Check out my objective review of Mites at:
http://harmonicsreview.wordpress.com/
I'll be posting more reviews soon.

Wonderful, airy highs; true, accurate mid-range. Reasonably attractive cabinets~ beautiful, actually in mahogony. Small size, BIG sound. Really big.

If one were to REALLY nitpick (and for the size and price it's hard to here), bass extension could be better. It's true, solid, accurate down to the stated 50 Hz~ but don't expect more than that.

These are some fine, fine speakers that only continue to sound sweeter over time. As mentioned by so many, placement is exceptionally important with these speakers - gotta have a wall behind 'em, and not too close nor too far. I've had good luck in the 4-6" range. Imaging is stupendous, even at low volumes. My listening room is probably a bit too large for these speakers (or my configuration options too constrained), but these are still among the finest speakers I've listened to. The highs and midrange are particularly wonderful... though the bass is surprisingly strong and accurate. I've found these little monitors to be excellent for jazz, classical, vocals, and some of the more instrument-driven rock. Not so good for hard rock though... perhaps not enough bass extension. While these speakers would probably benefit from a sub for ht applications, most music doesn't seem to require one at all... these little guys hold their own very well.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Studio Reference 20s (also great speakers); B&W Nauts; Paradigm Atoms, Bose ht setups, Polk

acoustic realism, moderate price

hmmmmmm, if there is one, it''s just that they are not as inexpensive as modified BIC speakers; and their sound could be "too real" to some listeners

I agree with most reviewers below. Totem Mite are TRULY one of the greatest speakers that are "reasonably priced". Actually, it''s nearly a joke that you can buy a brand new pair just for around US $300 now. The best description of their characteristics is "real and natural", for good or bad. They have no exeggerated response range. Or, to be more adequate, I felt their highs were very slightly aggressive. But I might have needed some break in period though I purchased them for second hand. If it''s adequate to say this, they reminded me of the heavenly transparency of Wilson Benesch Act 1 that I had auditioned before. (Do you know how much the pair cost?) I can recommend a pair to who likes naturalness and transparency more than exaggerated warmth and sweetness. I owned a pair of Mite and a pair of B&W CDM 1 Special Edition at the same time. I don''t say Mite were better than CDM 1 SE, but I can say they had VERY different characteristics. In this match up, CDM suffered from such symptoms, it seemed to me, although their midrange response is second to none. Finally, I also compared my Mite against BIC DV52si modified by Ed Frias. They were in a good match. But in the end, after a looooong hesitation, I decided to let the Mite go and keep the BIC. But I still miss the vividness of the Mite.

Similar Products Used:

Acoustic Energy Aegis 3, B&W CDM 1 Special Edition, Mission 771(e) and 773e, Cabase Galiote, Rega Model 2

See Review

Non

Let me start by saying that all other speakers are “Speakers”; this is, in my opinion, a reference monitor. Why am I calling it a reference monitor, well it tells you the acoustically weak spots in your listening room, it tells you what is on the recording with an accuracy which I have never experienced before. Here is an example, I have a Nakamichi LX-5, a three head cassette deck, I had recorded a few songs of “Queen”, on one of the songs the level started to run very very high, I adjusted it, end of story. Now during play back, with other speakers, I never noticed any “Level Drop” of sound in playback mode, but this speaker revealed it so clearly, that I was really really surprised. With help of these speakers, I adjusted the azimuth of the Nakamichi deck, it was so easy to do it with these speakers, and it only took me less then a minute to hear the difference in original source and the recorded cassette. With these speakers, you do not want to play them at lower volume, because they sound, well, they sound very different, really nice warm, musical, uncongested, revealing, non-fatigue. I have them for over a week now, they are not even 100% cooked (Break in) yet, and they sound unbelievably great, I have never had speakers like these, I had never heard speakers like these, nor I had enjoyed my music they way I am for the last 7 days or so. All CD’s sound so great, well all CD’s sound more like an “Audiophile Recording”, I am not exaggerating here. The music emerges in “Steps” and one step does not run over the other, you can hear and “See” all of those musical steps. Picture this, you are in your listening chair, listening to a, say a rock ballad, music is at its peak, every single instrument is being played at this time, including all the singers, the sound does not “Collapse” at all, nor it gets congested, it remains crystal clear, you can practically count how many instruments are being played and how many singers are there, again this is no exaggeration. All the CD’s which sound harsh on other speakers, they will sound enjoyable on these, do not get me wrong, it does not color the original signal in any way, but with these TOTEM, you can listen to one cd after another and you will think that why you did not audition these great speakers before. So are these the best speakers in the world? Well I am not aware of “Best Speakers In the World”,

