The soundstage and imaging of the entire Bison lineup are pretty impressive, and I agree that this is likely one of its strongest points. The compact footprint of the whole line will likely mean those in small rooms or apartments would be well served by this line if they don't mind paying a little more of a premium. Great review, sir!
@@Taffy84 I returned them without a review because I didn't want the conversation surrounding whether or not they were good or bad to be watered down to price. Totem products command a little bit of a premium compared to the competition because Totem does a lot, if not all, of their manufacturing in-house. And while I am 100% fine with their pricing structure and see how they arrive at their MSRPs, we live in a world where a lot of people aren't as understanding and immediately boil everything down to price and whether or not they, on an individual level, can afford it. Too often, if an individual cannot afford something, especially a product that a brand is trying to position as more "budget-oriented," this causes a knee-jerk reaction and can result in a pile-on effect from others who feel similarly. Because this was going to be our first Totem review, and the fact that, in my opinion, the Bison series, while very good, was not a hands-down "winner" against less expensive competition, I didn't want the conversation to spiral into Totem is "evil" or a "rip-off" because they're not, they simply can't compete on price the way another product made by an OEM can. I explained this to Totem in a lengthy conversation, and they understood and took my concerns to heart (I think), and everyone just went about their day.
I heard these last week next to a pair of GoldenEar BRX speakers. They reminded me of Klipsch with how lively and fun they were, and their soundstage was much larger than the BRX's. Great review!
Thanks for reviewing a Totem speaker, Nemo! Apart from sean at ZF years ago, I don’t see many reviewers talking about these. You certainly put this line in my radar!
it's a great speaker if you prefer to keep your system on the smaller side physically. That matters a lot to me, even though my system has gotten fairly large I do my best to keep items small when possible.
Bro, your reviews are great. Great speed, evaluation, and comparison. Since I’ve been following and buying, your recommendations have been 100% for my listening taste. Thx!
Good review as always. I always appreciate your take on things. And keep these in mind when looking. Just so many speakers in that range as you noted. I would love your take on the Sierra-2EX v2 sometime. They are like $1700 and have excellent drivers etc. It comes down to hard choices sometimes. I wanted to improve upon my Klipsch RP600MIIs. Money needs to be well spent as it is harder to come by. Once again thank you!
About 15 years ago I owned a pair of Totem mite in combination with an Atoll pre and power amplifier and an Atoll CD player and that made a great combo. I really love the Totem speakers.
Hey Nemo my man! OUTSTANDING review of these diminutive Totem powerhouses. I would be very interested in the comparison of these Totems vs the SF Sonetto II G2 bookshelves. Standing by my man…
I don't think the sound is similar at all my bro, I have not heard the new ones but the previous sonetto 2 was nothing like the totem sound. If anything it was closer to something like a mix between the Dynaudio Evoke & Emit ranges.
Bison twin tower is tempting. Great reviews on that. Too many speakers now! Margins must be incredible. Audio the only place with 50K brands. Impossible to know them all. Not even the automobile industry is so congested.
Thank you for this review. I have never considered Totem until recently. Now, through you and other reviewers, I've learned about Totem's engineering and sound signature and I am very impressed. I am on a complete system rebuild and just purchased a Schiit Ragnarok (which I love). I am considering the Totem Signature 1 along with the Halo Cyan2 Dac. If the Bison is as good as everyone indicates then I wonder just how much better the Signature 1 might be. Love to see/hear a review on the Sig 1, in particular, by you "Nemo". When you review: I get the kind of understanding and clarity I need in order to consider a product (for purchase). The other speaker I am considering is the ATC SCM 11. Excellent review (as usual) !!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm open to checkingout another Totem speaker, I'll ask them about the Sig 1 and see what they say but my channel does not generate a ton of views so brands are not always super eager to keep sending me stuff and I totally get that. I'm grateful to anyone that works with me even one time.
I think a concise review means you had clarity about the speakers strengths. Also sounds like you have a good room, where you know where to place speakers for maximum soundstage and dispersion. Totem is great company, and I would have considered this speaker when I was looking for speakers.
Good review! I've owned the Bison's predecessor, the Sky since its launch. As an apartment dweller I love its small(er) footprint and the fact that I can place it pretty much anywhere, even a few inches from the wall, and still get decent sound and even in a rather large listening room. I've only heard the Bison once at an audio show where Vince the designer assured me that were better in every way compared to the Sky. At this point, and after looking at some much more expensive British stand mounts, I'm seriously considering upgrading to the Bison.
Are Totem speakers as hard to drive as some say they are? Wanted to downsize to a VA CA-1 which is 55/85 watts 8/4 ohms. No idea of current output. Still have a hegel at 160 watts but, just how much difference in SQ will there be just on current output? Once had DT SM45s which sounded pretty bad on a 40 watt small but quality low powered amps but on the Hegel it finally came alive. Like it sucked amps even at low SPLs. And I don't listen at high SPLs anymore so this review stating the Bison are good at lower SPLs intrigues me.
@@nc3419 At my age my ears aren't happy listening at eviction notice levels. Ironically most small speakers tend to sound better with beefy(er) amps. Not familiar with Van Alstine amps but anything with reasonably high current should do the job. I remember trying some DefTech SM55 speakers at home on the end of a 70w Naim amp, they played loud enough but were returned the next day.
Thanks for this review Nemo, I never heard of these and I like everything you say about them! I even have an IOTAVX SA40 and these guys would fit great in my small office set up so I pretty much have to get them! They are a little plain-jane for my taste but sound first.
Thanks, Nemo. I had a choice between these and the more expensive signature speakers that were heavily discounted. So being the bargain hound that I am I got the Signatures. They did amazing things but were just too much for me. I only got them tamed by using jumpers to step on the tweeter a bit. I had to let them go, sadly. That said the guy I sold them to was a Totally Totem fan and he loves them as is so there you go. A speaker for every ear.
I could totally see that, the Totem sound certainly is forward, when using the iotaVX I did set the treble to -1 and felt that was more balanced for my personal taste :)
Thanks for another great review Nemo, when we were talking about a month ago, you mentioned the treble was slightly bright, and they might not be right for me, I think you’re right as I prefer a more rolled off top end so maybe these aren’t for me. Thanks again for a great review.
I had Totem “The One” it was one of the most holographic tonally rich speakers I owned. Its only weakness was it sounded like a small speaker, because it was.
I know that's an older one, this little one doesn't sound little at all. Of course it may struggle in a 20x30ft room if compared to something larger but thats to be expected.
@@NemoPropaganda yea it was a limited edition piece made for Totem’s 20th anniversary in 2007. It a speaker that scaled well with more expensive gear. Kinda regret selling it.
Hey Nemo hope you’re feeling better for Christmas . 👍. From recollection how were the Chora’s sound compared . I’m very interested in these to pair with my 2 REL T9x’s powered now by my Onkyo RZ50 . Do you think these would match up nice ? I’m not getting rid of my Chora’s ever , but would like something different sometimes . Take care Nemo
the chora midrange will be more dry by direct comparison, the bison will have punchier bass, both have really great detail but the Bison does it with a little more depth in the sound stage. These have a little more energy up top but also a little more space. If you like the Chora this would be an upgrade and I'd imagine you would like this also.
