Totem Hawks/Forests - Upstream Components

i would recommend that you listen to the totems with your source components in your own room to see if they float your boat. if you can't do this, i would buy used pieces so you don't take a hit if you have to sell it because you don't like it. IMO, to get the most out of these speakers, don't skip on the amp's power. for example: i currently use a small jolida tube integrated amp to power my totem inwalls. sounds nice for my den/office setup. when i switch the amp out to my more powerful tube setup, the sound difference is like nigt and day. i also used this jolida to power my arros with good success. only when i switched amps to a more powerful one did i notice the improvement. i also did some comparisons with my model 1's and now my mani 2's with different amps. i used to power these speakers with a pair of odyssey monoblocks which sounded nice. but when i auditioned the mcintosh 352 amp or the classe ca-301 amp with these speakers, these amps did a much better job at controlling the lower end and the speaker seemed to really open up. this was more noticable with the mani's than the model 1's. good luck.

Hi,

Can anyone answer my questions ( 3 questions ) about Tubes I posted earlier ? I am re-postingt he same questiosn again.

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

In response to the above post, my answers are:

1) The Jolida 302b pairs well with the Hawk, less so with the Forest. (I have heard the Forests sound best with Totem's own integrated amp.) No, the 302b cannot be used as a preamp. But you can sell it for a comparable price to the one that you buy it for (used).

2) Both

3) EL34's are in the power amp section

4) Tube preamp and SS amps are a common combination. But that doesn't mean that it will necessarily result in the best sound, especially if the pre and power amps don't mate well. For a long time I enjoyed a SS preamp with tube amps; in some ways I actually prefer it that way (especially for the Hawks). The other option is to biamp the speakers so that you use the SS amp for the bass and tube amp up top.

I hope that helps.

Michael

Sufentanil,

Why cant we use Jolida 302b as a pre-amp ? I dont know the reason and I am eager to find out the technical reason behind it. Please bear with my lack of knowledge here.

Thanks
Grakesh

Michael,

I agree with you. What you said is correct about Tube Pre-Amp and SS amps combination for Totems (or) any speakers. The system synergy is what really matters. That is the reason why I was asking for any proven combination of Tube Pre-Amps and Solid State Amps for driving Totem Hawks / Forests.

Thanks
Grakesh