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Comparing Goldenear Aon 2 and Totem Rainmakers

I just received a pair of Totem Rainmakers from an Audiogon member. I've spent the last few hours comparing them to my current Goldenear Aon 2. My initial impression -- and keep in mind this only a few hours of listening and the Aon's have a bit better placement -- is that I'd like to pull the AMT tweeter out of the Aon and put it in the Rainmaker. 

I'd be interested to hear thoughts from others who have listened to either (or both speakers). 

I'm listening to mostly well-recorded acoustic (e.g. Grisman Acoustic Disc), vocals, jazz and some Dire Straits and Pink Floyd. 

So far I'm enjoying both speakers and having trouble saying I clearly prefer one over the other. The Rainmaker seems a little more lively -- sharper on the high end and punchier on the low end. But so far I'd say they are much more similar than different. The high end of the Rainmaker seems livelier on some tracks, but maybe a touch harsh at times. The Aon AMT tweeter is just smooth and clean. The mid-low and low of the Rainmaker seems generally punchier and tighter, though I did notice one track with some low guitar notes where they Aon sounded woody and natural and the sounds were much more recessed on the Rainmaker. The Aon seems to dig a little deeper into the low notes, but seems not as clean doing so. With the louder and more complex Pink Floyd tracks I'm generally preferring the Rainmakers. 

Certainly, to my eye as hobby woodworker and someone who loves wood, the Rainmaker is a beautiful little speaker. I read one review that said the fit and finish was mediocre on close inspection and, perhaps compared to a $3000 pair of speakers it may be, but I think overall they did a phenomenal job (then again, I'm not a big fan of high gloss finishes). I would have happily paid more for the Goldenears for a nicer container, though the two side-mounted passive radiators make that challenging. 

I love music, but I don't think I have incredible hearing (that could save me a lot of money though!), yet I'm just a little surprised how much I would call these speakers different with pluses and minuses in either case given about a 50% price difference in the list price of the two speakers. 

Anyway, I'd be curious to hear others' impressions of either speaker. 
bbslo
213runnin
914 posts
 
I've been searching for comments on the Rainmakers as I just picked up a pair and have been testing them out.  They haven't been broken in yet, and Totem strongly recommends about 100 hours of easy going.

I would be skeptical of this, but a previous Totem sub actually made some mechanical noises when turned up, until I had put some time on it.  As it turns out, Totem brings in high end drivers and then modifies them so breaking them in is crucial.

Anyway, I've compared them to Tannoy Precision 6.1($1100), and Ascend Sierra 1($850).  The Totems really outshine these other sets.  More detail in the top end than the Sierra, which gives better placement of the vocals, etc., and more bass than both, which is quite a feat with a 5.5 inch driver.  The overall sound is very musical and live sounding.  I can't speak to a blaring horn since I haven't cranked them yet!

The British audio sites Whathifi and techradar are seriously impressed with them, even more than the Precision 6.1, a British speaker.  I'd say the Rainmakers can swing with the big boys.
schubert
7,386 posts
 
Simple, Totem makes good speakers .
bbslo OP
3 posts
 
Good to hear your thoughts on the comparison to the Sierra 1. The other speakers I was primarily considering were Sierra 1 and 2 and Dynaudio Excite 12 and 14 (and recently interested in the Tektons). And I didn't get to listen to any of them. 

Of course always hard to say what you might like when comparing very good speakers in similar price brackets with similar designs when your listening room may end up having a large impact on the final sound. 
213runnin
914 posts
 
After another session with the Sierra 1, the Rainmaker seems more clear with more focus. Also, the Sierras seemed a little louder though they are rated 85 to Totem’s 87.5 sensitivity. The Rainmaker top end seemed more accurate as well. I’ve got a new respect for aluminum domes. Metal domes, when done right, can give an immediacy to vocals.

My amp was the Nadc375BEE, and it puts out 150 watts in either 8 ohms or 4 ohms, which is kind of different. I A/B’d the speakers on the two sets of speaker outputs, so I could toggle between the two.

The weak point of the Sierra 1 is the stock tweeter. I’ve got a set of LCR Sierra 1 in my theater system, and I’m planning to upgrade to the Nrt tweeter with them, but not until Christmas.

The two speakers are designed far differently. Totem uses custom MDF, with 90% density on the outside and 65% on the inside. Both the outside and inside are veneered so the wood will maintain its shape better decades down the road. Then they coat the inside with borosilicate, which was used on the space shuttle tiles. The cabinet panels are lock mitred as well. The tweeters are chambered. Each speaker takes 2 hours to build, and done with Canadian labor, not Chinese. The internal wire is silver coated so corrosion can’t change the sound down the road. The speaker cables they sell, the Tress, are the same design. Wikipedia has a page on totem, that’s where I got most of this and it’s very interesting.

Vince B looked at each and every step and component of speaker building and has made several improvements on the process. Not exactly cheap, but he wanted his speakers to sound exactly as good 20 or 30 years down the road.  
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
Every Totem speaker I have heard, Rainmaker through Forest, always sounded much larger than its size. The model that impressed me the most, for is size, were the Arros. I A/B tested them in the same room with the same gear with Rainmakers and the difference was incredible. The Arros sounded fuller with a significantly much better bass. I think they take up the same amount of footprint as Rainmakers considering the stands.
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