Taking a hard look at the Bisons based on what I read and heard in the reviews. A small package too. The frequency curve published by HiFi News however perplexes me as it doesn't fit the description of sound reviewers are describing. Big hump between 800 to 1300hz approx while the upper mids stay higher than lower mids and a rising treble/hi freq. on axis but dropping pointed straight ahead in the room. It does rise significantly at 9Khz. Any thoughts anyone?
I'm not a measurements guy so I don't have any comments. I like what I hear, I buy, I don't think about what a graph shows. By all means use measurement to integrate a multi channel home theater, it's very helpful that way but for stereo it seems to cause over analyzing and buyer paralysis.
@@NemoPropaganda I suppose it can cause over analyzing and buyer paralysis but still looking at that curve particularly the spike which allows for say, an 87dB rating when most of the curve indicates lows and low mids around 83dB and the upper mids around 85dB. No wonder some say it may need some power. I had ML15i which displayed similar differences but sounded good, not needing loads of power to sound louder...so I don't doubt these sound good as reported by many. Still perplexing though. I guess that's all I am pointing out. Thanks for the response.
@@nc3419 this is a great example of why I don't love the idea of people worrying too much about measurements, the sensitivity spec without an impedance graph to go along with it doesn't tell us much about the speakers ease or difficulty of being driven. Data only works when we have the whole picture and that's hard to do, it requires more effort and more expertise than most realize so what I see instead is a lot of people that have half the info, not enough to be helpful but enough to be confusing and make you second guess yourself or the product and just more confusion overall. I've even seen so called experts make this mistake. It's like a car having 500hp, sounds fast right, what if the car weighs 9000 lbs, not so fast anymore, to know if a car is actually fast the horsepower alone is not enough to help us, we'd need to know the weight of the car and even the gear ratios of the transmission, final drive, and wheel size. Conversly there are other metrics that give us a sense of all this like 1/4 time but the hifi hobby doesn't really have many metrics that give us the big picture on their own the way a cars 1/4 mile time does so instead most people have half the picture and end up more confused.
@@NemoPropaganda Fair enough. To go one further, one doesn't know for sure until one hears it in their own system, in their own room and with their preferred music. Any personal reviews, measurements, etc., isn't 100% but gives some information other than trying the gear out personally. Just hate sending things back.
Hey man, can you recommend a subwoofer for the IOTAVX SA40 - Totem Bison combo. My room is 4.5 x 4.2 meters. I currently have the IOTAVX SA40 - Pro-Ject Speaker Box S2 combo, definitely the sub is next on my shopping list, and after your review I'm just waiting for the opportunity to shop for the Totems as well.
@ I understand and respect your position. I was thinking about REL t/x5 (maybe x2, with a little saving), REL t/x7, SVS 3000 or Arendal 1723 Subwoofer 1S.
@@stevanspasich those are all wildly different subwoofers, you need to watch this video first: th-cam.com/video/rEz03XkcslI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=bDpY1mBX5PyZ9QCq
@@NemoPropaganda I've watched that video at least 3 times :) And I'm aware of how different the subs I listed are. The problem is that I've never had a sab, I don't know anyone who has, and my knowledge is based on what I've heard on the internet. I don't know what I like :) REL's philosophy is what I lean towards without actually listening to any of their models. Also, I didn't mention that I need a sab(s) that would do double duty, it would be used as much for music as for movies/series. Anyway, I stupidly rambled on with the question and I'm fully aware of it. I just have to try it and see what I like. Thank you for your answers and for this channel in general! It is very helpful, especially for beginners like me.
Since you are where I go to get the best advice, I have one question for you. The one bookshelf speaker that can disperse great sound at low to mind volumes around my listening room. It's 15' by 18'. I love listening to great music that fills the room and you don't have to sit in the sweet spot. Your pick 1 thousand and under. I do have very good pre amps and amp. + Thorens turntable. I also have Celestion speakers, very good at loud volumes but am looking to improve spakers.
Alot of speakers do that but there are things to consider such as tonality, transparency and such even at low SPLs. I have Focal 807W that do just that but am selling in trying to get a smaller speaker, such as in the size of the Bison but still high performance. Even Fritz and the Heco where larger than I wanted. The Hecos before being discontinued came in under a grand for a short time. Right place at the right time kind of thing. I have Triangle Plaisir Zetas and Dali Opticon 1s now and the Zetas are room filling and sound great for a budget speaker. Rare to find used but don't cost much. One went for a couple hundred a few years ago and one recently the guy practically gave it away. Make a list of potential speakers and watch for a used bargain. New under a grand today is getting more difficult. Perhaps the new Elac? Do you want a large wall of sound or something that shows spatial nuance?
hmmm, similar but also different, similar in that both stage big & effortless. The real difference is the ATC is all about perfect neutrality, it is the most perfectly neutral speaker I've ever heard, zero coloration yet still emotionally engaging. The Bison has some flavor to it, I would not call it neutral, especially in the top end where there is some extra sparkle. In terms of sound quality they are both very good so it will just come down to if you want neutrality or a little extra up top. One more difference is the Bison is easier to drive while the ATC is going to require a bit more power so if you're planning to use a very low power amp for some reason then ATC is not for you. Oh one more thing, the ATC is much more substantial in terms of size & heft, in medium to larger rooms the ATC should be able to film larger rooms where the Bison may start to show its size. Of course listening habits & music choice would be factor there.
@@felipencl I am going back and forth between trying to find what people are stating about the Bisons and the Dali Rubicon now discounted. Comparatively, from people who like the Dali, they mentioned that ATC has a better midrange vs the Dali which can seem "a bit thin in comparison". Though the Dali has better rhythmic drive, "bass" and punch. Note the Dali Rubicore is getting impressive reviews and are touted as having achieved a high end SQ but its $4K in the US. Seems between the Bisons and Dali Rubicon, both have accentuated highs, both perhaps hard to drive as well, the Bisons a bit more so? I saw a frequency curve of the Rubicons which seemed more neutral to the Bisons but the Rubicons did have seemingly more bass (under 100Hz) per the measurement. The Bisons' measurement online at one review site (ASR folks would not approve) perplexes me but measurements aside, when a system fits well together the music can come alive and one doesn't know for sure until tried in an existing setting. I was hoping to get away with a smaller amp in the VA CA-1 but don't know if the Bison will react well with lower power even at lower, moderate SPLs.
Hey Nemo, great video, thank you. I currently have a pair of Revel M22s connected to a Arcam SA20, Bluesound Node, and Rel S/510. The setup sounds warm, which I enjoy, but looking for more holographics, imaging, and detail. What would you recommend provided a budget of up to $3,000.00? Thank you for your time.
