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Totems without Claws?

I'm very interested in a pair of Totem Forests or Hawks. My wife thinks that they look fine except for the claws. The claws become a showstopper for the aesthetics in our living room.

Are Hawks or Forests stable without using the claws? Would I need to mount them onto a larger plinth to make them stable?

Anyone with experience on this? I'd appreciate any input.

Unfortunately, I live several hours from any dealer.

Thanks,
Chris
hi4head
hi4head OP
20 posts
 
Thanks for the input guys.

Now I simply need to decide whether to go for the Totems or a set of Thiels.

Cheers.

Chris
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itball
69 posts
 
Lots of really good speakers in this price range other than Totems and Thiels too. I auditioned a bunch and had a hard time deciding. Totem, Thiel, Vandy, Revel, Von Schweikert, Dali, Proac, Vienna, PMC, etc. The best of the bunch I think by far are the Gallo Reference - alas they did not come close to meeting the wife acceptance factor. I settled for the Hawks and have since added a pair of inconspicuous subs to fill out the sound.

Good luck.
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
the thiels are goood, gut the forests are incredibly good.
rlwainwright
1,901 posts
 
>> The best of the bunch I think by far are the Gallo Reference - alas they did not come close to meeting the wife acceptance factor. <<

That's an easy problem to solve, get you a new wife! They're all over the place. If you shop real hard, you can find a nice used one in great shape. Shipping is cheap enough, but maintenance costs tend to add up over time.

On a serious note, my wife found our Gallo Ref 3s to be perfectly acceptable with the grills on. I have a black ball pair with cherry bases and they look terrific. The black balls tend to disappear inside the grills. Unless you shine a flashlight directly into 'em you can't even see the speakers inside.

And, as many have noted over the past two years, these speakers sound TERRIFIC - best audio purchase I ever made.

-RW-
hi4head OP
20 posts
 
Thanks for the input everyone.

First, I'll keep my wife. (I did appreciate the humor.)

What we're looking for are speakers with high-end furniture grade appearance. Then there is the size factor.

They need to be small towers. No taller than around 36"; width around 10", and depth can go to around 12". I've been using a set of Monitor Audio Silver 5i's that are approximately 31x7x7. We've (she) has gotten very used to this size and doesn't want something that is visually intrusive. (Maybe I should have bought a really large pair back in 2000; it would have easier to have gone smaller.)

Thanks again.

Chris
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