Before I hooked them up to my system, I never expected much from the Model 1s especially in the bass.However, after I did, I was amazed at the sound: The highs are smooth and open; the mids
are very clear and natural sounding; and the bass is tight and solid.

In absolute terms, they don't have a lot of bass-bass. But, if you consider its size, it puts out a very big
sound. If you were blindfolded when you entered the room and you don't know what
speakers are playing, you wouldn't even expect that the hugh sound will be coming
out of a small speaker. Furthermore, with the right music materials, these babies can do a very good
disappearing act. It's like you can take the speakers from where are, and the sound will still be there.


I'm very satisfied with it, and the only thing that would make me happier or more satisfied
is if I have the spare change to buy the Totem Mani-2s.

The Totem One speaker is a French Canadian made speaker, and was, I believe, the first speaker to be released in the Totem line. The speaker is a very small, but quite expensive model (about $1600 Cdn.). The speaker utilizes the Danish DynaAudio woofer. The bass extension is very impressive for a small speaker - it blew my Magneplanners away in this regard (Ok!.. I know, Maggies aren't exactly reknown for their bass extension!). The imaging is fantastic, and it provides tons of detail. I understand that small, point-source speakers have an advantage in this regard and after moving from a very large to a very small speaker I have to agree. Construction is excellent from the WBS binding posts to the veneer (also on the inside of the speaker for acoustic matching!) exterior. To take full advantage of the Totem One, good mass-loaded stands are recommended. Definitely my best audio purchase.

This is one of the finest speakers that I've ever heard. I don't know of any other speakers in this price range that can compare to Totem Ones.
Except for the lowest octave, these speakers are as good as any speaker that I've heard.

Very impressive soundstage, sweet highs, great mids and deep bass for such a small size speaker !

A mirror reflection of CD's recording quality... even if you like it or not !

This is a review for the Model One Signature:

WOW, this is a great pair of speakers. First the build quality is perfect, very nice wood cabinet + two pairs of WBT connectors. It has the same SEAS tweeter as the Mani-2 and Forest. The mid-bass driver is a nice small Dynaudio driver. Everthing has been modified by Totem for a unique sound.

These speakers are very agile with classic and jazz. The soundstage is pretty deep and very wide. Very good with orchestra and opera also. Every sound is well reproduce and seems really REAL. The bass is amazingly deep and there is no need for a sub. Not convinced ? Try this: crank the volume of your amp, put Pink Floyd "Run Like Hell" song (from the PULSE album) and listen to it until the end of the song. At the end there is an deep explosion sound and the Totem One will deliever you an eye-poping bass like you never heard before ! So this means that if there is some bass sounds on a WELL recorded CD, the Totem One will play them faithfully.

Like mentioned before, they are very sensitive to the recording quality of your CD's so please don't put techno, dance of hard rock. It will sound like a cat stuck in a metal garbage can. With Pop and Rock it is so-so... again it depends of the recording of the CD.

Retail price in Canada is 2200$ for Signature.
Definitely worth every penny.

Trully a giant killer.


System:

Arcam Alpha 8se CD player
Sim Audio Moon I-5 integrated amplifier
Totem Acoustic Model One Signature
Nordost Solar Wind interconnect
Nordost Solar Wind speaker cables

Similar Products Used:

None of the same size. Heard recently Totem (One, Staff, Forest) and JMLab Cobalt 815.

I have had my Totems for nearly 6 years. Only now I am replacing them for Alon IIs. Nevertheless, I will still keep them in my second audio system. These little guys have served my ear well, and I highly recommend anyone who is in a market for a minimoniter to audition them. The Totems only have 2 drawbacks. One should not play them too loud, and their bass extension is not wholly remarkable. If you can live with these two faults, these speakers will rock your world especially with the right electronics driving them. They image like very few speakers I have ever heard. Their midrange is amazingly clear. What more could you ask for at this price? These speakers are true classic audiophile speakers.
Tok
aka Keith in real life

I have done a lot of component matching around this speaker and the midbass hump appears only in certain cases. The best combo that I've tried is with a Meridian 551 integrated. Transparent, crisp treble, and smooth vocals... sure it lacks bass, but in a small room it is just right. When combined with a KAV-300i however, the bass becomes bloated and thick. Overall I found this to be an excellent speaker, especially when you get them for under $1K. I do have to agree that the Contour 1.3 mkII beats it in almost all areas. About the right amount of improvement given the price difference. 5 stars for sound, 3 stars for value.

Imagin, mid band, soundstage, transparency, speed.

Carefull matching about associated electronics and cables.
Can be brigth and fatigue sounding if the cables/electronics
are speddy ore bright.

