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Small living room speaker options.. Totem Arro?

Hi,

I've recently moved into a small condo and feel like my LSi9s are just not working so well in this small living room (11x14). These speakers need to be a bit away from the wall and are fairly large in stature. I am also doing much more low volume listening now and feel like the LSi9 works better when at mid volume, otherwise it's kind of a sleepy speaker that isn't very detailed, especially missing much of the mid section when listening at very low volumes.

So what I want is a small form factor speaker that has clear and live presentation at low volume. From everything I read it seems that the Totem ARRO is a very good contender for this job, especially since it's small and loves to be close to the wall, which is where I'd have it for aesthetic purposes. 

My gear consists of a Classe SSP AMP2 (Class D), which is a 200w amp, so I think I should have no shortage of power. My pre is an Outlaw 975 which will probably get upgraded over the next year or two, but for now this is what I'm working with.

Would love to hear any thoughts on the Arro in this setup and any other options I might look into at this price point and size. Again, keeping in mind low listening volume requirement and lively/punchy presentation, although I'm not a fan of "bright"  speakers. 

Should I consider the Totem Staff? I would probably like it's tonality better, because it's closer to my LSi9 in the sense that it's a more laid back speaker. But I am not sure if it will work as well as the arro in low listening volume and it is also a larger speaker in terms of dimensions that also probably would not work quite as well backed up against the wall.

Any and all thoughts much appreciated! 
lietuvis91
chrisr's avatar
chrisr
543 posts
 
I agree with 213runnin, Totem has increased their prices considerably on designs that are nearly 20 years old.  Performance-wise, they are really good though, transparent, detailed with extended and rich tonalities.  
I consider my totem hawks the better compromise in comparison to B&W cdm-9nt, martin-logan aerius i, Dynaudio BM5A, Magnepan MMG, MG12, Vandersteen 2CE Sig, Paradigm Studio 40 v5, rega rs5 that I once owned.
But the outrageous price increases of Totem models do not make them any better than what they already are, and there's tons of new competition.  The key is to buy them used.
schubert
7,386 posts
 
I bought a pr of Totem Signature 1’s on here a couple years ago for $950 .
Paired to a Gallo TR-1 sub,$250 on here, they punch at the 5 K present level .
213runnin
914 posts
 
The Totem Signature 1's consist of decent drivers, a good crossover design and box.  Specs include a bottom end of 50 Hz and a max wattage rating of only 120.  They were overpriced at 2200, and I remain skeptical that a 12" high speaker can punch at the 5000 level.  
schubert
7,386 posts
 
Max watts are for a steady input , they can handle 300 watt peaks easily .
I cut them off at 80 hz and my Gallo sub takes things down to around 30hz at a good level . That "good crossover’ and rock-steady box gives them
clarity and rhythm as close to the sound at the thousands of Classical events I have attended in last 60 years as I believe possible . Decent drivers have impeccable tone as well.
Also , it is impossible to judge speakers out side your room and not in your system .
The worse thing you can do in audio is judge a speaker when it can only play what is upstream when odds are 100 to 1 its not the speaker . When you get as close to live as possible , the system is balanced , everybody is playing from the same score . Not a matter of money .

In any event , specs and guess mean nothing . Size ain’t everything ,
If your "game" is right its nothing .
213runnin
914 posts
 
Well nothing means nothing, in that case.  I do believe you were indulging yourself in hyperbole with the 5K statement.  Its a free forum, and talk is cheap, but Totem markets their looks in a big way and it's a big part of any of their price tags.  

Still if you're happy, that's what really matters at the end of the day.  In the last year I've auditioned 9 pairs of speakers in my system, including some Totem.  They just did not compete with the better options I listened to.  YMMV.
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