Driving Totem Forrests with 40W Tubes???

Very interesting to me, jho2s. I have the Sim I-5 and am interested in the Totem Hawks. I heard this pairing at a dealer recently and liked it mucho. Earlier, I had emailed Totem about the pairing of an I-5 with either the Hawks or Forests, and they said they think the Hawk was a better match and that: "Although the FOREST is more demanding to drive the I-5 can still handle the load to a moderate/high level. Although it will play to satisfying levels, maximum dynamics would not be reached."

You do not seem to have any issues with your I-5 and Forest. Good one to note.

- walkman

Walkman, no problems here. I don't listen at insane levels, but I have had it pretty loud with no negative side effects that I can hear.

Jh20s,

Thanks for taking your time and patiently writing all the observations you made. I will be very eager to read your postings regarding this comparision you are making.

Thanks
Grakesh

OK, so the winner (for me) is the Simaudio i-5 with the Forests.

Both sound great and the Prima is a little sweeter in the midrange and adds a nice juiciness to the female vocals that's hard to give up, but overall the Sim just offers a little more. A little more transparency, a little tighter imaging and focus and more accurate tonal representation. Many of the things that I found the Krell to add, but without the nasties in the highs - which to me are unforgivable.

The Sim actually attempts what seems to be some tube like qualities, but when pairing it head-to-head with the same thing, tubes do add a little more 'magic'. Although both sound great, the decision was pretty easy for me. The Sim just controls the Forests better.

While I prefer the Sim i-5, I still question if that could be the final pairing with the Forests. I think the 'perfect' pairing may lie along the lines of a PrimaLuna Prologue Three Preamp with a Simaudio i-3/5 power amp, or perhaps the BAT vk300? I think a hybrid system could be just the ticket for the Forests? The i-5 is nice, but I think a little more power could onyl go in a positive direction.

Very interesting...thanks for the verdict on this...It does not seem like you've had any concerns about the ability of the I-5 to drive the Forests...

- walkman