Similar Products Used:

Used and heard alot of other speakers, but nothing sounds like these.

Sweet and open highs, accurate mids for terrific vocals, looks, shielded for A/V, biwirable, value for money.

Low sensitivity rating, demanding load for amps (at 4 ohms)

This is a review for the new Totem Dreamcatcher A/V Speakers (and the new Dreamcatcher sub). The people who maintain this site have yet to put them in the home theatre category (or any category). The mains are tiny (about 11" H, 5" W, 7-8" D). If you liked the Mites you will love the Dreams. They sound quite similar but are shielded for A/V applications. As with most Totems, they excel in the sweet and open (airy) top end. They deliver excellent mids that give you some of the most accurate vocals available from any speaker in any price range. They also give very respectable base for a speaker of their size, especially if attention is paid to placement, but they also work very well with the matching (small) sub (about 12" D & H and 8" W with a 200 watt amp inside). As with all small Totems they image beautifully both for soundstage and depth. As with all Totems, the build quality is excellent andlooks are terrific. They have four binding posts for biwiring or biamping. Again as with other Totems they require a good amp with good power and current capacity (they are 4 ohm speakers with a rating of only 87 dbl). If you are interested in these speakers you must be sure they have at least 80 hours of break-in before serious listening. I thought they sounded OK but a little lifeless for the first two weeks but in the last two weeks they have kept me up until 2:00 am listening to music because I want to see how much better everything sounds with them. They have a titanium tweeter and it really seems to open up and sweeten up after 100 hours of break-in. There is also a Dreamcatcher Centre speaker that is terrific for home theatre.

Similar Products Used:

PSB Alphas, Mites, Linn Kelidhs, Acoustic Energy, Paradigm Atoms.

Good bass for the size. Positioning. Easy to load.

The midrange (voices) can be better.

After five years now, I want to replace my Mission 735.
After a listing session with a lot of speakers I found out that I liked two speakers much more then the rest:
Totem Mite
Totem Rokk
I think that the more expensive Arro can't compete with these two.
I took the Rokk and the Mite with me home. After listing with a lot of different music I found out that the Rokk has "something" the Mite doesn't have. It is better in positioning and voices (e.g. Celine Dion). The bass of the Rokk is also slightly better. Of course the Mite is less expensive. If you have the money I would suggest to buy a Rokk. If you don't you will probably find nothing better in this price range then a Mite.

Similar Products Used:

Totem Rokk, Totem Arro, Mission 735, ASW ???, Elac, Tannoy, Linn Tukan

Very musical, great clarity and soundstage.

Bass is good but sometimes does not do justice to rock music.

I bought the Mites chiefly because their
quality/size ratio is the highest (they are less than 11 inches tall). My spouse did not want our speakers to dominate the living room. The mites list for $600+ in the
US but you get a good price from Canadian dealers.

I first had the mites teamed with an NAD c340. The CD player
is a Marantz 6000OSE; cables are Kimber PBJ and 4PR.
Initially I liked the combo, but slowly became dissatisfied
with it. The sound was a little thin and fatiguing.

Some research showed that Sim Audio amplifiers are considered a good match for Totem speakers. I got their
entry level 5080i integrated amp. The difference has been astounding. And the amp is probably not broken in yet.
Guests are amazed at the sound ---and yes, the bass--from
these tiny speakers.

Summary: the Mites are great. But they truly shine with
good electronics. Their sub $500 pricepoint --at least out of canada---may tempt people with cheaper electronics.
(My NAD is now doing happily doing duty in my office system with Paradigm speakers.)

p.s. There are some very good speakers out there. They
are just not as small as the mites.

