Totem speakers and others that I should consider?

Forests are IMHO the best speakers built by Totem line. There are better models than Totem Winds/Shaman at higher price ranges.
Did anyone mentioned Nola Contender? I believe that it's a value winner of the year.

I you like the Totems, then you will surely love the Quad line of dynamic speakers.

Check out Aerial Acoustics Model 7T. There is a review this month in either Stereophile or TAS, can't remember off the top of my head which mag. They are in your price range.

I think the Element series is pretty new, so that's most likely why they aren't discussed very much. Haven't heard them, but I'm a big Totem fan.

I was looking for new speakers about 3 years ago, and the Arros were the speakers to beat for me (my budget was less than yours). I ended up buying Audio Physic Yara Evolution Bookshelves. I think Audio Physic and Totem have a lot in common. To my ears, Audio Physic's speakers as a line image and soundstage a bit better, and they're more forward than Totem as a line. I don't mean an in-your-face forward, I mean the soundstage comes closer. Most Totem speaker's soundstage is at or behind the plane of the speakers (especially the Arros). They just seem more distant sounding to me. Those comparisons aren't solely Yaras vs Arros, they're comparabley priced models vs each other. If I didn't find Audio Physic, I'd have bought Totems and lived happily ever after. I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy a pair of Dreamcatchers and wall mount them with Totem's bracket so I can baby proof my living room and still have music. The Yaras won't work well at all that way, and will be stored until I can have a dedicated room (hopefully within the next year).

Audio Physic isn't easy to track down, and their second-hand market isn't very strong. If you can find a dealer within a reasonable distance, they should be on your list of speakers to audition. If you really like Totems, you should make it a point to hear APs if possible.

I also like most of the speakers mentioned here. I'd really like to hear the Element series, even though I can't afford them. Knowing Totem, they're excellent and worth every penny of their price.

Hi Michael,

If I may express a slightly different opinion about Totem speakers: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MAN! DON'T DO IT!!!!!!

I have owned the Model 1’s, Mani-2’s (the best of the lot) and the Forests and at first you may like them because they are so revealing. But that is because of the eardrum piercing SEAS metal dome tweeter that they use. Listener fatigue comes quickly with them and the belief is that if you don't like what you are hearing, it is because there is a problem somewhere else in your system. I then find that people work backwards though their stereo to remove anything that they think is making the treble hard and harsh and that usually means trying to “cable down” the speakers using Cardas cable and perhaps removing a good solid state amp and putting in a lower-powered tube amp to round the sound down at the extremes. Because most of the Totems take a lot of power to drive, unless it is a really big (re: expensive) tube amp, the speakers then become lifeless. There is nothing that really can be done that can tame those tweeters. I’m ranting because I have lost money trying to make these speakers work in the past.

If you like the midrange quality that Totems have, simply buy the much more well-balanced Dynaudio equivalent. The Contour 1.1 has way more finesse than the Model 1, the Contour 1.3SE more than the Forest, etc. If you want a speaker that no one I know dislikes, look for a nice pair of used Harbeth Compact 7’s. If you want a speaker with a SEAS tweeter (but a MUCH BETTER SEAS tweeter) buy a pair of Tyler Acoustic speakers. I personally like the Super Towers if you want great imaging. If you want a speaker for a large room, the Tyler Signature System speakers are amazing. There is currently a pair in Chicago for only 2500.00. The drivers alone for that speaker cost 2000.00. If you have a really large room Ty has a used pair of custom speakers that he is selling that have all SEAS Nextel drivers including the very expensive Crescendo tweeter (which is a much, much better tweeter than the aluminum dome SEAS Excel that Totem uses). He is only asking 3200 for that pair and that is likely just a bit more than what the drivers alone cost in that speaker. What I like about Tyler Acoustics is that Tyler is “cooking” with the best ingredients. Totem, not so much. I think that the Forest was a great design when it came out in the mid 90’s but time and speaker driver technology move on.

If you were planning to spend as much as 6K and if you can go used, I would look at Piega speakers, or Vandersteen Quatros, or Green Mountain just to name a few. Kudos also makes a very nice speaker in the C-30. Usher speakers are generally very good as well and like the Tylers, he is using good quality drivers. If you can find them, the WLM speakers (made in Austria) with the Super Pac tweeters are amazing and image like nothing else. I think that there is a pair up for sale on Audiogon for 4500.00 and those would be well worth considering.

Anyway, I hope that I did not offend you or others who like Totem speakers but in my view (as a former 3-pairs-of-Totem-speakers owner) there are so many better choices out there, I would hate to see someone spend that much money and not find a speaker that will consistently make them happy.

PJ