See review above.

TOTEM HAWKS: This review is for the Totem Hawks, which are unfortunately not listed among the choices on this website. I have been listening to my brand new pair of Totem Hawks for almost 3 months now, and after a fairly intense period of break-in (they have approx. 200 hours on them now), they are now really starting to sound fantastic. But let me emphasize the importance of adequate break-in for these and other Totem speakers: they can and do sound somewhat harsh straight out of the box, with the bass sounding seemingly disconnected from the musical whole and the treble almost irritating at its shrillness, but after around the 150 hour mark or so, the treble magically smooths, the midrange blossoms, and the bass gets more extended and taut. Patience with break-in is definitely a virtue here. But once this somewhat agonizing period is over, you will be blessed with exceedingly excellent sound that will likely appeal to the majority of serious listeners out there, and there are a number of reasons for this that are worth mentioning. First, I find the Totem Hawks characterized by their ability to make almost all music sound wondrously fresh and dynamic, imparting a sense of "energy" that draws you into the music and gets your feet tapping and head bobbing to the ebb and flow of the performance. My feeling is that this results from the Hawks' fantastic midrange and treble integration and "speed" - the midrange instantly and consistently blossoms when required, while the treble exhibits an ability to follow transients superbly, and what results is a truly excellent portrayal of rhythm and timing. As an example, if you are into any type of jazz music, you are definitely going to love this speaker: the rhythm and timing that makes jazz music so fun to listen to is so clean and articulate on the Hawks that you find yourself completely immersed in the flow of each tune. The second quality is their strong sense of musical "naturalness." This is in part based on their utterly breathtaking soundstaging ability, with the sounds completely separated from the loudspeakers and with the walls of the listening room melting away as the Totem Hawks recreate the acoustic venue to an awesome degree. Although I have by no means heard every loudspeaker out there, I can say without question that the Hawks are definitely among the best speakers I have ever heard at soundstaging. The other part of the naturalness equation is made clear when you listen to the Hawks' bass response. It is absolutely incredible that Totem has been able to achieve this level of bass response from a floorstanding speaker of this size: the bass was extended (probably into the low 30s in my room), but yet also had the correct balance of authority and weight that almost all types of music would require. Keep in mind, though, that this is not the kind of bass that will rattle the windows out of their frames, nor is it the kind that will completely simulate the bass heard at a rock concert; rather, it is bass that leans toward quality over quantity, but still with more than enough impact to be quite satisfying. (As a side note, I actually HAVE been able to rattle the windows with the bass by placing the speakers closer to the walls, but that amount of bass is just too much for the music to remain naturally presented). In short, this speaker definitely has certain qualities that allow it to successfully compete with many excellent speakers out there and at many many times its price. But considering its retail price of only $2300 I'd have to say that it is a downright steal. I should mention that I am also using 2 pairs of Beaks (a pair for each speaker), which aided the treble tremendously and is worth every penny of the $100/pr price. With the Beaks installed, the performance of the Hawks is, in my opinion, in the same league as the Forest and in some ways even better - how you would choose between the two is another issue, but I would recommend careful audioning because it could save you a bit of money. Finally, a note about associated electronics. The Totem Hawks are a very revealing, high resolution speaker, but I think the Hawks would work well in a variety of systems, from ones that cost just a couple thousand dollars to ones that cost ten thousand or more. For reference, I am using the Totem Hawks in the context of an all-Naim system, comprised of: NAC 102 preamp, NAP 180 amp, CD 3.5, Hicap power supply, NAPSC power supply, and Naim interconnects & speaker cable.

Amazing imaging, 3 D sound, bass, upper range. Very precise. Beautiful finish.

A bit pricy. Need at least 100 hrs break in time.

