Amp or Preamp Upgrade for Totem Arro's


Hi. I'm looking to get a pair of Totem Arros. My current amp is a McIntosh 2100, 105 watts per at 8 ohms,( has 4 ohm tap), MX114 Preamp/Tuner and Rega P3 24 with Channel Islands Phono Amp and Power Supply and a pair of JBL L19's. I'm wanting to upgrade one of the McIntosh pieces for something with tubes. If I keep the amp for now, will it be too much with the 4 ohm Totem? I will also be adding a Totem sub in the future. For now I will use my Paradigm ps1000. Looking for opinions on which piece to upgrade first and stay in the 500.00 - 800.00 range, used. My listening room is approx. 14x 16 with 8 foot ceilings, hardwood floors and furnished. I mostly listen to rock, jazz and reggae. Some of the pieces I'm liking so far are Jolida, Conrad Johnson,Anthem and Rogue. Looking forward to your input. Thanks.
hoffius
Totem speakers are very, very difficult to drive. I have one pair of Model 1 and two pairs of Rainmakers so I am somewhat familiar with Totem speakers.

To extract the most out of your Totem, your integrated amp needs to put out somewhere at least clean 80 watts to 150 watts per channel. Whether you want tube or solid state is a matter of (a) budget (b) personal preference and (c) WAF factor if this applies...

The Arros have been very popular with many Totem followers for two things, tight bass and WAF factor (deco purposes). I have also heard that the Arros can be placed very closed to the walls which is a big advantage where space is at a premium.

I never had Jolida and Anthem. I have listened to my Model 1 with Rogue and the sound is okay. CJ can be better. Totem usually drives their speakers with Plinius or Sim Audio integrateds at the CES trade shows in North America.

Or you can call Nico at Totem to ask him what brands would do the Arro justice.
This past year at CES Nico was driving the Arros with a Naim amp I believe, and they sounded great btw. I don't believe I have ever seen him set them up with tubes