I would consider the Hawks "high end" if by that you mean they do not sound like "mid fi."
Seriously, the Hawks are really very good at soundstaging. Their bass response is okay, but don't expect it to go low as it is only a single 5.5 inch driver (or less). Depending on how far they are from the wall I would guess they roll off in the 60-50Hz range. They do not need stands and sound fine without the "claws", which are not necessary (nor are the "beaks" for that matter). They do harden and compress when pushed too hard. They sound best with acoustic music. The Forrest would be better with rock music, although for that I would not go with Totems. The Hawks need less power than other Totems, but are by no means efficient. Probably at least 60 watts to get the dynamic range to a level where the music is involving.
Seriously, the Hawks are really very good at soundstaging. Their bass response is okay, but don't expect it to go low as it is only a single 5.5 inch driver (or less). Depending on how far they are from the wall I would guess they roll off in the 60-50Hz range. They do not need stands and sound fine without the "claws", which are not necessary (nor are the "beaks" for that matter). They do harden and compress when pushed too hard. They sound best with acoustic music. The Forrest would be better with rock music, although for that I would not go with Totems. The Hawks need less power than other Totems, but are by no means efficient. Probably at least 60 watts to get the dynamic range to a level where the music is involving.