Totem's "Hawk" and "Forrest":How Hi-End Are They?

My 2 cents: I listened to the Hawks with ARC and CJ and was not too impressed. I could not put my finger on it - they just seemed a little light and recessed sounding. The effect was the same on both setups. Then we swapped the Hawks for JM Lab Cobalt 826 and I was much happier. They were clearer and more lively in general. Don't go by labels like "high end" as they are different for everyone. Good luck!

One more thing that is realy in common to all smaller Totem speakers and monitors:
They're all designed for relatively small rooms and therefore the demand on efficiency is low. They all have superb imaging and staging even including the cheapest floor-standing Arros.
Applying them for the large room will realy demand endless power to drive them.

I was browsing in a hifi store some years ago, listening to small speakers. Most were just noisemakers. Then I heard a pair of Totems. Their high-end perpective was immediately evident. Relatively accurate frequency response, low distortion and noise, clarity with high resolution. I didnt buy them, but they are very good speakers.

I had the Ones for some time and enjoyed them immensely. I never tryed them with tube power. First of all, I bought them new and they took a looooong time to break in- sounded conjested and a little thick in the middle, a little rough in the highs. After what seemed like an eternity ( about 3-4 weeks) things really jelled and they sounded wonderful.
As for amplification, with a 50w NAD int they sounded lifeless and retained the thickness, the 100w Belles was better but still not as open on top. With the 120w Marsh I used to have they really opened up, more dynamic, better bass. Amazing for their size. Think they would have liked even more clean power.
I have not heard the Forest or Hawk, but I would expect nothing short of excellent sound from either. Build, finish, sound, Totem is a class act.

I would consider the Hawks "high end" if by that you mean they do not sound like "mid fi."

Seriously, the Hawks are really very good at soundstaging. Their bass response is okay, but don't expect it to go low as it is only a single 5.5 inch driver (or less). Depending on how far they are from the wall I would guess they roll off in the 60-50Hz range. They do not need stands and sound fine without the "claws", which are not necessary (nor are the "beaks" for that matter). They do harden and compress when pushed too hard. They sound best with acoustic music. The Forrest would be better with rock music, although for that I would not go with Totems. The Hawks need less power than other Totems, but are by no means efficient. Probably at least 60 watts to get the dynamic range to a level where the music is involving.