Totem Hawks


What amp and cabling are you using with your Totem Hawks ?
sympaticonorm
Vince ran Totem with Plinius in Montreal in April, so the recommendation of the 9200 isn't surprising.

As to improving soundstage, you might experiment with different floor-speaker base contacts. Are you using spikes on carpet, or the Claws on hardwood? Not sure what will work best for your application. I had very good results with Black Diamond Racing cones under my trusty old Totem Sttafs, on wood veneer floors. Lots of different products with their own fan base...
I am using the claws on hardwood floor. There is no carpet in the room. I have one speakers that is closer to a wall (approx 2 feet) than the other due to furniture arrangement. The one speaker that is closer to the wall is on the shorter wall.
How good are the Hawks supposed to be when it comes to soundstage...that I don't know neither..
I've heard really great soundstaging with the hawks and sim gear in the past. Which version of the Pathos do you have? I just listened to the mk II and thought it threw a nice soundstage with impressive depth and width for it's specs/size. I think the sim may be a better match, but I'd first address some issues in your room. I think not having any carpeting is not going to help focus your sound. Also, if you have an open ended setup on one side, then I'd want to move the speaker on the shorter wall farther away from it if possible. I just re-auditioned the plinius 9200 and have decided I like the sound. I heard it against a Krell KAV 400ix and while it doesn't have the grip around the bass that the Krell does, it was more well rounded and listenable, as it's not as sterile as the krell comes across.

The Cardas cables won't be helping things any, as I've had bad experiences with them and totem in the past (and with just about everything else). I love my analysis plus cables with totem, and have heard them with sim. Great match! I'd go for the oval 9 series, I think represents a great match of quality and price. Not to say their more expensive stuff isn't better, just that I wouldn't go any lower than oval 9.
I have the Pathos MK II. I guess I better try a carpet and move the one speaker away from the wall before trying out other amps or possibly other speakers (was thinking of the Proac D25 possibly). Actually, other than the soundstage issue I really like the sound of my system. Thanks for your suggestions...you guys on Audiogon are so helpful !