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Integrated amp for Totem Sttaff

Hello all. I am new to the site but have been ravenously reading reviews and posts the last few weeks. I am in the proccess of replacing my 20 year old Boston A 400's with the Sttafs....Now my dilemma.I am currently running a Denon 2106 and have found a helpful dealer selling...Naim, Creek, Sim, Cambridge, Arcam. I am seriously considering jumping in the deep end of the audio pool and get a new power source as well to match....My problem..The dealer is a 3 hr drive away so auditioning the Totems and the matching amps is possible, im hoping your experince may help me have a better starting point if im to drive that far....I know other brands are out there, but I dont have access to viewing them, let alone buying them. Im hoping $ 1,500 cdn will put me in a good spot to get the most from the Totems...Thanks in advance.
mxwizard
bluecirclehead
79 posts
 
[finishing the comment...a mix of the...]
...capacitance (+100,000mF) and driving both + and - outs.

I sold mine and deeply regret it. I'll have to buy a DAR then :)
mxwizard OP
5 posts
 
Well its official...I ordered my Totem Sttaf's today.The dealer has business in the city i live in and will bring the Totems with him..Now thats customer service. As far as a new amp...well the jury is still out on that for now, but he does have a demo Sim I3 that tweeked me...Thanks again for all the opinions, so i'll let you know what comes up later..
hieule5
115 posts
 
You have made a very good choice in terms of value.

Sttaf is almost $800 more than Rainmakers. However, if accounting for stands (Totem) than your saving will get a $400-$500 haircut so saving is not much there with Rainmakers. Besides, Sttaf is not that finicky.

Totem Sttaf very good deal
Totem Hawk very good deal (Scan Speak and Dynaudio are my favorites)
Totem Rainmaker very good deal
Totem Arro very good deal

Totem Model One average deal-they were great back in the late 1980s but now there are so many better deals out there
Totem Forest great bass but high is a hair edgy for my ears. They are a poor deal-they look good but the drivers are of cheap source (Hi Vi and not Dynaudio)
Totem Mani 2 great speakers but average deal like the Forest and Model 1.

Totem The One-sounds great but at close to $5K per pair, I would be better off buying 2 pairs of Totem Hawk or 2 pairs of Sttaf and still have some extra cash for a Cambridge Audio or NAD CD players.
hieule5
115 posts
 
Sim I 7 (integrated) or Classe CA 2200 (separate power amp) are great choices if you have cash to burn. I have auditioned these amps driving Dynaudio Special 25 and B & W 800 with ease and the sound quality is simply stunning.

Brand new Sim I 3 is a good deal but if you can find a demo Sim I 5, that is even a better deal.

I like tube but you will need a power sub definitely.
hieule5
115 posts
 
Classe and Creek integrated are good ones too. You just need to ask your dealer to loan you an integrated Classe or Creek to test them with your Sttaf.

When in doubt, trust your own ears.
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