I took a hard look at these speakers as they fit my size needs but wasn't sure as some have stated Totem needs alot of power to come alive regardless of SPL level. Also, I saw the measured frequency curve published at a review site and it seems counter to what people are reviewing. The curve is weaker in the lows and low mids, jumps up then abruptly drops and highs that keep extending upwards indicating it may be tiring to listen to after a time. That jump in the curve gets it to 87dB but it seems more like 83 to 84 dB in much of the curve. Exciting at first from the extending high frequencies but tiring over time. Some people have described Totem that way while others have not. Nemo seemed to like them and he hates bright speakers from what I have watched. A very enigmatic speaker for me to estimate how I would like or not like it. Any thoughts on why these seem to work for some and not for others?
not true re power. I heard them first (totem arro about 15 years ago) on a very old early 80s marantz that couldn't have been more than 40 watts, and they just sung. Totally holographic. Notes floating through the air. And... those Arros are rated at 4ohms. Totem has both 4ohm and 8ohm speakers in their lineup. Arguably, it would be the 4ohm that want more power? The Bisons are rated at 8ohm.
I upgraded from the meta … the totems sound bigger to me better bass when broken in, but they don’t image like the meta’s .. that’s what I miss about the meta’s
AsciLabs A6B in the future, there's also March Audio Sointuva. Can depends on how wide dispersion you'd like as some are wider than others despite them all using waveguide and Purifi
Hard to justify that much when one can get 95%+ for half that price. I agree with you that too many people never give enough time to properly break in any of their system. I’ve got some Martin Logan Motion 60XT that took a good 50 hours before their sound warmed up.
It's not hard to justify. Maybe for you. You get what you pay for man, there's no cheat code in speakers regardless of whatever marketing you're reading.
@@Audfile That is utterly false. If we ignore the very cheapest of speakers (and the most expensive!) There is a very general mild correlation with price on AVERAGE, but there are a plethora of speakers that perform significantly better and significantly worse than their price would suggest, and don't even get me started on DIY - ALWAYS superior for the $ if you do it right. In audio there is most certainly NO guarantee that you get what you pay for - most people pay for name brand, aesthetics, finish/build quality - but the design, engineering, and components, are ALL over the place and often far less than what should be there for the price. This is not about the Totem's in particular, they may be of great quality (but are still overpriced for their small 2-way format IMO, which is FAR too inherently limited to justify that budget... I expect real power/spl, dynamics, and bass for that money), but get with the program and look at objective testing - anechoic or Klippel data. No I'm not saying that's everything, but when getting a sense of value it's absolutely crucial and can easily categorize various levels of quality in many areas, including crossover design. The number of expensive speakers with very unimpressive on/off axis frequency responses, or high multi-tone distortion rising at relatively low SPL's, is too high to number. You can see a polar map of the frequency response at all angles, compression data, distortion vs volume, etc. Good audio is about smart informed decisions and ignoring marketing, NOT about price.
I had the 15i and it was alot of fun watching movies. Voice was clear and natural, the music had energy and I preferred the performance to my other two speakers I had until I noticed the other two were better at nuance, the small details in the background and such. Still, I would have kept them but with music they just seemed off for me. I think that was due to the aluminum drivers as I didn't keep the MA Silver 100s either, and the 15i to me sounded like a toned down Silver 100 and better than the Silver 50. If someone likes them for music as well, its a great little speaker, looks nice and has real wood veneer.
@@audioarkitekts Are they fairly easy to drive with say a Van Alstine CA-1 55 watts? Or do they need a high current amp? Their frequency curve also is an enigma to me versus the reviews. It's online and definitely different than most.
8:09 Now,add some good Canadian Bryston electronics 😌
Bryston was hot maybe 25 years ago
Awesome review! I haven't listened to Kid A in so long. I'm about to fire it up now at work. Thanks! 😊
Do it!!!! It’s so worth it!!!
It has a ATC SCM look.
