Totem Hawks/Forests - Upstream Components

All,

Thanks a lot for all the feedback you provided. I appreciate your input.

Eldorado....You are right. I should have provided mroe details that will allow folks over here to guide me better.

My Budget is $3500 for both Pre-Amp and Amp together (or) for the Integrated Amp it is $3000. I like listening to Vocals, Instruments, Pop, Classical and light rock. I am not an audiophile and i am new to audiphile terms. I am thinking most of my listening interests and particularly Vocals come under mid-range. I also heard that Tubes make the mid-range really bloom and sound sweet. That is why I was asking for Tube recommendations too.

Also, I have a few questions that I am looking for some guidance with.

1. Can I buy a Tube Stereo Inegrated Amp like Jolida 302B (or) Primaluna Prologue 2 and use it to drive Totem Hawks / Forests for my current 2 channel needs and then add a power amp like Musical Fidelity A5 CR 6 months down the lane and use the Jolida / Primalune as a Pre-Amp. In simple terms, in the future, can I take the output from Jolida Integrated and pass it through MF A5 power amp and the output from MF Amp to Speakers ? If this is not possible, then I need to buy a pure Pre-Amp and Power Amp together to start with.

2. The so called Tube sound and mid range bloom...is that contributed by the Pre-Amp Tubes or tubes in the power amp section ?

3. In the case of Jolida, folks recommend 302b over 502b if one's preference is sweet sounding mid-range. I read folks saying EL34 tubes contribute to that. In that case EL34 tubes are part of pre-amp section (or) power amp section of Jolida ?

4. I like sweet sounding mid-range and some good tight bass too. So I thought I can have a sweet sounding mid-range bloom tube based Pre-Amp and a good SS power amp like MF A5 to give the bass slam. That is why I was thinking of pairing up Tube Pre-Amp with a SS Power Amp thinking it gives best of both worlds. I am not sure whether this is a correct theory or not. May be you can educate me.

Can you please let me know ?

Thanks
Grakesh

I am open for pre-owned Power Amps, but would like to buy the pre-amp new.

Grakesh

I am surprised at how well my Forests sound powered by my PrimaLuna Prologue Two. They are premeiring monoblocks rated at 60/70W? at the CES show. I would recommend giving those a shot.

Also, the Krell kav-400xi sounds great powering the Forests, but for me, I preferred the tube sound of the PrimaLuna. The Krell could get a little fatiguing in the highs at hihg levels, although this may have been dependent on cables?

I am going to try an i-5 next week myself as my dealer (who doesn't sell simaudio, but totem and krell) stated that Vince (of Totem) used to own Simaudio, so the synergy is there. This is the only source I have heard this information from though?

I've had a Plinius 8200mkII integrated driving Tabu's back in the day, and I wasn't feeling the combination. Just personal preference.

I had the PrimaLuna driving the Arro's previous to the Forest, and thought the PrimaLuna wouldn't cut it, but I was pleasantly surprised. Many, even Totem themselves said that the Forests want a lot of power, like 200W SS, but I am questioning that as the PrimaLuna sounds so damn good. I think the monos with a little more juice may be the ticket?

I would recommend the Forests highly over the Hawks, again just personal opinion. I've heard the Hawks on several occasions in seperate systems and have never been as 'wowed' with them as the Forests. The best Hawk system I've heard was at the HE show this past year paired with Ayre gear. CDP and integrated, not sure the model #'s? but you may want to check them out if the Hawks are your taste?

Good luck with your decisions, it really will come down to was is most pleasant to your ears!

First off, if you have the money I'd def. go for the forests. There are a number of threads on the subject, but just listen for yourself and you'll understand.

So I'll list a couple units I liked with the totem Forests, but these may voice differently depending on your CD/TT, Cables, etc.

The Plinius 9200 I think represents a lot of what you're looking for, in terms of tube-like mid-range bloom and power, plus it has a decent phono stage. Also, if you buy used you should have money left over for ICs, PCs, and speaker cable, if you buy well.

If you want to go with tubes somewhere in the chain, you could get the BAT VK300x or 300xse, both of which sound very good with the forests.

A Vac Avatar Super may be a stretch of your budget (but falls below 3500 used) but would be an ideal match.

A Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista is about 3 grand used, and would be much superior to the Jolida/MF combo you proposed in your last post. Plus, this thing has enough power to match with anything you might upgrade to, and has a phono stage, but it's not great.

If you're looking to save money, the Plinius is the way to go. Otherwise, I'd say the Bat or MF would be good. I didn't get a good listen on the VAC and totems, but I'm familiar with the VAC and it's great.

Enjoy