I'm curious too! I want to check out one more Totem speaker, I just don't know if I should go down to the cheaper one or up to the more expensive one :)
Hi Nemo, Hope you are well. Like the review. Agreed with you on the imaging (holographic may be a better term to describe). 2 questions In your opinion, what are the best speakers (bookshelf) to pair with the REL T9X in a large room say 1,000 square feet or more? The amps are Marantz M1. Is the REL as musical as RSL or HSU Research powered subs? I understand they are different but want to hear your opinion. Thank you Sir!
that's like asking who makes the best cheeseburger, your personal taste will be the determining factor. Let me be clear, there is only 1 brand that can match REL's bass fidelity and that's Rythmik. Those two brands stand on an island, apart from the rest, they make pure SQ subwoofers, nobody else makes SQ subwoofers in the home audio space. RSL & HSU are very different brands, what they bring to the table is value & clean output, RSL additionally has extremely good transient response for a vented sub so if we're talking about vented subs only Rythmik makes the best and RSL I'd call second best in terms of transients, and that's a hell of a compliment. As far as HSU research I couldn't tell you, I have not heard them, the guys in my discord that have owned them feel they offer good value & output but nothing to write home about in terms of SQ.
Do the Bisons sound similar to the Dynaudio speakers in tone/presentation? I used to hear talk that they were similar sounding some years ago and that may not hold true today. Didn't care for the new Emit 10 myself. But do generally like Focal.
I've reviewed Special 40, EMIT, and Evoke and they are all different but no I don't think Bison sounded like any of those. It's more like Focal but with richer bass and more holographics when compared to something like the Aria. Focal is a little more analytical though so they're not identical.
In a 250 sq foot room with an 8 watt (actually 7.5 usable) 300B SET would these or the Triangle 40th Anniversary Comète work better for a holographic sound with large soundstage and slightly forward vocals for singers in the room with me sound?
the triangles will play louder, the Bisons will have much more bass, personally I'd give up a little of my max volume to have the fuller sound of the Bison. The comete is great but you'll give up nearly all your bass.
@@NemoPropaganda Thank you. I will be using an HSU VTF2 mk5 sub as full range speakers have a problem in my room with where I can put them. Back of speaker about 18" from the back wall. I have the HPF around 5p to 60 hz with my currrent speakers.
@@DeMorcan the comete are the more sensitive so will play louder if thats a concern, I still feel the Bison is the sound you're after. I did run them with two different 8 watt tube amps without any issues but your listening habits & room will impact the final result of course.
Anyone know if these Totems could be driven by the 55 watt Van Alstine CA-1 well? Seems to be a consensus that Totems need a high current, high power amp even at lower SPLs.
What does size matter if you add a few subs? lol Great review. Going to check out this line up. Once my room is done. That’s the type of sound that you can listen for hours.
I have not heard the current 2024 version of the Supermon Mini, I only have the previous version. I will try to review the new version in the future though.
@@NemoPropaganda My question was very practical one - from all the reviews I heard so far Supermons and Bisons are the _only_ great computer table speakers on the market. I mean, when the speakers are 2 feet from your ears, practically headphone mode. Everything else requires sitting on the couch and putting the speakers on the stands. So it doesn't matter if you compare with 2023 or 2024 minis, when you live on the uninhabited island and you have one chance to pick either this or that, like if anything else doesn't exist. We can assume 2024 are maybe a little bit refined from 2023 but essentially the same, it doesn't really matter, it won't change the scale balance.
@@Androxylo I'm sorry my man I cannot in good confidence guess, I did review the previous version and everything I said in that video I still stand behind. The Supermon Mini is essentially the mids & highs of a substantially more expensive speaker in a smaller package and with substantially less bass. The sense of scale in many ways is still big but not in terms of bass or fullness, it is a tiny speaker and a very niche product IMO. I personally loved it enough to buy it for myself but that doesn't mean everyone will love it. If you want the finest SQ possible and bass or fullness is not too important to you the supermon mini is tough to beat assuming you have the amps to back it up, supermon mini amp pairing must be higher end like the same way you shop for an amp if you owned the Kanta No1. Both speakers are on the forward side of neutral, the supermon mini pushes into analytical territory, if you are the type of customer that places detail at the top of your audio priorities you may very much enjoy the mini.
@@Androxylo even with a sub the midrange of the mini will not fill out, a sub can't fill in that portion again the mini is a very unique speaker, if you value the things it can do there is nothing like for the money. If you want a full and balanced sound you will be pretty upset with it.
Excellent review! Trying to think of an analogy. There are many. I'll stick with the movie speed. Like that movie if you go under a certain miles per hour, the whole thing threatens to blow up. Maybe it's like the famous chase scene in French connection. Quickly going past every diversion to get back on track. One thing of note, unlike the Kef and the Buchardt, these speakers are made as well as designed in the home country. Which adds a little something something to the price tag
I do sometimes wonder how much that really adds to the build cost because in the $2k to $2.5k category there are a few speaker smade in asia and a few made in their home country but they're all priced within a couple hundred dollars of eachother.
@@NemoPropaganda Labor has to mean something along with a lot of other expenses due to regulations and the cost of the buildings and taxes. Whatever the savings are that drive companies to move overseas in the first place!
@@lsaideOK from a logistics & staffing perspective overseas contract MFG is easier so I'm sure that's a factor also. Cost I think comes down to how capable the owner is, if the lead engineer is the owner of the company that's 1 less engineer you have to pay. Also your location within the country I'm sure is a factor. Zu makes their speakers in the USA, but if their facility was in southern california it may be cost prohibitive, Schiit Audio used to be in CA but recently moved to Texas, they could have stayed in CA and shifted MFG to China but chose not to which is pretty cool.
Can't speak for the Bisons, but if it's any indication, I had the Skys on a credenza and they still sounded decent. Tried that with a number of other speakers (Dali, Proac, B&W, Sonus Faber, Buchardt...) with disastrous results.
@@mikecees2230 Probably bass and low mids dependent how a speaker can react outside of stand placement. Bisons bass/midbass/low mids per a measurement isn't as overwhelming compared to the other frequencies as say the others mentioned. I think the Skys measurements for the tower didn't show overwhelming bass.
@@nc3419 I own the Sky stand mounts. The internal volume of the cabinets are much less (42% less if my memory serves me) than the Bison so logically they produce less bass. The Sky on stands(mine are 2/3 filled with sandblasting glass) away from the wall have a very open sound with sufficient bass in a small room. Pushed up against the wall and on a credenza they lose some separation/soundstage but gain in bass without being muddy. The larger Bison might me a bit much for that setup. Nemo could confirm/dispell that.
