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December 2, 2014 - 8:40pm
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Speakers and Amp experiment - incoming! :)
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This will be very interesting. Will your be setting them up side by side and doing any swaps between the equipment...like NAD with Kef and Totem's with Creek?
Indeed I shall do both swaps. Probably next week, and then listen a lot over the holidays. I also plan to eventually
You are approaching the "price be damned" level for standmount speakers. How did you arrive at giving the Totems a try? That's certainly not a poke at Totem, I'm just curious how you arrived at them over the sea of choices available at the price point.
hi catch22 - the reason for the totems is that i own the Dreamcatchers for an away-from-home- system, and really like their sound. so i am pretty intrigued by what i'd get on top if i spend that much, since i like Totems' sound signature. the other reason is that i scored new ones at a bargain price on Ebay, and hence the experiment is not quite as extravagant. :-)
i must say they'll have a tough going against the KEF LS50, which i absolutely adore (although it is a tad finnicky to set up).
...let's just say that for now this confirms my conviction the KEF LS50 are phenomenal.
For now the Totem Element Fire shows more authority in the bass department (which can be easily compensated for with a good musical sub like the Velodyne Minivee), but the middles do not seem to measure up to the utter accuracy and musicality of the LS50. Voices sound like the singer has been pushed further back into the stage. Maybe it is a matter of breaking them in, they have just been running for 8 hours or so. I switched twice, and much prefer listening to Herbie Hancock's "The River" in the Joni Mitchell tribute on the LS50.
I've put the Fires back on, and will let them play while I am gone for a few days. Let's see what happens.
But, I'm pretty sure they will change over a couple of weeks and you have to make yourself be patient with them. It's a good thing that you can let them play while away and not be subjected to the breaking in time or you could really miss what they can do well and not so well.
Totem usually throws a very big stage and gets brass instruments right in a stunning way. Lots of bite with horns. Having said that, I've not heard that model and could be totally off base.
Are you using the new amp as well or your old rig?
i totally agree, the stage is much bigger. i will let them play and then really listen - it's not like the LS50 didn't need any time.
as of now i am comparing both speakers with the DAC2 and the creek destiny power amp (i think the latter is another stellar catch if you can score it online).
no final opinions until 2 weeks from now.