Which amp to drive Totem Signiture ones?

You have great little speakers.

I would first concentrate on the amp before I would consider a subwoofer. With a good, powerful amp, you will be amazed at the bass output. Being a "Krell man", I would probably look at a used Krell. Maybe the KSA200S. It will give you that punch you are looking for to "move you".

If I am wrong, you can sell the Krell a get what you paid for and be out little or nothing.

Richard

Hi GMC: Richard's comment was excellent. But before that, simply replace/audition another pair of speaker wire (try Kimber Monocle or BiFocal) I assume the speakers are fully broken-in (300-400 hours playing time?)and Model 1's MUST be placed on rigid, metal stands --preferably filled with sand, lead-shot or combination of both.

Amplifiers: Consider Bryston 3-B SST or Classe CA-201.

peter jasz

It sounds to me like there may be a couple of issues at play here.

I looked up your product specs on the web, and the Totems are nominally 4 ohm speakers. It is possible that they may have some serious dips at some frequencies. Given that the Kora is rated from 3 ohms to 12 ohms for full power, there could be a potential problem with the amp handling the impedance curve.

Add to that, the Totem's rep for being a little power hungry at 87db efficiency, and it's entirely possible that it could be straining the Kora a little too much. According to my calculations, with the Totems, your amp will be maxed out at under 105db SPL. This means that 95db would be the highest average listening level with this combo, still leaving 10db for peaks before clipping. Add in the difficult impedance load, and you have some strong potential for problems, especially if you like to listen at louder volumes.

Many speakers that are rated at 4 ohms nominal swing below that at some points and are not particularly "tube friendly".

I would say that you are at a position where some changes will have to be made regarding the amp or speakers, to get a more favorable match.

Personally, with a 4 ohm nominal speaker rating, and 87db efficiency rating, I would have to recommend looking at some solid state amps with a rating of about 250-400 watts at 4 ohms. The efficiency levels and impedance curve virtually demand this, if you are going to maintain a decent damping factor, bass response, and 110db+ max peak SPL.

I am a tube guy, but I don't think that you are going to get any tube amp under $2k that is going to hang with these speakers.

I used to own a pair of Model 1 sigs and the best amp I ever used was a BAT VK60 (used under 2K). TWL is right about finding a suitable tube amp under 2K with the above exception. The best solid state amp that I tried with great results was the Sim Audio W5, 200 watt amp. I've read that the 200 watt McCormack also works well. I would stay away from the Bryston 4bst as this amp is veiled sounding with these speakers.

If you like the Totem sound, try the Totem Hawks. They are like the Model 1 sigs, but have more bass, are a bit warmer and are easier to drive.

TWL and Ultrakaz are right on the money, especially with regards to the bryston amp with your totems. I tried a bryston amp on my Mani 2's and I got simular results. Althogh it could play loud, I got a very thin and bright presentation which came no where near to what the totems can offer.