Powering Totem Sttafs and Rainmakers

Rar1, Head2, Bdgregory - thanks. I can budget up to $2,000. By which I mean $1,000 used here.

Should I have given my thread a more exotic name? Triple X Starlet seeks assistance with speaker installation. Hmmm...not much feedback yet.

You posted on a weekend during the summer. Maybe people had better things to do than sit at their computer?

Anyhow...

I never cared for the NAD/Totem pairing. No synergy to my ears. Several forum friends on a different forum emailed Totem for amplification recommendations and all were told NAD isn't a good match. Can't remember why off the top of my head, but it made sense at the time.

The Outlaw suggestion looks good, but I haven't heard it.

Arcam, Simaudio, and Bryston pair up pretty well with Totem too IMO. Not sure if you'll get a Sim or Bryston integrated with 4 speaker outputs, nor if you'll find one for your budget if they do, but the Bryston B60 can be found for your budget here. I own one and have nothing but great things to say about it.

A good speaker switch box can somehow regulate the load the amp sees with multiple speakers of different characteristics. Not sure on the technical reasons or how exactly they work, but it made sense when I heard it explained.

Hi Scott:

If you look back at your original post you ask some very specific questions about using amplifiers with already purchased speakers in a set-up that is not too common ... two sets of speakers in the same room off of the same amp amp with the floorstanders on stands, no less.

I have never heard the Staffs and the Rainmakers playing in the same room at the same time, so I don't know if you are going to run into voicing issues, no matter what amp you use. If you have gone CD shopping in J&R Music in NYC, the sound of the music playing changes every so many feet because they have different brands of speakers connected to the same amplifier.

I would find a local Totem dealer and see if he can re-create your set-up with the amplifiers on hand and decide for yourself. It may be easier to purchase an amp on-line, but your set-up is too specific and you are committed to the Totems in a big way.

Rich

Kbarkamian,
That is odd. Never heard anything bad about Totem + NAD combination. In fact one of the demos I had for Totem Rainmakers and Hawks were with NAD amps and that was a nice demo indeed.
Yes, Bryston and Simaudio would be step up. Arcam will be more "refined" but not "power", which I feel the Totems need.