As mntionned many times befroe, these speakers are less than good when you first listen. However, after about 75 hrs of moderate playing, they begin to open up and sound much more full. The manufacturer suggests 200 hrs of play time to be perfect. They are now absolutely amazing. They have great imaging, a HUGE 3 D sound and are very precise. The bass goes much lower than would be expected for this size and the tweeters are crystal clear. They are not too warm and not too crisp and bright. Plus, they have an amazing finish and look beautiful. They are also very good o power. Even my 60 watt/channel amp make them go as loud as you want. Components: Myryad MCD 600 cd player Myryad MI 120 intergrated amp (60 watts) KimberKable Silver Streak interconnect

Phenominal sound, tight and accurate bass, beautiful finish on the speakers.

none

After reviewing tens of different brands of speakers, I have selected the Totem Acoustic Hawks. Needless to say that I am extremely happy with my decision. The sounds are true to form without being harsh. These speakers emanate a very warm sound and are miles ahead of anything else in this price range. Placement of the speakers is key and to obtain the optimum amount of base, I placed them with the backs about 10 inches from the wall and 6 feet apart from each other. As said by so many, break in is so important. So be patient (about 100 hrs) and don't crank them too loud before that. I have mated the hawks with a Mite-T centre channel and Mites for rear surrounds all powered by a Denon AVR 3802. --> Music CD's sound brilliant but movie DVDs lacked deep base so I added a Paradigm PW-2200 Sub-woofer which I have practically turned off for music CD's but turned up for movies.

Similar Products Used:

Kef, Paradigm Reference, B&W,

sober sound, you never tire of its sound. there is always music playing at my place.

bass on some heavier music, and it is a bit pricy. It sells for 3700$ + taxes. It really should be priced at 3000$

Speakers are very good. They are great for music and movies. These sspeakers form the core of my home theatre. I used to have Arros but they lacked bass. This model has more bass. Forests are also less bright than most Totem products I have heard. However, after a while, you begin to want more bass. It really depends on the recording. Also, you need big electronics to get the good sound. I recommend Spectron amp for these speakers. Plays Madonna music very well.

Similar Products Used:

axiom m80ti, a lot of other totem products

This second review is long overdue as I've changed all my components except for the pre-amp and speakers. So what do I have now? Source: Sony SCD-777ES Pre-amp: Conrad Johnson PF-R Power amp: Conrad Johnson Premier 11A Inter-connect: Nirvana SL (from SACD player to pre & from pre to power amp.) Speaker cable: FIM Silver series bi-wired Power cord: FIM Gold series (from wall to Wireworld power bar only) Speaker: Totem Forest A word about the power amp. which is rated at 70wpc with 6550 power tubes. I prefer using KT88 instead, more punch in the base (Eagles, Hell Freezes Over, XRCD). That means the Forest needs a bit more power. Every time I changed a component (including cables) I noticed significant improvement, meaning the Forest has no problem keeping up with the changes, and I have no doubt it still has plenty of reserve and can go along with my future upgrade. Listening room and the placement of the speakers are still the same. However you can imagine the improvement compare to my previous setup. Now my wife (absolutely positively not a single musical cell in her blood) and my six-year-old son both like listening to my system. Before the changes my wife would just walk away when I turned the volume up. The bass now goes a lot deep than before (Celin Dion, All the Way...A Decade of Song, SACD) and I thought I had a sub-woofer, no exaggeration. I like sax and enjoy listening to live jazz band in lounges. Before the changes my jazz CDs sounded like musical notes to me: a bit too high on alto, a bit too soft on drums.... Now I can forget about individual notes and enjoy the music as a whole. Try Oscar Peterson's The Very Tall Band (Telarc SACD), or just the regular CD edition of Jazz At The Pawn Shop, I have no problem visualizing a life band playing in front of me. The resolution of the speakers/system is extremely high. I am amazed by the difference in details between the regular CD edition and 24 bit re-master of Cannonball Adderley's Something Else (Blue Note). This plus the fact that the Forest does not add any colour of its own to the music means bad CDs are still bad (The Celin Dion SACD mentioned above: too bright), only that they are now more tolerable. I haven't tried every combination possible out there, but the Premier 11A (with KT88) and FIM speaker cable (bi-wired silver series) match well with the Forest. As I menti

Bass, imaging, depth. Very exciting and live speakers. Not flat or dry.

Maybe use of a good musical sub to get the total full range.

