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The word totem is powerful in its own right. Totems have conscious and unconscious meanings, depicting powerful supernatural forces in nature and within us. Native Americans of the Northwest Coast tribes, starting with the Chippewa, or Ojibwa, used the term for the animals or birds associated with their clans. Tall wooden columns were carved with the clan totem, which could be a bird, fish, animal, or plant. Later, the Kwakiutls of the Pacific Northwest held feasts called Potlatches, during which poles carved with family and clan emblems were erected. Totems were also involved in worship and…
The Totem's midrange spectrum also caught my attention. Like many minimonitors, the Totems excelled on vocal, clarinet, and piano. Voices and strings floated free of the speaker positions. What the Totems added was an ability to better delineate distinct voices and instruments and accurately depict spatial positions. The lead singer's voice on the first Blue Nile LP, A Walk Across the Rooftops (Linn LKH1), has a sumptuous, full, three-dimensional quality which stood well apart from the music and special effects. Harry Connick, Jr.'s voice on "Don't get Around Much Anymore" on the When Harry…
Sidebar 1: Larry Greenhill's 1993 System
I began my audition of the Totem speakers in my main listening room, which has served as my standard listening space for the past 15 years. It's 26' long, 13' wide, and, with its 12' semi-cathedral ceiling, constitutes a voluminous, sparsely upholstered space. An 8' by 4' doorway at the back of the room opens into our kitchen, which adds another 25' by 15' space. I set up the speakers at the narrow end of the room, and listened from two positions: 8' away for nearfield, and then my favorite spot, another 10' back. The speakers were also auditioned…
Sidebar 2: Measurements
The Totem was about 2dB more sensitive than the BBC LS3/5A, placing it around 84.5dB/W/m, which, while being rather lower than specified, is what I would expect from such a small cabinet. It also needs to be driven by a good amplifier, its impedance magnitude dropping to 3.6 ohms in the upper bass (fig.1). The saddle in this plot also reveals the port to be tuned to 42Hz, the lowest note of the 4-string double bass, while the reduced magnitude of the lower bass peak suggests a slightly under-damped LF alignment. While this, if carried to an extreme, can result in…
Larry Greenhill wrote about the Totem Model 1 Signature in January 1998 (Vol.21 No.1)
Vincent Bruzzese, Totem Acoustic's loudspeaker designer, used the 1997 Winter CES to introduce a Signature version of the company's first loudspeaker, the diminutive Model 1. I had reviewed this small two-way system in April 1993 (Vol.16 No.4, p.225), and had praised it for its smooth, sweet highs, strong dynamics, palpable three-dimensional imaging, and strong bass response. In his measurements section, John Atkinson found that the Model 1 had a solid, well-damped cabinet. Its bass reflex port was…
Larry Greenhill wrote again about the Totem Model 1 Signature in April 2003 (Vol.26 No.4)
Vincent Bruzzese, Totem Acoustic's loudspeaker designer, introduced a biwired "Signature" version of the company's small, 4 ohm, two-way Model 1 back in 1997. The 2002 version reviewed here bears the same name but adds improved encapsulated silver wiring between its WBT terminals and crossover and from crossover to woofer.
I had praised the Model 1 Signature in the January 1998 Stereophile (Vol.21 No.1) for its smooth, sweet highs, strong dynamics, palpable three-dimensional imaging, and,…
Sidebar: Larry Greenhill's 2003 System
The amplifiers used for the Totem review were both monoblocks: Mark Levinson No.436s or Bryston 7B-SSTs, while as well as the Totems, the loudspeakers used for the Bryston review were Quad ESL-989 and Revel Ultima Salons. Preamplifiers included a Krell KCT for CDs and a Mark Levinson ML-7A with L3A moving-coil phono module for LPs, which I played on a Linn Sondek-Lingo-Ittok turntable-tonearm with a Sumiko cartridge. The digital source was a Krell KPL-28c CD transport. A Day Sequerra FM Reference Classic stereo tuner provided music from WQXR, our…
Sidebar 4: Specifications
Description: Two-way, stand-mounted reflex dynamic loudspeaker. Drive-units: 1.2" (28mm) metal-dome SEAS tweeter, 125mm Dynaudio 15W75, cellulose-acrylate-cone woofer with 3" voice-coil. Crossover frequency: 2.7kHz. Crossover slopes: quasi second-order. Frequency response: 50Hz-20kHz ±3dB. Sensitivity: 87dB/W/m (2.83V), maximum sound pressure 103dB. Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Amplifier requirements: 15W minimum, 120W maximum.
Dimensions: 12.5" (313mm) H by 6.5" (167mm) W by 9" (225mm) D. Enclosure volume: 7.2 liters. Weight: 9 lbs (4.1kg) each.
Finishes…
John Atkinson reviewed the Totem Model 1 Signature in October 2008 (Vol.31 No.10):
The focus of review magazines, in any genre, is inevitably on the new and perhaps the outrageous. Great-performing products that have been on the market for a long time, with little change other than a small parts upgrade as the designer decides on an incremental improvement in production, therefore tend to get short shrift. We try to return to such products in Stereophile's review schedule, but it is all too easy to lose attention.
Such was the case with the Model 1 loudspeaker from Canadian…
Sidebar: 2008 Measurements
The Model 1 Signature's sensitivity was a little higher than that of the original, at an estimated 86.5dB(B)/2.83/m, which is within experimental error of the specified 87dB. Its impedance (not shown) was identical to the earlier speaker's, with a minimum value of 3.8 ohms between 200 and 300Hz and a rising trend through the midrange and treble. The Totem won't be too difficult for a good amplifier to drive. The small, well-braced cabinet did have a strong vibrational mode evident at 675Hz on all surfaces, but this is high enough in frequency not to have audible…