Totem's "Hawk" and "Forrest":How Hi-End Are They?

I would consider the Hawks "high end" if by that you mean they do not sound like "mid fi."

Seriously, the Hawks are really very good at soundstaging. Their bass response is okay, but don't expect it to go low as it is only a single 5.5 inch driver (or less). Depending on how far they are from the wall I would guess they roll off in the 60-50Hz range. They do not need stands and sound fine without the "claws", which are not necessary (nor are the "beaks" for that matter). They do harden and compress when pushed too hard. They sound best with acoustic music. The Forrest would be better with rock music, although for that I would not go with Totems. The Hawks need less power than other Totems, but are by no means efficient. Probably at least 60 watts to get the dynamic range to a level where the music is involving.

I had a pair of Forests for a while. I thought they imaged well and were fairly dynamic, and they look fabulous. I found them a touch reticent in the midrange and very slightly harsh in the treble, though, and for the acoustic music I prefer the Forests weren't quite right. They were broken in and I used them with a Rogue 88 amp. I should add that my room at the time was quite bright, and that in a better-damped environment I think the Forests would sound more balanced.

I want to thank all the members who contributed to answering my questions; your input is very helpful in evaluating the compatibility of the Totem speaker with my set-up and room size. Best regards to all for a prosperous new year! Jim

Jim,

I owned a pair of Rokk's for a while, damned nice monitors they did a lot of things right for a very reasonable price. I heard the Totem Hawks at the Montreal audio show and man did they sing! Then I went to CES and the sound was less than stellar to say the least, but I'll write that off as a bad room. All in all the cabinetry is gorgeous and the sound is very very good. Vince is also a real gentleman and passionate audiophile.

I've had a pair of Forests for aprox. three years. Had originally broken them in with a B & K AVR202 reciever and was very pleased with the results. Found that their reputation for producing exceptional bass response was well deserved, only once I added a pair of Odyssey monobloc amps. This change yeilded a huge increase in bass response, and woofer control. These speakers will most definately reward you for any upgrades made elsewhere in the system, which I feel makes them high-end. Overall, I've found them to image very well, and be extremely dynamic when driven well. Since we'd moved about 6 mths. ago, I've set the system up in a much larger finished basement. Am now approaching the woofers limits as far as their ability to move an adequate amount of air. Went to Rogue Magnum monoblocs on top of Odyssey Extreme monos on the woofers(how's that for well-fed!) recently and these speakers are awesomely resolving and dynamic. First-rate cabinetry makes these a speaker you can live with easily. My wife has never expressed a problem with them because they look so good and are not huge, physically. I may need to go to a larger, multi-driver design, soon though.