In the past I review this speakers. And I still thinking in the same way. Is a very good speaker, and in general the sound is very satisfying, however with some amps and cables the sound can be fatiguing.
A few momnth ago I modify the hi capacitor of the crossover, I change the cheap (but good) Solen capacitor for a Jensen paper in foil cap. These Danish caps are almost 4 to 5 times the sise of the polipropilen French caps. Now the highs are a little more prominent (ups!!), however the sound is more transparent and natural. I'm satisfied with this.
Now, I try this speakers with the Pass Aleph 3, which is a mellow sounding amp, not to brigth with soft highs, I think is a good match for this speakers. In the past I try it with my Bryston 3B-ST,and Counterpoint NPS-100, and with various pairs of speaker cables. The best results that I had were with the Counterpoint amp (and the Pass amp in this moment), and with Audioquest Forest (mellow sounding cables)and Indigo Speaker Cables.
Now I have connected the speakes to my Pass Aleph 3 amp via Kimber Monocles XL (speedy bright sounding cables) and the higs (fatiguing) and bass (good) were more prominent. I will return promptly to the Forest cables.

Similar Products Used:

Celestion 300
B&W CDM 1-SE

I've had my Model One's for two years now and I listened to a lot of speakers, including those with bigger price tags, before choosing the Totems. I don't have a big listening room and these speakers absolutely fill them with glorious sound. They aren't cheap, but I bought a pair off the Internet for US$825 plus 1/2 S&H. Why pay retail (US$1,600 plus tax) when there are great used deals out there? If you are patient, you can find a good deal on them, but remember, you've got to spring for some really good, solid stands. I've filled a pair of Targets with sand and lead shot for additional damping. I've got them mated to a CJ preamp (the Motif solid state series - MC7) and a PS Audio 200CX amplifier which can deliver a lot of current on demand. They really come alive and have a great sense of air and delicacy, particularly when using Kimber interconnects and digital cables. They definitely sound better with bigger amps (see the Stereophile Reviews of the Bryston 3BST and 7BST amps). Also, the bass is just right for smaller rooms and is incredibly taut and fast. There's tremendous snap on drums and transients. I'd love to mate them with a Krell Amplifier (my next dream purchase. I don't know how you'd find a dynamic speaker with more to offer than this without going well into the $3k + range. Hey, can anyone talk to me about Krell amps, and their experiences with this amplifier family? I'd like to pick up a used KSA 150 if possible.

Open, clear sound, dynamics, detail, do not sound small.

Bass extention {physics).Will not tolerate bad recordings.

I did not intend to write a review of these speakers. A friend wants them bad and I was thinking about upgrading. Its just is not easy to replace the Totems! Now my wife has confessed her love for them and complicated matters. How to find a speaker that is as pleasing to the eye, yet
has the same freedom from the usual colorations?
The Totem 1 is not a perfect speaker. It does not do well in a bright system. It needs a sub for full range. It demands a high quality amp with balls. My Marsh does a great job, and to my surprise, my buddy's Bedini 25/25 drives them quite well also (wonderful amp).
What the Totems do well they do very well. THE classic Mini design, still the one to beat! In a good system they sound clean, fast, musical and never sound small. And in mahogany they are gorgeous.
OK, Im gushing, but I did not fully appreciate them untill it was time to upgrade. If you understand this speaker you will know they deserve 5s down the line.
Open, dynamic and guaranteed to give you that "out of box experience". Hear them.

Similar Products Used:

Many

excellent imaging; big soundstage for size; superb midrange; clarity

occasional bright treble; lack of authoritive bass and weight

For value for money this speaker is excellent. It has great sounstaging and imaging for such a small speaker. My model is the bi-wireable version but not the signature. Other electronis include Krell KAV 300i and Naim CD3 and 8TC speaker wire. Interconnect is Chord.

the system is very musical. my friends always comment that the system has great clarity. The only gripes of the speaker are; that it sometimes has a harshness in the treble and lack of authoritve bass (what do you expect from such a small speaker!). careful matching is advised. my system tends to be slightly lean, a combination of the products but i cannot fault it in terms of clarity , detail and midrange.

The quality of the CD is also such an important factor. a very good recording and the system sings but a bad recording and you may as well chuck the CD out! Thus not a very forgiving system.

I have experimented the speaker with other sources as well. the Meridian 508.24 is very synergistic in balanced mode only. detail retrieval is great and the extra 6db of gain makes a big difference. RCA mode and there's not much difference between my current CD player and the 508. My freiend has a pair of bB&W 805's which certainly has more bass. i cannot comment on the differences so far a he is still running them in. I have recently been the benefactor of a REL Storm subwoofer. What a huge difference it makes! The excellent clarity and mid range is still there from my Totems but the sub adds so much more foundation in the bass. Whilst this review is about the totems i cannot say enuf about REL subwoofers. I believe they are the best subwoofers for integration for stereo speakers you can buy. (I ahve tried other subwoofers but have not found a sub which is better for integration).

The Totems ceratinly have a "forward" presence and if an upfront sound is what you crave then by all means audition the speaker. If you want a more "laid back" sound then you're probably best to look elsewhere.

In summary for such a small speaker and value for money the speaker is superb. my gripes are: the occasional bright treble; lack of authoritve bass (but could be remedied by adding a subwoofer).

I am now looking at the Totem Model 1 centre channel speaker to start my HT set up! Has anyone auditioned this speaker or has got one?

Similar Products Used:

sonus faber minima amators; B&W 805