Totem THE ONE vs Totem Signature One

I just had a blow out with Erick Lichte at the Stereophile forum regarding his follow up review of the Forest loudspeaker. I just couldn't give him a pass on the incorrect description of their ability to throw a spacious soundstage with pinpoint imaging....if they do anything it's soundstaging!! FYI The "ONE" is a great speaker:O)

I will add to my own post regarding Totem THE ONEs. I got the Totem STORM subwoofer. Still in the break-in and set-up process, but the STORM seems to have done the trick. It appears that the STORM crossover should be set at about 65 - 75 Hz, which is more than the 50 Hz bottom of THE ONEs. I have all 3 speakers lined up, so am not adjusting the STORM's "phase." It is tempting to crank up the STORM's volume, but a fairly low setting seems to make it blend best with THE ONEs. It is now a full-range system. THE ONEs are now freed-up to promote more detail and focus. Of course, the STORM blends well, and gives all the bass needed. I telephoned Totem, and was told to wire all 3 speakers directly from my TACT AUDIO "diggy" amp (not from amp to sub and then from sub to speakers). They indicated that that was simply too long a run of wire(s) to get to the speakers. Also, I added 2 Totem BEAKS on top of each of THE ONEs, and they really do make a difference. Adds, more & more detail and more & more focus. And, the sound stage got wider. Yikes! I can hear ivory piano keys, wooden fiddles, and Dizzy's spit in-bent-trumpet. These 3 little boxes are giant killers. However, please note: high-end associated equipment is required, and they are best suited for mid-to-small rooms and mid-to-low volumes - exactly what I require.

Agreed with Chuck. They are beautiful speakers that can pass the WAF test easily and fit in with almost any decor. They focus in mid range and thus they will not have enough bass for people who listen occasionally to rock & rap besides vocal.

Dynaudio Focus 110 & 140 are very similar to Totem The One. Their emphasis is also on mid range for jazz & vocal listening but they have better bass than The One, especially the Focus 140.

From my experience, both The One & Model One would quickly roll off around 60 Hz. A good fast sub like REL or Outlaw is required to fill up the bottom. The One high is smoother than that of the Model One but it is still a bit hot for my ears.

Maybe my ears are made of tin can????

On one hand, I agree with Hieule5's assessment of The One's dropping off at 60Hz. Although I actually got solid output down to around 35hz from The One's in my tiny listening space, they really do seem to lose their 'acoustic density' at around the 60-70hz mark. Really though, this is about what you'd expect from any monitor their size. I'd also agree that while The One is smoother in contrast to the Signature - it is still imbues a bit of 'metallic tinge' here and there.

On the other hand, I have to disagree with the comparison between drawn The One's and the Dynaudio Focus 110's/140's. They sound absolutely nada alike to these ears. The Danes are dark/laid back and warm, whereas the Totem's are agile and far more 'holographic'. These speakers sound nothing alike, in my opinion.

I also believe that the 140 has the least accurate bass of the bunch. Sure, it can charge a room very well, but its quite sloppy when compared to the little Focus 110, and flat out bloated when sat next to the lightning-quick 20th anniversary Totem's.

As always, the above is nothing more than my opinion.

Ditto to Rumadian. I have owned the Dynaudio Focus 140 and Totem Model 1 Signature. I since have gone to Dynaudio Contour 1.4; then on to the Confidence C1. It wasn't until the C1's that I got the imaging of the Model 1 Sigs.