Great speaker but be careful with placement and break-in. Otherwise for the price (if you can find an used pair) go for it. It''s an excellent value.

Similar Products Used:

Totem Mani-2, Totem Signature Model 1

Strong tight base, spectacular imaging, clarity holds back from punishing your ears, elegant style, and full range response to various listening levels. I now listen to music with a very relaxed smile on my face.

Price. I got a deal but if you can''t, make sure your wife doesn''t know. Needs 100 hours of break-in time and must have quality electronics. Much of your analog/cheap DDD music will sound like toilet bowl jamming.

Be Careful. Testing these speakers in the wrong setup and without full break-in time will leave you rather disappointed and frusterated. The speakers will sound very flat and isolated, as if the sound is coming from two boxes. But after a got through a few lousy auditions, I found a shop that had the Forrest''s in a well broken and well matched setup. DON''T: -put them any closer than 6 ft apart -mate them to Japanese electronics -think you can skip the break-in period Consider: Bryston amplification or better Pricey, so value is a relative notion. BUTT worth the money when you look at other offerings.

Similar Products Used:

B&W, Magneplannar''s, Martin Logan''s. Yes the logan''s are better but also rather ugly.

Very detailed, open. Clean bass.

Die hards may want to use these with a?xD;?xA;sub woffer

I purchased the Totem Hawks about 4 months ago. After a 200 hr?xD;?xA; burn-in, the speakers just keep getting better. Female voice is?xD;?xA; suburb. The trumpet is one of those instruments that can''''t come ?xD;?xA;across well with most speakers, but the Hawks are wonderful, the?xD;?xA; same goes for acoustic guitar. You would swear Cat Stevens is in?xD;?xA; the room with you. These spearks are very smooth and easy on the?xD;?xA; ears, with excellent sound staging. At $2,700 cdn ($1,500 usd) they?xD;?xA; are a very good choice for the price. My complements to the?xD;?xA; engineers at Totem

midrange, solid bass, efficiency

Very good soundstage.Can't get enough out of it. Only competitor is Mani 2. However mani 2 is too expensive. Dollar for dollar Forest has the best value for the quality sound it produces. Nice solid build cabinet. I am using Nakamitchi AV10, 120 watt integarated amp. Could be even better if i use separates. I used to use Class'e Audio 70 watt power-amp, AMC AV81HT pre-amp/pro logic processor. However, the AMC broke down shortly after a year. Too bad the warranty is only one year. This pre-amp is not cheap, and produces good sound when it's in working condition. It's a shame that for expensive pre-amp like that, one would expect a much longer life. To me unreliable product like that is a piece of crap. To anyone out there,do yourself a favour,don't consider buying this product. I lost faith in any of their product at all. I would never recommend my friend to buy any of their product.And their service is poor. Looking for a part from them takes for ever.

Beautiful cabinetry!

Price/performance ratio

I brought home a well broken-in pair of Forest speakers to audition at home. Gave them plenty of clean power, etc, etc. Tried them in various set-ups and room sizes including 25'x22'x8' and 13'x22'x8'.

My conclusion? This is a beautiful piece of audio joinery but not my idea of a full-range monitor in the $4,000 price range.Very good bass but not incredible. Good soundstage but not incredible. Not a pinpoint imaging champ but adequate. Comparing the Forest to my home theater NHT 2.5i provided a real appreciation for what Ken Kantor provided in a sub-$1,500 design. Comparing the Forest to my Harbeth LS3/5a provided a real appreciation for that mini-monitor legends faux bass. It was more tight and rhythmic than the Forest.

Compared to the Model One the Forest is an attempt at big-speaker production by small monitor masters. Same applies when comparing the Forest against the inexpensive Rokk. Both monitors are incredible in their genre and in the Rokk's case exceed the price range considerably in performance. The Forest may have balls and beaks but the little Totems... Rokk! Finally, if you want a real audio trip to nirvana go listen to the little Totem Arro. Now that's the Totem engineering I've grown to appreciate.

Similar Products Used:

Own or have owned:Spendor 2/3, NHT 2.5i, LS3/5a, Totem Model One and Totem Rokk and others.