Totem Hawk: Outdated compared to newer spks??


Need to gather some input as to whether the Totem's HAWK speaker($3300 retail) is still a good value in terms of overall performance. The design has been around for over ten years with a few minor upgrades I heard the speaker several times and liked them.

Nevertheless, are speakers like the Usher BE-718, or Monitor Audio's Gold GX-100 which are monitors, (or even another small floorstander like the Hawks) going to significantly outperform them?? Welcome your input and experience with these speakers. Thanks
sunnyjim
The design has been around for over ten years with a few minor upgrades I heard the speaker several times and liked them
If you heard them and liked them, that is probably the most important aspect in selecting a speaker.

Not sure by what you mean about the design being around 10 years? Its a ported 2 way speaker - a design has been around for over 50 years and will most likely be used for another 50 barring any significant breakthrough in how we listen to speakers. I think the Usher and MA's you site are ported 2 ways too.

Now the drivers used in the other two are different but not the design. And just because they are more recent models, doesn't mean they will outperform the Hawks. They could actually sound worse to you than the Hawks. I would suggest you listen to these and judge for yourself rather than get hung up on how long a speaker has been around.
I have Sonus Faber Cremona which were introduced in 2003. SF has gone through several newer models since. I still like the original ones. Over the years, speaker design has changed. Many believe my Cremona are "colored" because they have a slight rise in the treble. But, they sound very good to me. Later versions have done away with the rise and have strived for more detail. To me, the new ones sound too clinical, without the richest of my old speakers.

The point is speaker design does change over time. But, it is up to you to decide which you like best. That is one reason there are so many speaker companies. Different speakers sound different. You just need to pick what you like.
Totem Forrest has the best value per buck and the best sound in their entire line.
Czarivey - have you heard the Elements? The Metal, imo, is much better than the Forest, although clearly at a different price point.
No I haven't heard Elements. I used Forrests with tube amp and solid state amp. In both cases I liked them a lot. For the small difference vs. Hawk it's huge step-up.