with the right gear. I must admit I am going back about 5 years so accuracy is based on how well I remember.
 
x21 said:
#1: I have heard even that struggles to drive the Mani-2 properly. NAP 300+ is recommended on those apparently for Naim.

#2: It all depends on what you pair with. I heard Totem Hawks impress me on vocals about as much as P3ESRs with the right gear. I must admit I am going back about 5 years so accuracy is based on how well I remember.
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#1 : My actual isobaric monitors can be driven by a NAP 110 so they really rock with a 250.2, probably harder to do with the Mani 2 but never had the opportunity to try.

#2 : I also heard some metal dome tweeters paired with vacuum tubes amps and it was sublime but I am more a fan of solid state amps so don’t work for me.
 
Gervais Cote said:
#1 : My actual isobaric monitors can be driven by a NAP 110 so they really rock with a 250.2, probably harder to do with the Mani 2 but never had the opportunity to try.

#2 : I also heard some metal dome tweeters paired with vacuum tubes amps and it was sublime but I am more a fan of solid state amps so don’t work for me.
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#1 I know a lot of dealers said it was brutal for the Mani-2. I know the Linn Sara was quite a bit easier to drive.
#2 Perhaps not the right solid state amp.
 
As mentioned upstream in this thread, I found that using Blu Tak under my Arros was the best option for stabilizing them on a hard surface. Lately, I've been using them with a Nait 1 and a Rega Apollo-R. Killer small system.
 
I'm not familiar with the Naim or Linn gear, but the Mani-2 do work very well with some tube gear such as my Audio Research VT1000 MkII (2x100W). As with any speaker with decent bass (they're quoted to reach 27 or 29Hz -3dB), placement is key...
 
EIffel said:
I'm not familiar with the Naim or Linn gear, but the Mani-2 do work very well with some tube gear such as my Audio Research VT1000 MkII (2x100W). As with any speaker with decent bass (they're quoted to reach 27 or 29Hz -3dB), placement is key...
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Not a fan of Audio Research myself but eh, any speakers sound amazing when fed by such an amplifier IMO!
 
Mike Hanson said:
The Mite's soft highs and warm demeanor are fine in the bedroom, as I don't want it to be too engaging there.
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I have heard different opinions on the Mite. Some people even say they are too bright. With my Brio they are about perfect sounding for me in a small 11'x12' room.
 
x21 said:
I have heard different opinions on the Mite. Some people even say they are too bright. With my Brio they are about perfect sounding for me in a small 11'x12' room.
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I've heard just two pairs myself.
  • The first was a couple of decades ago, which I remembered sounding nice, but not as engaging and rhythmic as I wanted.
  • The second was a pair that I picked up used earlier this year, out of curiosity. I had really liked the Forests before eventually choosing the Royd Albion, and I've always respected Vince Bruzzese of Totem. The Mites are definitely not comparable to the Forests, but now my itch is scratched. ;)
FWIW, I've tried this pair here with a series of amps, and their character hasn't changed much. Perhaps another pair would sound different.
 
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