With stand mounted speakers which is only what I buy, this size is about as large as I want in the small speaker range I look at today. Very tempted by a Fritz when it came available but it was a bit bigger than I wanted with bigger drivers which is what I am selling now in my downsizing. Something about smaller woofers that do things larger woofers may not do as well too. Not looking for very low bass either and these may fit the bill. Even if I use a sub, it's only for fillin. Most importantly, looking for a speaker that does well with both music and soundtracks in movies, 2 channel listening. Alot of speakers that have good resolution and transparency often lack in stage depth, perhaps even separation. Some go overboard with too much refinement. The Iota SA40 looks like alot for the money but recently picked up a Van Alstine CA-1 which I am planning to put into my system sometime today. No idea how the stage depth is. But for speakers, hardly anyone mentions the effects one can hear when the stage is deep or at least has some depth other than a flat wall of sound. Also, mentioning performance in low power listening, resolution along with a holographic stage is a winning performance for me, as long as tonally accurate. Sometimes piano sounds a bit more lifelike when the attack is a bit sharper, but that can be a function of the amp and dac as well. Was looking at Closer OGY as an upgrade in a small package to what i have but being more geared towards tube gear, so perhaps the Totem could be a target? Took alot of speakers off the list as either too much a side move or not what I was looking for. The the Closer OGY, perhaps a few others like Neat, PMC Prodigy 1, etc., and the Bison seem to hold my interest as a potential upgrade. Don't know until I actually hear them. As for price, that's the upper limit of what I would be willing to go I think and would keep an eye out for used as some audiophiles do swap alot of gear with cost not being the deciding factor. Neat Petites were another but now getting into a higher price and may prefer a good old fashioned dome soft/metal over other variations. Using an Opticon 1 for the time being which isn't bad by any means and seemingly more neutral. Also have a Triangle Zeta which is more euphonic sounding, colored sounding but plays larger and more complex music better, having a little larger woofer. With a sub, I prefer the Opticons with movies and some music. The Zetas are an easy listen, not as resolving with less body but more airiness but also more glare in the human voice. A give and take and a way to cleanse the audio palette from time to time switching between the two. Previously used the Focal 807W which were great speakers, more transparency, sounded bigger, played well at low volumes and better microdetails among instruments but bigger than I wanted now.
These may be the bee's knees, but at this point the market is so oversaturated, if the speakers don't also compete in the design department, I'm not even going to consider it.
most 2.5k speakers have some design to them, it just dpends what you like. The Totem is more the "Get out of the way" look, more simple & elegant. Kef R3 Meta is a bolder loo, and then something like the Fyne F500SP has a look al its own.
no brother I cannot, I do not have the technical knowledge to have that kind of conversation and I don't like to speak on topics where my knowledge or experience is low. I have never focused on internal parts of products because my only concern is how it sounds for its price category. If it sounds good for the money then it's a good product in my book. There are other reviewers like british audiophile or hans beekhyuzen that have more technical knowledge on this topic and they do a great job at showing off the internals and discussing the technical stuff like that so I will leave it to experts like them :)
One thing I found out is Totem has a different approach to their crossover assembly. They seem to crimp/twist via machine the connections together. One person had an issue with a lose connection that was solved by soldering. Doesn't seem to be a big issue but a connection could come lose in shipping, etc. Just an FYI. Not sure if it is still that way completely in the Bison though.
C'mon the only good thing to come out of Canada is Ryan Reynolds. Everyone knows that! (Sorry to Jay and Thomas...) [Edit: Forgot to add Tone Deaf Monk...] But on more serious note... Here's a challenge for Nemo or anyone else... Come up w complete solutions that are made all within a country... like pairing Orchard Amps, Zu speakers, etc .. for US.
@@NemoPropaganda What no DAC? 😄 But now do this for different countries around the world. I mean Germany would be just as easy... but Korea? Japan? UK? And no, Tannoy doesn't count since they manufacture in Asia. So that would be Fyne speakers!
@@michaelsegel8758 I'm not hugely into DAC so I don't know all the brands :) UK would be easy, they have ATC speakers and a few amps that are made there. Germany I'm not sure, Korea is an easy one, Brunoco Terra amp with Platimon speakers :) Japan is easy for amps since they have Luxman & Accuphase but I don't know much about Japanese made speakers.
@@NemoPropaganda And that's the fun of the challenge. Now if multiple YT reviewers played this challenge it would be interesting to see what they come up with. For example MOFI for speakers. The HoloAudio May KTE dac or Spring... AGD monoblocks ... Lots of choices.
These sound amazing bro! Also, I guess I missed the drop of the IOTAVX SA40! Holy crap, this amp sounds like a winner at its price point. I’ll have to look for the reviews & written stuff too. Thanks again! 🙏🏽🎶🤍💪🏽
@@Rocker6969 You'll only know if you buy the Encore since you can't demo them. Not sure what the GR return policy is. I didn't get along with the Buchardt (in my room) but they have a no risk return policy and Mads is a stand-up guy who'll go out of his way to ensure customer satisfaction. The Bison, I can demo at a number of shops in my area who also offer the possibility for home demo.
GR refuses to send review samples and has very publicly said none of the reviewers on YT are qualified to review his speaker and none of us have rooms that can accomodate them properly so I'm guessing his speaker is extremely fussy with rooms since most reviewers have fully treated rooms and if that's not good enough most likely it will not fit well in your room either.
@@Rocker6969 I can afford anything he makes, it's not about the cost, it's more about why would I do something like that, I have zero interest in him or his products. I think if someone is interested in DIY they should consider CSS, their products have been reviewed and loved by many people and they don't have any problems with rooms :)
The soundstage and imaging of the entire Bison lineup are pretty impressive, and I agree that this is likely one of its strongest points. The compact footprint of the whole line will likely mean those in small rooms or apartments would be well served by this line if they don't mind paying a little more of a premium. Great review, sir!
Hey what's up Andrew! Thank you for the kind words!!
Didn't you refuse to review the Totem Bison because you said they are overpriced?
@@Taffy84 I returned them without a review because I didn't want the conversation surrounding whether or not they were good or bad to be watered down to price. Totem products command a little bit of a premium compared to the competition because Totem does a lot, if not all, of their manufacturing in-house. And while I am 100% fine with their pricing structure and see how they arrive at their MSRPs, we live in a world where a lot of people aren't as understanding and immediately boil everything down to price and whether or not they, on an individual level, can afford it.
Too often, if an individual cannot afford something, especially a product that a brand is trying to position as more "budget-oriented," this causes a knee-jerk reaction and can result in a pile-on effect from others who feel similarly. Because this was going to be our first Totem review, and the fact that, in my opinion, the Bison series, while very good, was not a hands-down "winner" against less expensive competition, I didn't want the conversation to spiral into Totem is "evil" or a "rip-off" because they're not, they simply can't compete on price the way another product made by an OEM can. I explained this to Totem in a lengthy conversation, and they understood and took my concerns to heart (I think), and everyone just went about their day.
I heard these last week next to a pair of GoldenEar BRX speakers. They reminded me of Klipsch with how lively and fun they were, and their soundstage was much larger than the BRX's. Great review!
I love Totem speakers tonally and their quickness 🤩 troughout all of their speakers
Thanks Nemo. Always very much appreciate your reviews. Totem does bring some secret sauce. Now my mind moves to the Totem Bison Twin.
Nice review! Love me some totem speakers. Always have great soundstage and imaging. And in a timeless but simple design aesthetic.
Thanks for reviewing a Totem speaker, Nemo! Apart from sean at ZF years ago, I don’t see many reviewers talking about these. You certainly put this line in my radar!
it's a great speaker if you prefer to keep your system on the smaller side physically. That matters a lot to me, even though my system has gotten fairly large I do my best to keep items small when possible.
