Totem and Balanced Audio Tech

[teaser5]

Anybody out there familiar with Totem Acoustic floor Speakers and
Balanced Audio Technology (BAT) new VK300x Integrated Amp with
SuperTube front-end gain stage?
I am thinking of making some changes and these have caught my ear.
Any input on these?
Thanks!
Best,
Norm

[Khorn]

Originally posted by teaser5
Anybody out there familiar with Totem Acoustic floor Speakers and
Balanced Audio Technology (BAT) new VK300x Integrated Amp with
SuperTube front-end gain stage?
I am thinking of making some changes and these have caught my ear.
Any input on these?
Thanks!
Best,
Norm

Which Totems? I've been very, very impressed with the Forest speakers on repeated hearings in different venues. A very dynamic and detailed speaker with excellent stable image from a wide range of listening positions and a good sense of 'presence'. I think they are standouts in their price range.

[Joseph]

I'll second Khorn's comments on The Forest. The entire Totem line is very good and Vincent Bruzzese is a consummate designer who builds "musical instruments". Tremendous value. One thing though for Internet shoppers is that last I heard Totem ONLY sells through bricks and mortar dealers.

[teaser5]

Thanks for the help on the speakers. I should have expected my Canadian brothers to come through on that one. Tom Port already weighed in that he doesn't love the 6922 tubes in the amp I had my eye on. Anyone else familiar with the BAT VK 300-X?
Here 'tis: www.balanced.com ?

Cheers!
Norm

[KLM]

I've heard some of the BAT products and think they are good but there is so much competition in their price range that I thought they never stood out from others like Audio Research, Krell, Mark Levinson, Cary, Conrad Johnson and the like. On the other hand, I think the Totem speaker line in something special. I have heard several of their speakers including the Forest and think they are wonderful as well. Highly recommended.

Good luck.

[pigmode]

I heard the Totem Hawk with an unknown BAT setup.

Excellent.

[Dave]

So Khorn...How do the Forests compare to your Klipsch?

[Khorn]

Originally posted by Dave
So Khorn...How do the Forests compare to your Klipsch?

If I had to "Downsize" and I was asked to pick a speaker that I was familiar with without given the chance to audition a bunch of others and I was restricted to the approximate $3000 price range I would take them "no questions asked". Would I trade my Klipschorns for them (we're excluding monetary considerations here) "not on your life".
The Forests are an "exceptional" speaker that have a "dynamic spark" that transcends many "Hi-Fi" types. What I mean by Hi-Fi types is that music sounds like "music being played through speakers" at all times. Another speaker I feel is exceptional is the B&W 801 when driven with enough power.

[teaser5]

I know that speakers are such a matter of personal taste but...
I went back for another listen to the Totem Forests. Pretty remarkable bass response but something on the high end bothered me.
I was assured that these had been on the floor for about a year.
A review I read made particular specified that these take a while to break in. And in all fairness the the highly touted "beak" was not there. So I asked the guy to hook up the Totem "Wind" speakers and that little top end fuzziness evaporated about the same time my sox blew off. These things are amazing! Of course they are twice the price. I can get a great deal in Canada but gotta go get them.

Now my friend Tom says that Legacy is the only way to go so I drive a few miles and give the Focus 20/20's a test drive and they are pretty damn incredible indeed.

I know I can do this indefinitely and admit freely that I understand only a portion of the technical end of what I read on this site.
This whole thing started because two years ago I built the home theater of my dreams only to then learn that it has inherent limitations for analog playback. So now I need to justify to my wife and myself that I need two systems in the same room. She doesn't really understand or care that the phono section of my surround receiver will never cut it or that my turntable really shouldn't be next to my speakers.

I am on the verge of making myself crazy with this stuff. It's fun mind you but you can go forever and I just want to listen to music.
That sounds amazing of course.

I will gratefully listen to anyone who wants to comment on any or all of this.

Thanks!
Norm

[Khorn]

Originally posted by teaser5
I know that speakers are such a matter of personal taste but...
I went back for another listen to the Totem Forests. Pretty remarkable bass response but something on the high end bothered me.
I was assured that these had been on the floor for about a year.
A review I read made particular specified that these take a while to break in. And in all fairness the the highly touted "beak" was not there. So I asked the guy to hook up the Totem "Wind" speakers and that little top end fuzziness evaporated about the same time my sox blew off. These things are amazing! Of course they are twice the price. I can get a great deal in Canada but gotta go get them.

Never experienced the HFR problem you refer to. I guess the first thing you have to establish is what price range you want to be in. Its good to listen to speakers even much more expensive that have a solid reputation for sound quality to establish a "benchmark" on which to judge the ones that you are intending on buying. This way, you try to get speakers with as many similar attributes to the more expensive ones as possible. This is where you have to pick the ones with your particular priorities. Things like physical size and finish quality as well as electrical considerations must be evaluated. What is the maximum level required in the space that you are loading these speakers into? What are you going to drive them with and is it sufficient? It's of no use to select a set of speakers at a price range only to find out that you will need five times that amount for electronics to drive them. Use reviews as very rough guidelines to give you info such as specs and take the rest with a big grain of salt. In speakers, more than any other component personal preference plays the biggest role. If we all liked the same things in a speaker there would only be a few models on the market.


I know I can do this indefinitely and admit freely that I understand only a portion of the technical end of what I read on this site.

Technical Hecknical, forget about that part, you only need to establish a few things in that regard such as those mentioned above and "follow your ears and wallet". You sum it up quite well yourself below:

I just want to listen to music that sounds amazing of course.

[teaser5]

...and much appreciated!
:)
Norm