Dynaudio Contour 1.1 vs Totem Model 1

Wes Phillips from Stereophile gave the thumbs up for the Cary Audio 300 SEI and ProAc Response 1s and 1sc combo. Also, if I remember correctly, Dennis Had used the ProAc speakers to voice his amplifiers so the the Cary and ProAc combo will be a great match. I personally used the 300B SE Signatures with the Response 3 speakers some years ago and it was wonderful. Hope this helps.

The Proacs seem very nice, but on a cautionary note, assuming the Proacs are tube friendly from a load perspective (most small monitors like these that also show good bass extension, like Dynaudios, tend to not be tube friendly in my experience, but maybe these break the mold somehow), they are only 86db efficient I read, which means that there may be challenges going loud enough to meet expectations, compared to more efficient designs, even with a soft clipping tube amp.

Thanks for the ProAc suggestion. I'm actually familiar with and very fond of those speakers. Forgot all about them when I was considering speakers.

ProAc 1SC's would be a match made in *heaven* with that amp. The ProAc's LOVE tubes, and present a very agreeable, easy load on a lower-powered tube amp.

They don't show up used all that often, but when they do, they can be had in your price range (depending on what finish you want).

I ran mine with a Cary SLA-70 (35 wpc) and then moved up to the ProAc 2S's when I moved into a bigger place and the 1SC's sounded too 'small' for the new room.

Someone just listed a pair of black 1SC's in the last day or so (not me - and no affiliation with seller). Check 'em out, and Google will pull up a lot of good info on them if you're interested.

Oh, and they like to be on tall, sturdy stands (24-28 inches).

I am both a Dynaudio and Totem fan, but I would not look fist to either Dynaudio or Totem for use with a 15W tube amp, but having said that, integrate a good powered subwoofer and offload most of the low end work to that and you might get by if you do not have to go too loud.

I did this running Dyn Contour 1.3 mkII monitors off my vintage 20 W Yamaha SS receiver, in a typical sized family room and the results were actually quite good and much better than I expected. Same true with my Triangle Titus monitors, which are also inherently more efficient and tube friendly than Dynaudio.

Otherwise, Zu seems to have all kinds of things going on with their high efficiency speaker line these days. Maybe their monitors are a good fit.

MErlin VSM monitors are another popular option that seem to thrive on tube amps.

Not sure if you mean The Totem Model-1 Signature or Totem's Limited Edition The One. It can be a little confusing.

I currently have Totem's Limited Edition The One and prior to that the Dynaudio Focus 140. I understand that the Focus 140 is a lower echelon speaker compared to the Contour 1.1.

FWIW: I much prefer the Totem speaker in my system and room. It is more musical, tuneful and refined. I say that while actually enjoying the Dynaudio. The Totems were for me a clear step up.

Perhaps that will be helpful...........

I just realized that with 15w, the Cary 300 needs to be matched with a pretty efficient speaker and neither the totem or dynaudio fit that bill. I would really appreciate other suggestions for an efficient monitor that would pair well with the Cary. Preferably within the $1000 range second hand.
Thanks,
Saad