Totem Rainmaker distortion??


I have a relatively new pair of Rainmakers, and in the lower mids I'm getting a vibrational buzz at certain frequencies. Have any other owners experienced this? Is it part of the break in process? It is quite disturbing especially on vocals. Thanks for any insight.

My system...
Amp; Audio Research 150.2
Pre; Audio Research LS 12
CD; Consonance 120
Cable; Nordost Blue Heaven rev. 2.
128x128trumpetbri
Well Folks, thanks for your help. I decided to retire the rainmakers as I found out it was a piece of solder on the wiring inside the cabinet creating the noise. Feeling less than confident about their manufacturing, I have returned them to my dealer, and am going to switch to the Whafedale Evolution 10 speakers. They have been getting raves and have been around long enough not to let solder get in the way of their sound I'm sure. Totem should check their items carefully before they go out. Too bad as I liked the sound I was getting outside of the ringing/vibrating frequency.
This will sound like I'm a Totem employee or dealer. I'm not. Just a very satisfied customer.

I can understand why you'd be frustrated, but doubt the defect you experienced is unique to Totem. It's inevitable a defective product will be shipped - this is true of all companies. I think that the fact that the dealer replaced the unit (indeed with another brand) says something about Totem and their dealer network.

My experience with Totem's products and their customer support has been excellent. No defects in the products, just state of the art sound, excellent craftsmanship. They answer their phone when you call, and return emails within a day. That's better than my experience with many of the top brands discussed on the site.
I agree with bdgregory... Totem is an excellent company and this is the exception for them. I have Rainmakers in my home theater system and they are phenomenally musical and transparent, even with suboptimal positioning. I'd like to suggest it's worthwhile giving Totem another shot, and maybe your dealer can test the next set before shipping too.
I had a similar issue with a pair of Arros and it turned out to be the woofer enclosure overlapping with the tweeter enclosure and creating a vibration around 500 Hz. I brought them to Totem (I am in Montreal) and they inserted an ultra thin gasket between both that I believe made it standard in their subsequent Arros model. Et voila.
I was a bit upset at first but things like that can happen and it is how manufacturers deal with the issue that matters more than the issue itself (unless it is a question of life and death!). Not to mention spending time with the designer himself while his guys were fixing the problem. Vince is a class act and a true passionate.

Just out of curiosity, do you like your Evo 10 better? how do they differ?
Tks