Always enjoy seeing Totems getting some love. Great review, Brother Nemo
Bro, your reviews are great. Great speed, evaluation, and comparison. Since I’ve been following and buying, your recommendations have been 100% for my listening taste. Thx!
nice! I'm happy its been helpful!!
Great insight on this loudspeaker.
The level of detail in your reviews is tremendous.
Well done.
thank you!
Good review as always. I always appreciate your take on things. And keep these in mind when looking. Just so many speakers in that range as you noted. I would love your take on the Sierra-2EX v2 sometime. They are like $1700 and have excellent drivers etc. It comes down to hard choices sometimes. I wanted to improve upon my Klipsch RP600MIIs. Money needs to be well spent as it is harder to come by. Once again thank you!
who would've thought that those small speakers pack such a punch, wow. Nice review, and as always, you ff-ing rock ;)
About 15 years ago I owned a pair of Totem mite in combination with an Atoll pre and power amplifier and an Atoll CD player and that made a great combo.
I really love the Totem speakers.
Hey Nemo my man!
OUTSTANDING review of these diminutive Totem powerhouses.
I would be very interested in the comparison of these Totems vs the SF Sonetto II G2 bookshelves.
Standing by my man…
I don't think the sound is similar at all my bro, I have not heard the new ones but the previous sonetto 2 was nothing like the totem sound. If anything it was closer to something like a mix between the Dynaudio Evoke & Emit ranges.
@@NemoPropaganda Thanks for the info and the reply.
Keep doing your thing my man!
Bison twin tower is tempting. Great reviews on that. Too many speakers now! Margins must be incredible. Audio the only place with 50K brands. Impossible to know them all. Not even the automobile industry is so congested.
Thank you for this review. I have never considered Totem until recently. Now,
through you and other reviewers, I've learned about Totem's engineering and
sound signature and I am very impressed. I am on a complete system rebuild
and just purchased a Schiit Ragnarok (which I love). I am considering the
Totem Signature 1 along with the Halo Cyan2 Dac. If the Bison is as good
as everyone indicates then I wonder just how much better the Signature 1
might be. Love to see/hear a review on the Sig 1, in particular, by you "Nemo".
When you review: I get the kind of understanding and clarity I need in order
to consider a product (for purchase). The other speaker I am considering is the
ATC SCM 11. Excellent review (as usual) !!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm open to checkingout another Totem speaker, I'll ask them about the Sig 1 and see what they say but my channel does not generate a ton of views so brands are not always super eager to keep sending me stuff and I totally get that. I'm grateful to anyone that works with me even one time.
Give a try to the Totem Forest if you can.Amazing speaker
I think a concise review means you had clarity about the speakers strengths. Also sounds like you have a good room, where you know where to place speakers for maximum soundstage and dispersion. Totem is great company, and I would have considered this speaker when I was looking for speakers.
Damn. Great review. I’m all in!
Great review! Thanks for sharing.
Good review! I've owned the Bison's predecessor, the Sky since its launch. As an apartment dweller I love its small(er) footprint and the fact that I can place it pretty much anywhere, even a few inches from the wall, and still get decent sound and even in a rather large listening room. I've only heard the Bison once at an audio show where Vince the designer assured me that were better in every way compared to the Sky. At this point, and after looking at some much more expensive British stand mounts, I'm seriously considering upgrading to the Bison.
Totem perform well in poor room acoustics like mine
Are Totem speakers as hard to drive as some say they are? Wanted to downsize to a VA CA-1 which is 55/85 watts 8/4 ohms. No idea of current output. Still have a hegel at 160 watts but, just how much difference in SQ will there be just on current output?
Once had DT SM45s which sounded pretty bad on a 40 watt small but quality low powered amps but on the Hegel it finally came alive. Like it sucked amps even at low SPLs.
And I don't listen at high SPLs anymore so this review stating the Bison are good at lower SPLs intrigues me.
@@nc3419 At my age my ears aren't happy listening at eviction notice levels. Ironically most small speakers tend to sound better with beefy(er) amps. Not familiar with Van Alstine amps but anything with reasonably high current should do the job. I remember trying some DefTech SM55 speakers at home on the end of a 70w Naim amp, they played loud enough but were returned the next day.
Another great video Nemo
As always, great review
Thanks for this review Nemo, I never heard of these and I like everything you say about them! I even have an IOTAVX SA40 and these guys would fit great in my small office set up so I pretty much have to get them! They are a little plain-jane for my taste but sound first.
Thanks, Nemo. I had a choice between these and the more expensive signature speakers that were heavily discounted. So being the bargain hound that I am I got the Signatures. They did amazing things but were just too much for me. I only got them tamed by using jumpers to step on the tweeter a bit. I had to let them go, sadly. That said the guy I sold them to was a Totally Totem fan and he loves them as is so there you go. A speaker for every ear.
I could totally see that, the Totem sound certainly is forward, when using the iotaVX I did set the treble to -1 and felt that was more balanced for my personal taste :)
nemo’s straight gifted for reviews. Not in the market for speaker upgrades, still love watching nonetheless…
thank you for the kind words!
Thanks for another great review Nemo, when we were talking about a month ago, you mentioned the treble was slightly bright, and they might not be right for me, I think you’re right as I prefer a more rolled off top end so maybe these aren’t for me. Thanks again for a great review.
anytime! If you want something more relaxed check out the Dynaudio Evoke 20, Galion Voyager TL, or Buchardt S400 MK2.
I had Totem “The One” it was one of the most holographic tonally rich speakers I owned. Its only weakness was it sounded like a small speaker, because it was.
I know that's an older one, this little one doesn't sound little at all. Of course it may struggle in a 20x30ft room if compared to something larger but thats to be expected.
@@NemoPropaganda yea it was a limited edition piece made for Totem’s 20th anniversary in 2007. It a speaker that scaled well with more expensive gear. Kinda regret selling it.
Sometimes we make move in audio we regret with experience later.Will keep them thx
Nice Canadian Flavor ... I'll have to watch out for these.
Hey Nemo hope you’re feeling better for Christmas . 👍. From recollection how were the Chora’s sound compared . I’m very interested in these to pair with my 2 REL T9x’s powered now by my Onkyo RZ50 . Do you think these would match up nice ? I’m not getting rid of my Chora’s ever , but would like something different sometimes . Take care Nemo
the chora midrange will be more dry by direct comparison, the bison will have punchier bass, both have really great detail but the Bison does it with a little more depth in the sound stage. These have a little more energy up top but also a little more space. If you like the Chora this would be an upgrade and I'd imagine you would like this also.
Any chance you will be reviewing the Totem Signature One? I"m very interested on those.
maybe in the future.
Taking a hard look at the Bisons based on what I read and heard in the reviews. A small package too. The frequency curve published by HiFi News however perplexes me as it doesn't fit the description of sound reviewers are describing. Big hump between 800 to 1300hz approx while the upper mids stay higher than lower mids and a rising treble/hi freq. on axis but dropping pointed straight ahead in the room. It does rise significantly at 9Khz.
Any thoughts anyone?
I'm not a measurements guy so I don't have any comments. I like what I hear, I buy, I don't think about what a graph shows. By all means use measurement to integrate a multi channel home theater, it's very helpful that way but for stereo it seems to cause over analyzing and buyer paralysis.
