Totem Arro Replacement

Motokokusanagi,  I’ve had around 10 different pairs of speakers in the past year and a half in this same listening room with the same equipment.  Those Contours were the most bass heavy speaker I had in this room and I’ve had Dynaudio Xeo 6’s and Infinity betas (2 10” woofers in each speaker) and neither of those overwhelmed with bass.  My room is about halfway treated.  I have Gik bass traps.  I’ve got 6 244 panels, 3 monster bass traps and then 3 panels that really only tame slap echo.  My set-up is straightforward.  Anthem I225 amp, bluesound node 2i.  Analysis Plus Oval 8 speaker cables (love ‘em), audioquest diamond hyperlitz rca’s, cullen crossover series power cable, porter port outlet.  No concerns regarding placement as this is a secondary bedroom that I made my dedicated room.  I have always pulled my speakers out really far from the walls.  I prioritize imaging and a clean sound over having fuller bass and not such a good soundstage (which is what I experience whenever I have my speakers closer than about 2 feet to any wall).  

Interestingly, The Arros have the best bass response in my listening room that I’ve had.  The cabinets are sealed off from the lower section.  The cabinets are reinforced as well and are pretty solid.  The bottom half is full of sand.

@erik_squires I was almost certain that you were going to recommend a speaker kit!  My hesitation with that right now would be that my setup would be down until I finished them and I am doing too much listening right now.

As far as Fritz, yes they look awesome.  Fritz and Salk have been the 2 smaller boutique brands that have been interesting me lately.  The only problem is my budget is tight right now with me being out of work.  I only have around $650 or $700 to spend at the moment.

With all that in mind, do I stay put and save more money?  Or do I switch to Ventos, Rainmakers, Sierra 1’s, Monitor Audio Silver 6?

The hardest part about this for me is that I like the sound signature of the Arros, I just want more volume and dynamics, not a different sound really.  I actually prefer the sound of the Arros over quite a few other speakers that I’ve recently had...

I was hooked on the Totem sound for many years...ultimately for me to get that dynamic life and unrestricted dynamics I switched to JBL 4429’s.  That said, a used pair of Hawks would most likel satisfy you.

Sounds like everything’s (room, system) nailed on, except budget right now. I used to have the i225 and am familiar with some of your other gear. I don’t think $650-700 would bring the change needed new (or even used, looking at what’s out there).

I’d suggest holding on til budget can be increased like you said (assume you’re also figuring trade-in or resale of the Arros) and why not start by looking upwards through the Totem catalog for models with heftier drivers?

If you can build speaker cabinets and crossovers, I’d also consider DIY kit designs for extra value as well as being able to cherry pick design parameters (drivers, speaker dimensions, crossover).

They’re expensive new, but I think you’d really like the ATC SCM11. Used ones come up now and again. v3 has the ATC tweeter. The SCM12 Pro is the same speaker aimed at the pro market, but might be found for cheaper. They can play really loud without distortion, have a natural tone, and I find them very musical. Bass is surprisingly good, despite being sealed, cause of the large motor in the ATC midbass driver.

I’m not a fan of Monitor Audio / KEF / Wharfedale type stuff. It’s really important to be able to demo / take things on return.

@motokokusanagi, 
I’m familiar with Atc and actuslly had some Scm7 v3 that were downright amazing; the only thing was bass output again.  There were certain songs where the kickdrum would overload that 5” driver.  I was hearing breakup / distortion on just the kickdrums on certain songs and at a very moderate level. I thought the drivers had been damaged but after e-mailing atc, their response was that I was just over driving the speakers.  But oh my gosh, I loved those speakers as well.  I was so in love with ATC’s sound that I have considered moving up to the SCM11, but I’d want to be certain that I wouldn’t have the same issue with fhe 11’s that I had with the 7’s.  I’m not a bass head but I do listen at higher volumes every once in awhile.

Anyhow, good advice and maybe I should just hold tight until I can spend $1k-$1.5k rather than going through a bunch of effort to make a lateral move right now.

Maybe I’ll just buy an upgraded power cord for the bluesound and another porter port for the time being.


@dave_b , thanks for the input!  Its good to know where you go after Totem speakers, not that they are an end all by any means.  I’ve been hearing about those JBL’s here on Audiogon quite a bit, enjoy!

I only recommend speaker kits if I think the OP is kit-curious, or just sound bored. :)

I mean, of course I start threads about it, and they are generally well received, but I don't mind people buying commercial. 

What I want to get out of more audiophiles building kits is to have more people around who have made stuff.  Changes your experience and agenda. You become a resource for those who only read and buy.