I took a hard look at these speakers as they fit my size needs but wasn't sure as some have stated Totem needs alot of power to come alive regardless of SPL level. Also, I saw the measured frequency curve published at a review site and it seems counter to what people are reviewing. The curve is weaker in the lows and low mids, jumps up then abruptly drops and highs that keep extending upwards indicating it may be tiring to listen to after a time. That jump in the curve gets it to 87dB but it seems more like 83 to 84 dB in much of the curve. Exciting at first from the extending high frequencies but tiring over time. Some people have described Totem that way while others have not. Nemo seemed to like them and he hates bright speakers from what I have watched. A very enigmatic speaker for me to estimate how I would like or not like it.
Any thoughts on why these seem to work for some and not for others?
not true re power. I heard them first (totem arro about 15 years ago) on a very old early 80s marantz that couldn't have been more than 40 watts, and they just sung. Totally holographic. Notes floating through the air. And... those Arros are rated at 4ohms. Totem has both 4ohm and 8ohm speakers in their lineup. Arguably, it would be the 4ohm that want more power? The Bisons are rated at 8ohm.
@@Lightworker444 Thanks. Hopefully can get to hear them as well as others sometime.
I own these speakers and they need like 100 hrs .. I almost sent them back, but they really do completely change after break in,
Agreed. Also I forgot to mention, tighten the screws around the drivers, they were loose on mine
Greetings from Canada 🍁 ☕️🍩
Given the exchange rate ..you’re getting it at 25% cheaper that what I’d have to pay .
upgrade from ls50m?
No, I’d prefer the LS50 Meta
@@audioarkitekts that's that was my burning question. appreciate your thoughts.
I upgraded from the meta … the totems sound bigger to me better bass when broken in, but they don’t image like the meta’s .. that’s what I miss about the meta’s
@@ericp8094 thanks for sharing. looking at the radiant clarity 6.2 or Buchardt E50 as an upgrade now.
AsciLabs A6B in the future, there's also March Audio Sointuva.
Can depends on how wide dispersion you'd like as some are wider than others despite them all using waveguide and Purifi
Hard to justify that much when one can get 95%+ for half that price. I agree with you that too many people never give enough time to properly break in any of their system. I’ve got some Martin Logan Motion 60XT that took a good 50 hours before their sound warmed up.
Had they not revealed themselves after burn in they wouldn’t have gotten the stamp of approval.
It's not hard to justify. Maybe for you. You get what you pay for man, there's no cheat code in speakers regardless of whatever marketing you're reading.
@@Audfile That is utterly false. If we ignore the very cheapest of speakers (and the most expensive!) There is a very general mild correlation with price on AVERAGE, but there are a plethora of speakers that perform significantly better and significantly worse than their price would suggest, and don't even get me started on DIY - ALWAYS superior for the $ if you do it right. In audio there is most certainly NO guarantee that you get what you pay for - most people pay for name brand, aesthetics, finish/build quality - but the design, engineering, and components, are ALL over the place and often far less than what should be there for the price. This is not about the Totem's in particular, they may be of great quality (but are still overpriced for their small 2-way format IMO, which is FAR too inherently limited to justify that budget... I expect real power/spl, dynamics, and bass for that money), but get with the program and look at objective testing - anechoic or Klippel data. No I'm not saying that's everything, but when getting a sense of value it's absolutely crucial and can easily categorize various levels of quality in many areas, including crossover design. The number of expensive speakers with very unimpressive on/off axis frequency responses, or high multi-tone distortion rising at relatively low SPL's, is too high to number. You can see a polar map of the frequency response at all angles, compression data, distortion vs volume, etc.
Good audio is about smart informed decisions and ignoring marketing, NOT about price.
I had the 15i and it was alot of fun watching movies. Voice was clear and natural, the music had energy and I preferred the performance to my other two speakers I had until I noticed the other two were better at nuance, the small details in the background and such. Still, I would have kept them but with music they just seemed off for me. I think that was due to the aluminum drivers as I didn't keep the MA Silver 100s either, and the 15i to me sounded like a toned down Silver 100 and better than the Silver 50.
If someone likes them for music as well, its a great little speaker, looks nice and has real wood veneer.
@@audioarkitekts Are they fairly easy to drive with say a Van Alstine CA-1 55 watts? Or do they need a high current amp? Their frequency curve also is an enigma to me versus the reviews. It's online and definitely different than most.
Your thronging that speaker around like it is light weight, For that much money you would think a little for heft in the build quality.
Thronging, that’s the word of the day.
It's about 15 lbs. I think
they're 30 pounds