@@NemoPropaganda I suppose it can cause over analyzing and buyer paralysis but still looking at that curve particularly the spike which allows for say, an 87dB rating when most of the curve indicates lows and low mids around 83dB and the upper mids around 85dB. No wonder some say it may need some power. I had ML15i which displayed similar differences but sounded good, not needing loads of power to sound louder...so I don't doubt these sound good as reported by many.
Still perplexing though. I guess that's all I am pointing out. Thanks for the response.
@@nc3419 this is a great example of why I don't love the idea of people worrying too much about measurements, the sensitivity spec without an impedance graph to go along with it doesn't tell us much about the speakers ease or difficulty of being driven. Data only works when we have the whole picture and that's hard to do, it requires more effort and more expertise than most realize so what I see instead is a lot of people that have half the info, not enough to be helpful but enough to be confusing and make you second guess yourself or the product and just more confusion overall. I've even seen so called experts make this mistake. It's like a car having 500hp, sounds fast right, what if the car weighs 9000 lbs, not so fast anymore, to know if a car is actually fast the horsepower alone is not enough to help us, we'd need to know the weight of the car and even the gear ratios of the transmission, final drive, and wheel size. Conversly there are other metrics that give us a sense of all this like 1/4 time but the hifi hobby doesn't really have many metrics that give us the big picture on their own the way a cars 1/4 mile time does so instead most people have half the picture and end up more confused.
@@NemoPropaganda Fair enough.
To go one further, one doesn't know for sure until one hears it in their own system, in their own room and with their preferred music. Any personal reviews, measurements, etc., isn't 100% but gives some information other than trying the gear out personally.
Just hate sending things back.
@@nc3419 100% agree!
Hey man, can you recommend a subwoofer for the IOTAVX SA40 - Totem Bison combo. My room is 4.5 x 4.2 meters.
I currently have the IOTAVX SA40 - Pro-Ject Speaker Box S2 combo, definitely the sub is next on my shopping list, and after your review I'm just waiting for the opportunity to shop for the Totems as well.
Hi bro, I don't choose products for people but I'm happy to give my opinion once you've narrowed down your selection to 2 or 3 items.
@ I understand and respect your position. I was thinking about REL t/x5 (maybe x2, with a little saving), REL t/x7, SVS 3000 or Arendal 1723 Subwoofer 1S.
@@stevanspasich those are all wildly different subwoofers, you need to watch this video first: th-cam.com/video/rEz03XkcslI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=bDpY1mBX5PyZ9QCq
@@NemoPropaganda I've watched that video at least 3 times :) And I'm aware of how different the subs I listed are. The problem is that I've never had a sab, I don't know anyone who has, and my knowledge is based on what I've heard on the internet. I don't know what I like :) REL's philosophy is what I lean towards without actually listening to any of their models. Also, I didn't mention that I need a sab(s) that would do double duty, it would be used as much for music as for movies/series. Anyway, I stupidly rambled on with the question and I'm fully aware of it. I just have to try it and see what I like. Thank you for your answers and for this channel in general! It is very helpful, especially for beginners like me.
@@stevanspasich no no, that's not rambling, that is helpful information. Based on your options and everything you've said I suggest the 1723 1S.
Since you are where I go to get the best advice, I have one question for you. The one bookshelf speaker that can disperse great sound at low to mind volumes around my listening room. It's 15' by 18'. I love listening to great music that fills the room and you don't have to sit in the sweet spot. Your pick 1 thousand and under. I do have very good pre amps and amp. + Thorens turntable. I also have Celestion speakers, very good at loud volumes but am looking to improve spakers.
so you're looking for a good speaker under $1k right? I am not familiar with Celestion, what kind of sound do you want from your new speaker?
Look for his video on low volume champions. You're answer is likely in that vid.
Alot of speakers do that but there are things to consider such as tonality, transparency and such even at low SPLs. I have Focal 807W that do just that but am selling in trying to get a smaller speaker, such as in the size of the Bison but still high performance. Even Fritz and the Heco where larger than I wanted. The Hecos before being discontinued came in under a grand for a short time. Right place at the right time kind of thing.
I have Triangle Plaisir Zetas and Dali Opticon 1s now and the Zetas are room filling and sound great for a budget speaker. Rare to find used but don't cost much. One went for a couple hundred a few years ago and one recently the guy practically gave it away. Make a list of potential speakers and watch for a used bargain. New under a grand today is getting more difficult. Perhaps the new Elac?
Do you want a large wall of sound or something that shows spatial nuance?
I’m leaning towards buying the ATC SCM11s and would really apreciate if you could compare them to the Totem Bisons.
hmmm, similar but also different, similar in that both stage big & effortless. The real difference is the ATC is all about perfect neutrality, it is the most perfectly neutral speaker I've ever heard, zero coloration yet still emotionally engaging. The Bison has some flavor to it, I would not call it neutral, especially in the top end where there is some extra sparkle. In terms of sound quality they are both very good so it will just come down to if you want neutrality or a little extra up top. One more difference is the Bison is easier to drive while the ATC is going to require a bit more power so if you're planning to use a very low power amp for some reason then ATC is not for you. Oh one more thing, the ATC is much more substantial in terms of size & heft, in medium to larger rooms the ATC should be able to film larger rooms where the Bison may start to show its size. Of course listening habits & music choice would be factor there.
@@NemoPropaganda Thanks for the answer, you’re the best
@@felipencl I am going back and forth between trying to find what people are stating about the Bisons and the Dali Rubicon now discounted. Comparatively, from people who like the Dali, they mentioned that ATC has a better midrange vs the Dali which can seem "a bit thin in comparison". Though the Dali has better rhythmic drive, "bass" and punch. Note the Dali Rubicore is getting impressive reviews and are touted as having achieved a high end SQ but its $4K in the US.
Seems between the Bisons and Dali Rubicon, both have accentuated highs, both perhaps hard to drive as well, the Bisons a bit more so? I saw a frequency curve of the Rubicons which seemed more neutral to the Bisons but the Rubicons did have seemingly more bass (under 100Hz) per the measurement.
The Bisons' measurement online at one review site (ASR folks would not approve) perplexes me but measurements aside, when a system fits well together the music can come alive and one doesn't know for sure until tried in an existing setting.
I was hoping to get away with a smaller amp in the VA CA-1 but don't know if the Bison will react well with lower power even at lower, moderate SPLs.
Hey Nemo, great video, thank you. I currently have a pair of Revel M22s connected to a Arcam SA20, Bluesound Node, and Rel S/510. The setup sounds warm, which I enjoy, but looking for more holographics, imaging, and detail. What would you recommend provided a budget of up to $3,000.00? Thank you for your time.
hi bro, are you in USA or no?
@@NemoPropaganda Yes sir. Also worth mentioning that the room is 20' x 20' with 9-11'.
@@rockp5396 okay, you will 100% want to make sure you watch this weeks video on the Cabasse Murano.
