Totem Forest Signature v. Joseph Audio Profile

Why surprisingly good? Joseph Audio is a well respected brand. They don't show up used very often because owners tend to keep the speakers. That says a lot about the brand.

The same can be said about the Totem Forest Signatures. 

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I actually own JA Pulsars and have heard the Profile as well.  Both have a similar house sound. Really, it's that infinite slope x-over that makes for the holographic imaging. I find, generally, that a 2 way speaker with a good subwoofer simply disappears while a 3 way often times displays directionality. That could be due to integration issues stemming from the x-over. I didn't find that to be the case with the Profiles; they sounded quite coherent from top to bottom. Can't speak about the Totems as I have not heard them. I love my Pulsars and continue to be impressed by them. I think you will enjoy the Profiles immensely ... the sound and build quality are first class all the way.

I own a pair of JA Profiles and love them. I also own a pair of JA RM-22XLs (currently for sale).Both are wonderful. The Profiles are a little more sure-footed in the bottom end. Plus the already wide soundstage of the 22's are expanded even more. Additionally, I'd say the mid-range of the Profiles are a little more detailed. Both are wonderfully musical. Both need a little breathing room from the walls and benefit from great cables (read Cardas, what Jeff Joseph always uses when showing them at various exhibitions). I would say that the 22s are a little prettier what with the Rosewood finish though the matte black finish of the Profiles are certainly pleasing. Hope this helps.

Well I finally pulled the trigger and acquired a pre-owned pair of JA Profiles. It was a hard choice but I was able to get a much better price than what was available for a similarly pre-owned pair of Totems.  As luck would have it, just before the speakers arrived, my integrated amp developed an issue that will require sending it off for service.  I will now bring out and hook up my old Luxman R115 receiver (not a bad piece of equipment) for temporary service. I hope to swap out the speakers this weekend and listen to the JA's for the first time. I will be using brand new Zu cables and they recommend at least 200 hours of "burn in" for best performance so, with the receiver and new cables, I might not get a true audition of what these speakers can do.