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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
jihley
74 posts
 
I own the Arro's and I find that they sound the best with solid 99% Ox Free copper wires. They have plenty of bass and imaging and the sound is very correct not just somebody's idea of what music should sound like. They took over 100 hrs. to run in. My amp is 100 watts per side. The room is 16 X 30 but the listen area is 16 x 18. The speakers are about 10' apart toed is slightly and 2.5' from the rear wall and 3' from the side walls.
ghosthouse's avatar
ghosthouse
4,306 posts
 
Jw - good luck in your hunt.
jwglista OP
206 posts
 
Thanks to you all. I would agree that the Sttaf just aren't for me. I've already put an order in for the Triton 3's. From what I heard of them at the dealer, they were pretty darn good for the money. Now it's just a matter of making them work in this room, which hopefully won't be a problem.
jwglista OP
206 posts
 
I wanted to post an update regarding the Sttaf. Yesterday evening, a cold front started moving through my area, which meant I could open up the windows and break out my PrimaLuna Prologue Two. I hooked it up to the Sttafs, and I will say that these speakers are a much better match for tubes. It didn't solve all problems that I found with the Sttafs, but it helps tremendously. Since the tube amp has more of that "fat" sound, it helps to fill out some of the leanness I heard in the Sttaf's lower midrange. Alas, the summers here are too hot for me to use a tube amp during, so the Sttaf would still not be a good choice for me because of that. But just something to keep in mind for others who are considering these speakers.
bdgregory
1,712 posts
 
I've used my Sttafs with tubes and a multiple different SS amps. I would not say they are a better match for Tubes, but they do sound really nice with tubes. All of the amps I have used, at least the ones that sound good with them are high power (140W - 200W) and have really good bass control. That's when they shine.
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