Damn nemo fire review! If it’s this good i wonder how much better is their totem fire v2
I'm curious too! I want to check out one more Totem speaker, I just don't know if I should go down to the cheaper one or up to the more expensive one :)
@@NemoPropaganda both! Lol
Cheaper, more
Iistenors more likely to buy than the fire.@NemoPropaganda 😢
@@NemoPropaganda Check out the Fire.
Hi Nemo,
Hope you are well. Like the review. Agreed with you on the imaging (holographic may be a better term to describe).
2 questions
In your opinion, what are the best speakers (bookshelf) to pair with the REL T9X in a large room say 1,000 square feet or more? The amps are Marantz M1.
Is the REL as musical as RSL or HSU Research powered subs? I understand they are different but want to hear your opinion.
Thank you Sir!
that's like asking who makes the best cheeseburger, your personal taste will be the determining factor. Let me be clear, there is only 1 brand that can match REL's bass fidelity and that's Rythmik. Those two brands stand on an island, apart from the rest, they make pure SQ subwoofers, nobody else makes SQ subwoofers in the home audio space. RSL & HSU are very different brands, what they bring to the table is value & clean output, RSL additionally has extremely good transient response for a vented sub so if we're talking about vented subs only Rythmik makes the best and RSL I'd call second best in terms of transients, and that's a hell of a compliment. As far as HSU research I couldn't tell you, I have not heard them, the guys in my discord that have owned them feel they offer good value & output but nothing to write home about in terms of SQ.
Thank you kind Sir!
I had REL since the 1990s when their products were still sold under the brand Richard E Lord.
Thank you again Sir!
Do the Bisons sound similar to the Dynaudio speakers in tone/presentation?
I used to hear talk that they were similar sounding some years ago and that may not hold true today.
Didn't care for the new Emit 10 myself. But do generally like Focal.
I've reviewed Special 40, EMIT, and Evoke and they are all different but no I don't think Bison sounded like any of those. It's more like Focal but with richer bass and more holographics when compared to something like the Aria. Focal is a little more analytical though so they're not identical.
@@NemoPropaganda Really? Now it really has my interest! Thx.
In a 250 sq foot room with an 8 watt (actually 7.5 usable) 300B SET would these or the Triangle 40th Anniversary Comète work better for a holographic sound with large soundstage and slightly forward vocals for singers in the room with me sound?
the triangles will play louder, the Bisons will have much more bass, personally I'd give up a little of my max volume to have the fuller sound of the Bison. The comete is great but you'll give up nearly all your bass.
@@NemoPropaganda Thank you. I will be using an HSU VTF2 mk5 sub as full range speakers have a problem in my room with where I can put them. Back of speaker about 18" from the back wall. I have the HPF around 5p to 60 hz with my currrent speakers.
@@DeMorcan the comete are the more sensitive so will play louder if thats a concern, I still feel the Bison is the sound you're after. I did run them with two different 8 watt tube amps without any issues but your listening habits & room will impact the final result of course.
@@NemoPropaganda I appreciate your help. I will get the Bisons.
@@DeMorcan enjoy :)
Anyone know if these Totems could be driven by the 55 watt Van Alstine CA-1 well?
Seems to be a consensus that Totems need a high current, high power amp even at lower SPLs.
I don't know about other totems but an honest 55w should be enough to drive just about anything.
What does size matter if you add a few subs? lol
Great review. Going to check out this line up. Once my room is done.
That’s the type of sound that you can listen for hours.
Please compare it with Supermon Mini. For the desktop speakers they are pretty much the only choice
I have not heard the current 2024 version of the Supermon Mini, I only have the previous version. I will try to review the new version in the future though.
@@NemoPropaganda My question was very practical one - from all the reviews I heard so far Supermons and Bisons are the _only_ great computer table speakers on the market. I mean, when the speakers are 2 feet from your ears, practically headphone mode. Everything else requires sitting on the couch and putting the speakers on the stands. So it doesn't matter if you compare with 2023 or 2024 minis, when you live on the uninhabited island and you have one chance to pick either this or that, like if anything else doesn't exist. We can assume 2024 are maybe a little bit refined from 2023 but essentially the same, it doesn't really matter, it won't change the scale balance.
And obviously I mean minis are augmented with a gentle quiet subwoofer, because at 65 Hz they obviously lose. Just to make it apples-to-apples.
@@Androxylo I'm sorry my man I cannot in good confidence guess, I did review the previous version and everything I said in that video I still stand behind. The Supermon Mini is essentially the mids & highs of a substantially more expensive speaker in a smaller package and with substantially less bass. The sense of scale in many ways is still big but not in terms of bass or fullness, it is a tiny speaker and a very niche product IMO. I personally loved it enough to buy it for myself but that doesn't mean everyone will love it. If you want the finest SQ possible and bass or fullness is not too important to you the supermon mini is tough to beat assuming you have the amps to back it up, supermon mini amp pairing must be higher end like the same way you shop for an amp if you owned the Kanta No1. Both speakers are on the forward side of neutral, the supermon mini pushes into analytical territory, if you are the type of customer that places detail at the top of your audio priorities you may very much enjoy the mini.
@@Androxylo even with a sub the midrange of the mini will not fill out, a sub can't fill in that portion again the mini is a very unique speaker, if you value the things it can do there is nothing like for the money. If you want a full and balanced sound you will be pretty upset with it.
have you compared to the totem arro's?
This is the only Totem speaker I have reviewed.
Excellent review! Trying to think of an analogy. There are many. I'll stick with the movie speed. Like that movie if you go under a certain miles per hour, the whole thing threatens to blow up. Maybe it's like the famous chase scene in French connection. Quickly going past every diversion to get back on track.
One thing of note, unlike the Kef and the Buchardt, these speakers are made as well as designed in the home country. Which adds a little something something to the price tag
I do sometimes wonder how much that really adds to the build cost because in the $2k to $2.5k category there are a few speaker smade in asia and a few made in their home country but they're all priced within a couple hundred dollars of eachother.
@@NemoPropaganda Labor has to mean something along with a lot of other expenses due to regulations and the cost of the buildings and taxes. Whatever the savings are that drive companies to move overseas in the first place!
@@lsaideOK from a logistics & staffing perspective overseas contract MFG is easier so I'm sure that's a factor also. Cost I think comes down to how capable the owner is, if the lead engineer is the owner of the company that's 1 less engineer you have to pay. Also your location within the country I'm sure is a factor. Zu makes their speakers in the USA, but if their facility was in southern california it may be cost prohibitive, Schiit Audio used to be in CA but recently moved to Texas, they could have stayed in CA and shifted MFG to China but chose not to which is pretty cool.
How picky are the Bison's about stands? Meening do they need stands that are really well damped with sand or kitty litter, or average stands are ok?
all of my stands are damped so I'm not sure, maybe try reaching out to Totem directly and see what they say?
Can't speak for the Bisons, but if it's any indication, I had the Skys on a credenza and they still sounded decent. Tried that with a number of other speakers (Dali, Proac, B&W, Sonus Faber, Buchardt...) with disastrous results.
