Totem Forest Signature v. Joseph Audio Profile

Yes both the Totem brand and the Joseph brand do "holographic" sound.
The difference I would say is that the JA speakers tend to be more accurate, closer to flat, and thus more "neutral" sounding.  The Totems tend to have the "Totem dip" in the upper mids, which gives some of that nice distant soundstaging.  But it also gives Totem that particular identifiable tonal balance, where it sort of thins out and sharpens up the high end.  I find the Totem sound to be superficially attractive, but just too obviously colored for my own long term satisfaction. 

I haven't heard the Joseph Profiles, but have plenty of experience listening to the JA Pulsar and especially the Perspectives, and those speakers are trully special in terms of a grain-free, timbral beauty.  As I understand it from other listener reports and reviews, the lower priced "profile" models tend to preserve this aspect of the JA sound.

Agree that these speakers share many of the same strengths, and, frankly, I think you'll be thrilled with either.  But, if I had to make a choice, especially if I couldn't demo either before buying, I'd go with the Profiles.  Despite having similar specs, I suspect the Forests are a more demanding load on an amplifier.  Also, the Totems have an aluminum/titanium tweeter that may be fantastic, but I tend to prefer silk dome tweets that may be a little less risky sonically since you can't demo beforehand.  Lastly, JA uses that infinite slope crossover that, in every JA speaker I've heard, just has this natural coherence about it that seduces me into the music more than almost any other speaker I've heard. 

Obviously these are are my preferences that may have nothing to do with yours, but just thought I'd share what my thought process would be in case any of it helps you make your own decision.  Best of luck in whatever you choose. 

soix,
We are clearly both fans of the JA audio sound.  And yet I don't own them (yet).  I forget:  Do you own JA speakers?

Thank you. I appreciate your responses.  I've read that the Totem can be placed as close as 1 foot to the rear wall (I don't have much more than that space available).  Any idea about placement for the JA?

The Prisms are very good. I have not heard the Totems.