Similar Products Used:

Listened to other monitors in this price range at the store.
Paradigm, JM Labs, Acoustic Energy, Monitor Audio etc.

Amazing imaging. wide, deep soundstage. very open, yet non-fatiguing top-end.

Perhaps a bit bass-shy. VERY affected by room placement.

These little Totems are almost certainly the best in their class!
After a lot of research on this board and others, I recently purchased my Mites, and want to give some feedback to others who may follow. These are the same size as the Mission spkrs they were replacing in my system, so upon receiveing them I simply placed them on my stands (18" from back wall)and prepared to give them a listen. I can only describe the sound as AWFUL! The soundstage and imaging were very good, with extended highs, but the tone was terrible. The tonal balance was so thin: not only was there no bass, there wasn't much lower mid-range, and voices and instruments sounded very unnatural. The sound was honestly as bad as the built-in speakers in my TV!
Eventually it occurred to me to at least try tinkering with the positioning, and this made all the difference!
All it took was moving the speakers back by 4", so that now they are 14" from the wall, and everything came into balance. Pianos that formerly sounded like toy instruments, now sound like a Steinway (or Bosendorfer or Yamaha!); acoustic bass, which previously sounded like plucking on a rubber-band, now sounds rich, full, and resonant in a way appropriate for a small speaker.
The cabinets are very attractive, in real wood veneers, with excellent fit and finish. Dual sets of quality binding posts are provided for bi-wiring.
*****Five stars for value is based on Canadian pricing; in the US their price point may pit them against viable competition(??) -A word about pricing: Did you American buyers know that many things are much cheaper in Canada?? This is especially so with Canadian-made speakers: Totem, Paradigm, PSB, Energy, Mirage. Often the list price is less in Canada, and then when you factor in an American dollar worth 50% more than ours, the savings can be huge. Totem Mites sell new for under $600 Canadian, which is $400 US! *****
Even at regular prices these are excellent speakers whose performance can justify being matched with much pricier components. If you're in the market for a good bookshelf speaker, skip the B&W 601, with its fake vinyl finish and generic sound, and make an effort to find a Totem dealer. These Mites look and sound fantastic.
My system components:
Marantz CD67se
(also tried the Mites with Cambridge D500se)
Arcam Alpha 7R
Kimber Silver Streak i/c
Kimber 4TC spkr cable
24" Skylan stands (heavy, sand-filled)

Similar Products Used:

B&W DM 610/601/602, Mission 780, various Paradigm bookshelf

Huge soundstage, clear highs, small size, build quality

None

I bought these because of their size. I have a small living room and my Paradigms were just a bit too large. They are fine speakers but don't resolve so well at low volume. After just a few weeks, I can tell that the Mites are going to be keepers. The highs are more open and natural than the Paradigms, especially good for vocals and jazz. I was concerned about bass but the Mites have been a pleasant surprise. For their size, the bass is excellent-- very accurate and musical. Great for everything but dance and hard rock. I expect the sound to get even better as the speakers run-in (about 100 hours according to the manual).

So if you're looking for great sound in a small (and really well-crafted) package, the Mites are a great choice.

Similar Products Used:

Paradigm Compact Monitor

The Mite speaker is small two-way bookshelf mini-monitor It is Totem's "entry" level model. At $CDN 600.00, the Mite is the cheapest of the line. But cheap doesn't mean lean! On the contrary, the Mite shares with his siblings the same qualities that have made Totem famous : dynamic, precise, airy and effortless musicality!
The Mite are similar to the Model 1 or the Sttaf but the voices are a little bit chesty and the soundstage smaller in comparison, but it is perfectly enjoyable within their limits. The Mite is very close to my Sttaf speakers with whom the share the same woofer but less extended in the bass region (50hz +-3db compared to 39hz +-3db). The only reference I have in this price region are the B&W DM302 which are no match for the Mite (cheaper though).

I could certainly live with the Mite. Anyone considering mini-monitor speakers under $CDN 1000 should try them.

4 stars in absolute value but 5 stars considering the price!