Integrated amp for Totem Sttaff

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..

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.

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.

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.

With respect to Hieule, I share a few different opinions on the gear.

Although I certainly agree that towers like the Arro and Sttaf offer an advantage in terms of value when you factor in the need for high quality stands and greater lengths in wire; the Rainmakers are overall the more versatile product. The Sttaf, although designed to work with a wide variety of electronics, tends to only sound its best when paired with tube gear and placed in small, sealed off rooms. It also requires fairly precise positioning; as most Totem's do.

I completely disagree with the Forest being a bad value. In fact, it may be the best value in the Totem line. For 3.3k, you can an efficient, nearly full range two way tower that is not that particular with electronics, not that particular with room placement, and can work in rooms big and small. You get great sound quality, the holographic stuff that Totem is known for... and uses the HiVi woofer that does the same thing the Dynaudio woofer does, only its more efficient and has greater cooling dispersion. Now, I can't argue if one doesn't care for the sound of the Forest as that's the thing subjectivity is made of - but when you compare it to the Sttaf (limited to small rooms), the Hawk (insanely picky to room and electronics), and the Arro (limited bass extension and output).. the Forest is an exceptional value... and in my humble opinion, is one of the single best values Totem Acoustic has to offer.

Oh, and lastly, THE ONE is 3.5k. Expensive yes, but still a good ways away from 5k. That's Mani-2 territory!

Hieule5, if you're reading this - please understand that I'm not attempting to discredit or nit-pick you. I'm just offering up a different opinion is all. :)