Anyone spent time with the Totem Wind?

On average, or generally speaking, units with higher eff ratings usually have more of that punchyness in them. Like ones from 89-90 db & up, versus 85, 86, 87. Generally.

I'd suspect, though don't know for sure, the Theils might be the antithesis of the Winds. The Sophias might be in the middle of them both, but now you aren't comparing apples to apples... given the prices of the Winds.

If you really feel the gear in place at time of the audition was/is superior to your own... you may want to reconsider a move into any of those other two aforementioned speakers as both are quite revealing units.

Better front ends make better speakers better.... lesser front ends make better speakers not so better. Great sound does not require great (expensive) speakers!

I guarantee it.

I agree with Artmaltman. Most speakers that have a WoW effect often have exaggerated bass or treble.

mordante - i wouldn't say that at all. if a speaker has a tilted up tweeter or a booming bass, those are usually turnoffs. IMO, it is the midrange, soundstage, the little things you haven't heard before, and the disappearing act that most great speakers do that have a WOW effect.
also, maybe it was the room that the winds were in that didn't do them justice. try putting the be-20 ushers in a 12 x 12 ft room, nobody will be impressed. also, the cary tube amp might not be able to drive the totem's. i have the totem mani 2's and using a low powered amp makes these speakers sound pretty poor.

I have no experience with the Totem speakers but I can comment on the amp. I have the Cary 120S and VAC PA100. I am using tube friendly full range speakers. The Cary produces a more laid back cerebral sound than does the VAC which is more upfront, dynamic and lively. So, you might audition the speakers with another amp if you like a more lively presentation.

I see a couple of potential trouble spots in the OP's original audition environment. One is that you'll generally get a better presentation by putting the speakers in front of the long wall, not the short one. Next, if you have to put the speakers in front of the narrow wall, chances are they'll benefit from some toe-in to lower the influence of the sidewall reflections. Third, currently there is only one Cary tube amp above 60 watts, the newly released 110 watt (in class A/B) Founder's Edition monoblock. Totem's spec sheet requires a minimum of 80 watts and has a stated nominal impedance of 4 ohms. Generally you find that 4 ohm speakers have dips down to 2 ohms and sometimes less.

It sounds to me that, besides the room setup issues, the Winds were not getting the best match in amplification. A nice Cary tube amp would bring out the Totem's best in subtlety and nuance, such as a chamber music or acoustic folk/pop, but wouldn't have the oomph to give it zing and make it come alive on other kinds of music. Going by Totem's specs, this speaker seems to be screaming for a high powered high current solid state amp with a very low output impedance to come alive, and that's the part the Winds didn't do for you. I'll bet it would come across entirely differently with some toe in and a 250 wpc Parasound Halo.