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Totem Sttaf

I'm currently auditioning a pair of Totem Sttaf speakers. I've read so many good things about them, but I'm not particularly impressed. Their voicing, to my ears, seems to employ certain tricks to enhance the sense of imaging. The bass, while many say is strong for the speaker's size, sounds loose and undefined. The soundstage stays strictly between the speakers; I hardly ever hear it extend beyond. Depth is also not that great. Overall, they seem to lack the same natural sound that my LSA1 monitors put forth. It might be a bit unfair to compare imaging of a floor stander versus a monitor, but even for a floor stander, I'm not that impressed with the Sttaf's imaging. The sense of imaging all seems to come from a slightly enhanced treble; imaging in the midrange seems not quite as clear.

Maybe my ears are pushing my tastes beyond my wallet. But I think I can do better for the money, considering the Sttaf's $1800 retail price. I should also note that I have a small 11x11 listening room, so finding speakers that work is a challenge too. That's why I considered the Totems.
jwglista
stereo5's avatar
stereo5
2,766 posts
 
The speakers may or may not need more breaking in, but I have found that if I don't like the sound of new speakers with only a few hours on them, I will never fully like them. I have heard that totems tend to be rather bright and for that reason, I never auditioned them.

Don't waste more money changing amplification and cables like I did as you are just throwing good money after bad. I would push the dealer to let you try the Golden Ear speakers and do a comparison between them and the Totem Staffs.
jwglista OP
205 posts
 
Bdgregory: I believe they are currently 5 feet apart. I will try bringing them in even closer.

Ghosthouse: Since I only have these on demo, I won't be able to experiment with plinths for the speakers. But that is a good idea.

Stereo5: I really agree with you on this. I made the same mistake once before, and I should see the writing on the wall here. I'm pushing the dealer to let me try to the Triton 3's in my house. If he says no, I either have the option to take a leap of faith and just buy them (which I probably won't do), or start looking for something used on A-gon.
bdgregory
1,580 posts
 
sounds like it's time for you to punt on the Sttafs. They are one of my favorite speakers ever - I've never had any complaints, but tastes differ. It's possible the stiuation you have is contributing to it (amps, room, etc), but still, you tried. I've never worked at trying to make me like a component or speaker. If I don't right a way, I move on.
jihley
74 posts
 
I own the Arro's and I find that they sound the best with solid 99% Ox Free copper wires. They have plenty of bass and imaging and the sound is very correct not just somebody's idea of what music should sound like. They took over 100 hrs. to run in. My amp is 100 watts per side. The room is 16 X 30 but the listen area is 16 x 18. The speakers are about 10' apart toed is slightly and 2.5' from the rear wall and 3' from the side walls.
ghosthouse's avatar
ghosthouse
3,718 posts
 
Jw - good luck in your hunt.
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