@@mikecees2230 I appreciate that
@@mikecees2230 Probably bass and low mids dependent how a speaker can react outside of stand placement. Bisons bass/midbass/low mids per a measurement isn't as overwhelming compared to the other frequencies as say the others mentioned. I think the Skys measurements for the tower didn't show overwhelming bass.
@@nc3419 I own the Sky stand mounts. The internal volume of the cabinets are much less (42% less if my memory serves me) than the Bison so logically they produce less bass. The Sky on stands(mine are 2/3 filled with sandblasting glass) away from the wall have a very open sound with sufficient bass in a small room. Pushed up against the wall and on a credenza they lose some separation/soundstage but gain in bass without being muddy. The larger Bison might me a bit much for that setup. Nemo could confirm/dispell that.
Cute little speakers
Wow it’s seams like you are in front of the better speaker in the price point?
the $2k-2.5k category has a lot of great products for sure! There is something for everyone :)
Cheers friends,, ☕😋🍰
With stand mounted speakers which is only what I buy, this size is about as large as I want in the small speaker range I look at today. Very tempted by a Fritz when it came available but it was a bit bigger than I wanted with bigger drivers which is what I am selling now in my downsizing. Something about smaller woofers that do things larger woofers may not do as well too.
Not looking for very low bass either and these may fit the bill. Even if I use a sub, it's only for fillin. Most importantly, looking for a speaker that does well with both music and soundtracks in movies, 2 channel listening. Alot of speakers that have good resolution and transparency often lack in stage depth, perhaps even separation. Some go overboard with too much refinement.
The Iota SA40 looks like alot for the money but recently picked up a Van Alstine CA-1 which I am planning to put into my system sometime today. No idea how the stage depth is. But for speakers, hardly anyone mentions the effects one can hear when the stage is deep or at least has some depth other than a flat wall of sound.
Also, mentioning performance in low power listening, resolution along with a holographic stage is a winning performance for me, as long as tonally accurate. Sometimes piano sounds a bit more lifelike when the attack is a bit sharper, but that can be a function of the amp and dac as well.
Was looking at Closer OGY as an upgrade in a small package to what i have but being more geared towards tube gear, so perhaps the Totem could be a target? Took alot of speakers off the list as either too much a side move or not what I was looking for. The the Closer OGY, perhaps a few others like Neat, PMC Prodigy 1, etc., and the Bison seem to hold my interest as a potential upgrade. Don't know until I actually hear them. As for price, that's the upper limit of what I would be willing to go I think and would keep an eye out for used as some audiophiles do swap alot of gear with cost not being the deciding factor. Neat Petites were another but now getting into a higher price and may prefer a good old fashioned dome soft/metal over other variations.
Using an Opticon 1 for the time being which isn't bad by any means and seemingly more neutral. Also have a Triangle Zeta which is more euphonic sounding, colored sounding but plays larger and more complex music better, having a little larger woofer. With a sub, I prefer the Opticons with movies and some music. The Zetas are an easy listen, not as resolving with less body but more airiness but also more glare in the human voice. A give and take and a way to cleanse the audio palette from time to time switching between the two. Previously used the Focal 807W which were great speakers, more transparency, sounded bigger, played well at low volumes and better microdetails among instruments but bigger than I wanted now.
These may be the bee's knees, but at this point the market is so oversaturated, if the speakers don't also compete in the design department, I'm not even going to consider it.
most 2.5k speakers have some design to them, it just dpends what you like. The Totem is more the "Get out of the way" look, more simple & elegant. Kef R3 Meta is a bolder loo, and then something like the Fyne F500SP has a look al its own.
Love watching your reviews Nemo. Can you comment on the speaker crossover scheme used by Totem and how it affects the sound?
no brother I cannot, I do not have the technical knowledge to have that kind of conversation and I don't like to speak on topics where my knowledge or experience is low. I have never focused on internal parts of products because my only concern is how it sounds for its price category. If it sounds good for the money then it's a good product in my book. There are other reviewers like british audiophile or hans beekhyuzen that have more technical knowledge on this topic and they do a great job at showing off the internals and discussing the technical stuff like that so I will leave it to experts like them :)
One thing I found out is Totem has a different approach to their crossover assembly. They seem to crimp/twist via machine the connections together. One person had an issue with a lose connection that was solved by soldering. Doesn't seem to be a big issue but a connection could come lose in shipping, etc. Just an FYI. Not sure if it is still that way completely in the Bison though.
first
i do love me some nemo.
C'mon the only good thing to come out of Canada is Ryan Reynolds.
Everyone knows that!
(Sorry to Jay and Thomas...)
[Edit: Forgot to add Tone Deaf Monk...]
But on more serious note...
Here's a challenge for Nemo or anyone else...
Come up w complete solutions that are made all within a country... like pairing Orchard Amps, Zu speakers, etc .. for US.
that's easy if theres no price constraint :) McIntosh amp, Wilson Speakers, done!
@@NemoPropaganda
What no DAC? 😄
But now do this for different countries around the world. I mean Germany would be just as easy... but Korea? Japan? UK?
And no, Tannoy doesn't count since they manufacture in Asia. So that would be Fyne speakers!
@@michaelsegel8758 I'm not hugely into DAC so I don't know all the brands :) UK would be easy, they have ATC speakers and a few amps that are made there. Germany I'm not sure, Korea is an easy one, Brunoco Terra amp with Platimon speakers :) Japan is easy for amps since they have Luxman & Accuphase but I don't know much about Japanese made speakers.
@@NemoPropaganda
And that's the fun of the challenge.
Now if multiple YT reviewers played this challenge it would be interesting to see what they come up with. For example MOFI for speakers. The HoloAudio May KTE dac or Spring... AGD monoblocks ...
Lots of choices.
@@NemoPropaganda Germany could be Heco speakers (they're German, right?) and I've heard Vincent amps are pretty dope.
Great sharing. Thanks. I prefer small speakers.
Too many $$$$$
Too many dollars for you sir !! It happens
Cars, women and audio...the better ones don't come cheap or easy.
These sound amazing bro! Also, I guess I missed the drop of the IOTAVX SA40! Holy crap, this amp sounds like a winner at its price point. I’ll have to look for the reviews & written stuff too. Thanks again! 🙏🏽🎶🤍💪🏽
Does it sound better than the gr research encore xls?
@@Rocker6969 You'll only know if you buy the Encore since you can't demo them. Not sure what the GR return policy is. I didn't get along with the Buchardt (in my room) but they have a no risk return policy and Mads is a stand-up guy who'll go out of his way to ensure customer satisfaction. The Bison, I can demo at a number of shops in my area who also offer the possibility for home demo.
GR refuses to send review samples and has very publicly said none of the reviewers on YT are qualified to review his speaker and none of us have rooms that can accomodate them properly so I'm guessing his speaker is extremely fussy with rooms since most reviewers have fully treated rooms and if that's not good enough most likely it will not fit well in your room either.
@@NemoPropaganda build the cheap version and let us know :)
@@Rocker6969 I can afford anything he makes, it's not about the cost, it's more about why would I do something like that, I have zero interest in him or his products. I think if someone is interested in DIY they should consider CSS, their products have been reviewed and loved by many people and they don't have any problems with rooms :)