Totem Element Metal v.2, VTL TL 2.5i Preamplifier and ST-150 Amplifier, YBA Signature CD Player

It had been years since I last checked in with Totem Acoustic, the Canada-based loudspeaker manufacturer. When I showed up at the Totem room and was greeted by company president and longtime chief designer Vince Bruzzese, I didn't know what to expect. In the event, what I got was some excellent sound from two compact towers placed very close to the front wall, and a short introduction to what appeared to be some interesting technology behind those impressive loudspeakers.

The compact towers I was hearing were the new, v.2 version of the Element Metal (€16,999/pair), which come in basic black and basic white. According to Bruzzese, they're just now starting to ship. The Metal v2s were being driven by a VTL ST-150 stereo amplifier. Preamplification was also by VTL, the company's 2.5i preamplifier, which I recall admiring at a dealer event not long ago. The source was a YBA Signature CD player.

In the metal v2, bass and midrange are provided by two modest-sized high-tech drivers running unrestricted: no crossovers impact the woofers. The only crossover in this speaker is the one that rolls off the tweeter at the low end of its range.

Those bass/midrange drivers are the company's proprietary Torrent, the revision of which is at the core of these speakers' update. The changes are extensive, from the number of magnets to the dust cap size and damping to the shape of the magnetic cradle. The result, the company claims, is a driver with better midrange control and bass extension. That tweeter's crossover was also redesigned, as was the cabinet's internal bass tuning.

This all adds up, the company claims, to a speaker with deeper bass, more midbass, and better speed, control, and precision. A fact sheet I received claims a soundstage that's twice as deep and that the v2s bass will never get boomy, that only the low-end extension changes as you move the speaker around the room. All I know is that the speakers were within inches of the front wall and I heard no boominess at all.

I only listened for a few minutes, and the system, room, and music were all unfamiliar. The usual show-listening caveats. I was able to conclude, though, that the bass extension was remarkable for a speaker just 43.5" tall, 12" wide, and 15" deep. The highs were there, but they didn't draw attention to themselves—high praise from a guy who dislikes most sopranos. An interesting loudspeaker.

COMMENTS
Bogolu Haranath's picture

It would be interesting to see a review with measurements of these new speakers from Totem Acoustic :-) .......

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