best totem speaker

Chayro, thank you for the info. What do you mean by 'within reason,' in terms of db, do you think?

I've been told that both the Forests (which I'm very interested in) and the Hawks are too much for my 302brc Jolida (50w tube)...does that sound right to you?

Soundgasm, if you like to listen to loud rock, I think more watts is better, regardless of the speaker - unless you're talking about very efficient speakers like Klipsch and such. I listen to mainly acoustic music at very moderate levels, as apartment life will does not lend itself to very loud music. For my taste, 50wpc is fine for the Hawks. It's something you really have to try for yourself and experiment. I realize it gets somewhat expensive, but that's part of this hobby. Good luck.

Soundgasm, I agree that the Jolida 302brc is not quite up to the task of powering the Forrests, but it can drive the Hawks adequately. (I use that exact combination sometimes, and it sounds great, especially with chamber music and jazz music.)

Michael

the hawks and forest are the "best" imo, hawks sound a bit warmer/musical.. bass on forest is tighter/deeper

This is wonderful info, thank you. Sorry to Moehoward for the hijack.

Chayro, thanks for your candor and first-hand experience.

My sense was about the same: Hawks maybe, Forests probably not...