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Totem Sttaf

I'm currently auditioning a pair of Totem Sttaf speakers. I've read so many good things about them, but I'm not particularly impressed. Their voicing, to my ears, seems to employ certain tricks to enhance the sense of imaging. The bass, while many say is strong for the speaker's size, sounds loose and undefined. The soundstage stays strictly between the speakers; I hardly ever hear it extend beyond. Depth is also not that great. Overall, they seem to lack the same natural sound that my LSA1 monitors put forth. It might be a bit unfair to compare imaging of a floor stander versus a monitor, but even for a floor stander, I'm not that impressed with the Sttaf's imaging. The sense of imaging all seems to come from a slightly enhanced treble; imaging in the midrange seems not quite as clear.

Maybe my ears are pushing my tastes beyond my wallet. But I think I can do better for the money, considering the Sttaf's $1800 retail price. I should also note that I have a small 11x11 listening room, so finding speakers that work is a challenge too. That's why I considered the Totems.
jwglista
bdgregory
1,710 posts
 
the key to Sttafs is set up. They must be out from the wall, and the distance between them is also important. In my experience the Sttaf's image is huge extending well outside the speakers and in some cases past the walls. They need to be at least 3' into the room to be optimal. Also, the distance between them should be fairly narrow - maybe 6' at most. Totem's web site has these parameters for all of their speakers.

Are you auditioning them in your 11x11 room? I have a pair I'm using in my office (it's actually a 12x12 bedroom) and they sound great there. The bass is fine. This is my second pair and I have used them in a larger room - ~ 14 x 22, and needed a subwoofer there.
jwglista OP
206 posts
 
Bdgregory: Yes, this is in my 11 x 11 room. I have them 24 inches from the back wall. The right speaker is about 2.5 feet from the side wall, and the left speaker is further away from the other side wall. I can get exact measurements once I'm home.

The dealer told me these showroom demos have about 50-75 hours on them, but could these not be fully burned in yet?
ghosthouse's avatar
ghosthouse
4,306 posts
 
Jwglista-
I wondered whether your Staffs were fully run-in while reading your original post. If my experience with Totem Forests is anything to go by, I'd expect things will improve over another 50-100 hours. The bass on the Forests was mostly MIA when I first got them. That is no longer the case. What does the Totem site say about breaking in the Staffs?
jwglista OP
206 posts
 
Ghosthouse: Totem recommends 60-80 hours for the Sttaf. I can hear the bass, but it sounds more like undefined rumble most of the time.

There's also a certain quality to the treble that I don't like. Things can sound a bit sibilant at times. They don't quite cause listening fatigue, but it doesn't sound "natural" to my ears.
bdgregory
1,710 posts
 
break in may be an issue in this case with <100 hours on them, although Totem says 60-80 hours is the normal break in time. I recall the dealer telling me 100-200 hours. I would pull them further out into the room if you can. Also, try different positioning to each other. In one room I had mine set up only about 5 ft apart. It's totally counter intuitive, but with that arrangement the image was huge.
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