Totem Owners....

I just made an upgrade from some warm finicky KEFs to the Totem Hawks. I auditioned a new pair and was very impressed. Very simple and transparent. I did feel like there was a lack of bass extension when I got the pair I bought hooked up. I actually made a break through last night switching the ICs from the pre to the amp, which opened the low end a lot more. Maybe the bass is just really accurate (a hugely subjective term) and I'm not used to it. I'm not ready to give my conclusion on them. I spent a lifetime listening to warm systems. So, I'm getting used to these before I decide it's what I'm looking for.

I'm trying to get used to hearing clothing, lip smacking, paper rustling and background talk that I'm starting to hear in the recordings. Yes, very detailed.

I picked these over Dali Ikon 6 and Vandy 1c's, which I also had liked. If I'm still on the fence about my choice down the line, I may try bringing a pair of Dali's in for an extended trial.

Can we ever know what to pick? A good deal helps the decision making.

Good luck.

Cutterfilm - If the Hawks are at all like the Forests, be patient. Bass wil come but as BlindJim wrote in another thread on a different topic, "...bass is the last thing to appear". When I first hooked up the Forests I was WAY disappointed in their bass. Not so now. They seem to sound better and better the more I play them. I'm thinking you might need 100+ hours before those Hawks come into their own (a guess on my part; Totem's site might have some pertinent info re break in hrs.). Hope you do enjoy them.

A side question -
I am looking to upgrade my B&W DM.601s - would the Totem Dreamcatchers be an upgrade? Or a lateral move?

I have B&W 685's in my theater system - these would be music only.

Love this thread :-)
Thinking to save my money and go further for either Rainmakers or Arros (I have a fondness for bookshelf speakers I can't explain - probably because I never have owned floor standing .. and I'm always in small rooms).

Septemous, I went from B&W 602 s2 monitors to Arros and find the totems to sound much smoother, more open, detailed, and just better in almost every way, really, including bass.

IMO, the only area where the Arros are inferior to the 602s is dynamics, but this may not be an issue for you if you have a smallish room and don't listen at loud levels. I really like the Arros when run within their limits, but if you like to rock out at louder levels I'd check out the Rainmakers or Sttafs. I'll probably upgrade to something with more bass and dynamics eventually, but I think the Arros are very nice for what they are.

I've owned the Hawk, Forest and Wind speakers. I've auditioned the Mani-2's extensively at home as well. I found the Forest to be the most seductive of all due to it's evenly balanced sound with surprisingly deep bass extension. They are also easier to drive for a Totem due to their honest 8ohm impedance rating. The purity and tone of the Forest was just phenomenal:)