ProAc vs Totem vs Usher, please comment

Rbstehno, I do know the Totems would need quite a bit of power behind them in order to sound good, and my experience with the Model 1 is it sounded substantially forward and bright compared to the N805 although I did not compare them side by side. I am not using small inferior amps on the Model 1 and base my comments on comparison with speakers that do not exhibit this forward character. Don't get me wrong, I am not implying that the Totems are bad speakers due to the perceived brightness that I get when compared to other speakers. They are excellent speakers and the Model 1's got fantastic reviews in Stereophile. In fact some folks like the sonic character of the Totem a lot, like yourself for instance when compared to other speakers which others may call as dull or flat. These flat and dull speakers may appeal to some other folks who thought of them as smoother and easier on the ears. Most people hear things differently anyway.

I have not heard the Forest or Hawks and my comment on the brightness of the Totem is entirely based on the Model 1's, in comparison to other smoother speakers. The Forest or Hawks may work for the starter of this thread but I won't recommend the Model 1 as a replacement to the N805 based on his criterias.

I owned the Proac Response 1.5s a couple years ago. My initial reaction was favorable. They did a lot of things right, but for me they lacked the three dimensional quality I like. Also have owned both Totem and Usher speakers but only their monitor offerings (Totem Model One and Usher S-520). Honestly, I wasn't all that impressed with them.
As for the three dimensional quality mentioned, I find it with time coherent speakers such as Thiel, Vandersteen or Meadowlark Audio. Good luck with the search.

Can't comment on the Usher or Proacs, but am very happy here with the Forests after 10+ years of Magnepan IIIA's. Not that I think the forests are necessarily "better". I consider them both to be at similar levels of attainment but very different. Using 15 watt tube mono amps-no problem.

I have not heard Proacs in several years,but have spent time with the Totems and Ushers at a local dealer.They are certainly different sounding ,but bath are excellent! I find the Ushers to be more complete and rounded.I purchased the Usher 6311 after direct comparison to the Forest(and a couple of others)with several different amps driving them.I also considered the 719 (which I loved) ,but I prefer a floorstander.You could build a terrific system around either!

I havent heard the others but I have the Forests (now for over a year). in a 19x 14 x 8.5 foot room driven by a Pass X250. They do great bass and play incredibly loud, they move air, and they image extraordinarily well for floorstanders. Prior to the Pass I ran them with a mosfet 100 wpc amp very nicely, they will match very well, I think, to your Mac amp in that slightly smaller space. At low levels they are very defining too. Definitely worth a try, they will resell easily in the used market at your $$$$ if they're not for you. My 2 c..