Anyone spent time with the Totem Wind?

Tpreaves,

Yes I agree but I have only heard these speakers in one room and system (and for only an hour). I am a believer that the room and system can greatly change the way a speaker sounds. My other issue is I have never used any of the equipment used in the demo with any other speakers. This makes the base line comparison very hard.

I have found that with very neutral speakers I am often swayed either way by the front end. All in all I am trying to sort out if the speakers lack a little brilliance or if the system synergy was just not to my tastes.

If you weren't "wowed" by Wind initially, there's a very good possibility you won't the next time.

And the time after that. But a second listen is not a bad idea as emotion, mood, state of mind, etc. play a large role in the enjoyment of any listening session.

Speakers are the most personal/subjective component in a system so this speaker just may not be your cup of tea.

Take a look at the number of manufacturers and/or models on Audiogon and then realize that's only a small percentage of the total.

Trust your ears and you'll eventually be wowed.

Mind if I ask which Cary pieces were used and what brand cabling?

If your room and that one are similar, and/or the gear was your own, you have your answer now on the Wind's abilities.

I've heard systems with great front ends and mid priced ($4K) speakers which just floored me. I've heard reportedly great speakers with decent front ends that just left me feeling... well, OK. That's nice but nothing special.

More than a few times this instance of better stuff up front provides best sound, given the speakers aren't bad to begin with.... and many are not bad to begin with at all.

I consider the whole of the rig's contents... and not JUST the speakers when eyeing a possible speaker upgrade. By that I mean, if they sound pretty good with modest gear in front of them, I feel there is a good chance they'll do better with better... see?

I've seldom been floored outright, when listening to a setup.... anywhere, but especially at a dealership. In a home where it should be setup pretty well, I'd expect a bit better result, but you gotta add in the preffs of the owner too. Therefore I tend to want to drag along a piece of my own that I know pretty well to see how things change after it is inserted.

My understanding of the Winds is that they'll do better with power, as do many speakers. At 86db & 6 ohms in a medium sized room you ought to be able to get away with modest power SS or tube, but I'd not expect anything nearing concert level listening.

Perhaps you can arrange another trip and take your amp and pre to see how they'll respond... oh and your own music. You might just come across some that will astound you but then you have to consider what was up front too. Is or will your front end be superior to that one? It'll need to be to capture that same sound. Been there... Done that... and it's way tuff to emulate or replicate a specific front end setup with dissimilar gear and the same speakers.

The one thing you will know at that point is the ??? speakers are capable of producing super sound IF all else is on track too.

It is always what's up front and the room itself, which accounts for how well speakers will respond.... not the other way around.

Good luck.

The Cary tub amp was CAD 120S CAD 120S and I believe all cables and interconects were Audiokinesis.

I plan to give them another good listen before I write them off. l liked them much better than a lot of speakers I have demoed. He also offered me a knockout price! But as a like everyone on this site I am not good at price shopping lol...

I might just have to bring my own gear. Even though on paper his stuff is better than mine, I might just be used to the way my stuff sounds. The winds had good tone and were what many people call "musical". I tend to like a little more punch and forward presentation. I have seen amps drastically change the way the bass sounds and I have seen other equipment (preamps, etc) change the highs a good bit.

If you were not "wowed" with them on a short listen, that might be a good sign.

What "wows" us are often exaggerated bass or treble.

As I think about my all time favorite speakers, they did not "wow" me at first.

So, IMHO, your question is a fair one. You want to get the opinion of some folks that have lived with these speakers for some time.

Art