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Review: Totem Acoustics Hawk Speaker

Category: Speakers


During the christmas season of 2002 I was in the market to upgrade my home theatre system and I wanted to get some good stuff, so I decided to go very slowly in picking the components. I live in Southern California and I went to Honolulu on a business trip just before Christmas. While I was there I went into an audio store called "Audio Lab" to look around (not ready to buy anything).

I started talking to the owner and I explained what I was after. He allowed me to listen to several speakers, but none sounded much better than what I have at home. Before I left he said " there is another speaker that you must listen to before you go, called Hawk from a Canadian company called Totem Acoustic".

I had never of Totem Acoustics before, much less the "Hawk". He brought in these small things with a 5" driver and a tweeter, without any grill but the finish was beautiful and is Mahagony. My thaughts were blank. He hooked up the speakers and throw FourPlay 4 in the CD player. The rest is history.

I have never thought I could hear such clean, smoothe, and dynamic sound coming from these small things. The bass was smoothe (not boomy), and beep. The mid ferquencies were clear and smoothe, with the vocal sharp and crisk, and the tweerers were also soft and clear. I listened at a reasonable volume, not too loud, and there was no specific sweet spot. Every where I sat on the couch I could hear the speakers clearly. I listen to a lot of Smoothe Jazz and Reggae, so I know how to evaluate the base response because those music have a lot of bass. The Hawk's performance prove to me that you don't really need a big box with large woofers and dozens of full rang and tweeters to get great sound, that's only a myth.

Upon my return to California I located a Totem dealer "Top Audio" in Orange County and listened to the Hawk once more, to make sure that I could hear what I had heard in Hawaii. The same thing happened: Four Play, Paul Hardcastle, Ray Charles, Aswad, Bob James and a bunch of others sounded great. I could not leave the store without them, so I bought myself a $2000 Christmas present. Up until now the Hawk is worth every penny.

I have even shipped them to Honolu, Hawaii where I will be on a temporary assignment. And they have teamed up with Rotel's 1075 amplifier, and 1066 preamplifier. I have just purchased the Totem Mite-T for the rear channel, haven't heard them yet (review to follow).

The "Hawk" speakers are worth the full list price, JUST BUY THEM, you will be very happy. I have even purchased a set of Beak for them but so far, I can't tell the difference in sound image as Totem Acoustics claim, still experimenting with them.

This is an honest review coming from a owner/user of these speakers, and I have no AXE TO GRIND. The folks at Totem Acoustic are very helpful because I called them several times to ask all kinds of questions about the Hawk and their other products, and they were very patient with me.

PS. Remember to buy some decent speaker cables and inter connect cables, don't have to be too expensive, as the Hawk has proven.

Almandog....

Associated gear
Rotel 1075 120 Watts/channel amplifier, Rotel 1066 Pre amplifier, Audio Quest Type 4 speaker cable, Audio Quest Copper Head inter connect, NAD T572 DVD changer. Totem Acoustic Beak (sits on top of the Hawk for sound inageing).
almandog
hifi-8a4c
1 posts
 
Best Totem value for the money/performance ratio. They just sound right. I had the Model 1, Hawk and now I do have the Mani-2 Signature.

Don't get me wrong here, I love the Mani-2 but still feel the Hawk is a better value. It is a speaker that does a lots of things right.
darlingmila
1 posts
 
Hifi,

I have listened to the Hawks and to the Mani-2s and I must say that thought the price difference is quite substantial; I would still buy the Mani-2s. The bass response, the clarity and the warmth of the Mani-2s is just astounding. The one thing that bothers me is the power needed to drive them. I have heard that the forests are amazing as well and that they don't need as much power to drive them, but I have not had a chance to listen to them yet. Can anyone here be able to give me an objective comparison in sound?
ewalloveraolcom
1 posts
 
I just placed a set of Totem Hawks in my living room as a vinyl based 2-channel serious listen system. Powered by a Plinius 9100 intregrated amp with a Rega P-5 and a Shelter 501 MkII moving coil cartridge, the Hawks are simply outstanding! The speakers have only grown in bass development, clear rich mids and a soft yet detailed treble. I have about 125 to 150 hours of play on the speakers and I have nothing but good things to say, I could not be happier. The speakers simply disappear in the room and fill the space with great sound.

I have yet to fiddle with any of the Totem accessories, any thoughts on the Beaks? One set or two? Where best to place them on the top of the speaker? Do they really work or is this just a great sales tool? I am inclined to beleive the manufacturer as the speakers have done all that has been promised, but...
bbchem
62 posts
 
I saw youse guys post and I had to respond,I have owned 30 pair of speakers over the last 20 years, and have gone from dynamic to planar and back. I have to say that besides my current speakers, the Hawks which I reluctantly sold to keep my speaker addiction going were the overall best I have owned. They best speakers that cost 5-10k. You may ask about what I currently own? I have a pair of Omega Super Alnicos 3R which in my opinion are the best monitors in existence. They are single driver and they are almost perfect. The hawks now may take 2nd place
ewallover-0b97
1 posts
 
The Totem Hawks have been in my system now for about six months and they have only continued to bloom into a great sounding speaker. In fact, they have absolutely disappeared within the soundstage that now covers the long axis wall in my living room. This little speaker has gone beyond all of my expectations and I am thoroughly pleased with the purchase. Each listening session has been and continues to be a real joy!

I did purchase a set of Beaks shortly after putting the speaker in service. They did seem to imporove the integration of the drivers and produed a smooth yet detailed presentation of the wide array of music types that I tend to listen. I'm in the market for a new "red book" 2 channel CD player and stopped into a shop in the Philly area that just happened to be a Totem dealer.

During the audition of the player, the Onwer popped two set of Beaks on the top of the cabinets and wow, the sound became seamless, tight and highly engaging in his show room. Impressed, I coughed up the dough for a second set and headed home(without the CD player).

I place the second set of beaks at the rear inside corner of the speakers and fired up an old Eric Johnson album (Tones). The recordng always seemed to center Eric's voice deep in the sound stage, and with the second chunk of aluminum, he was now fron and center, detailed with a "reach out and touch me" presence. I tried several other records with the same results, Van Morrison's Moondance had a completely new feel. These thing work, but many others have indicated, I have no clue as to the science, but they really work!

Totem has done an outstanding job on this speaker, in fact the dealer that sold me the Beaks indicated that he normally tires to get his clients to consider the Hawk over the Forrest and spend the difference on an improved source or better cabling, or...

Be that as it may, I can absolutely recommmend this speaker, as it has become the spot where I seriously listen to all of my music. Our family room 5 channel/SACD TV system has become more for watching and less for listening, and that's OK. The 2 channed vinyl based system headlined by the Hawks just has far more soul, and lets the music take over.
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