Integrated amp for Totem Sttaff

It's been a number of months since I've come back to the thread. First things first:

DMG. As Lush stated, Krell and Totem do not go together well at all.

MxWizard. I'm not positive if you're situation is... what amp you've ended up with or if you still even have your Totem's, but if you do - I made a recent discovery; the Vista Audio i-34. Man, this thing is absolutely unreal (on the both Sttaf and ML Vantages). I've got it next to two integrated amps in excess of $8000 and the i34 does not sound far outclassed at all. In fact, it's doing some things even they cannot do. Call it synergy, call it whatever, but for just under $1000 USD - it's stellar.

Mxwizard,

What type of music do you listen to? What size of room are you trying to fill? How loud do you like to take things?

I've owned the Sttaf for 5 years. In this time, I've matched the little speakers with at least three dozen or so integrated and pre/amp combos - ranging anywhere from a few hundred bucks, to twenty thousand dollars. Give us a little bit of a lead and we can suggest a better fit.

MxWizard,

Thanks for providing us with a bit of insight on how you intend on using the Sttaf. First things first; the room you describe is not the most ideal space for the Sttaf. What this particular speaker needs to sound its best is a small room that is completely closed off. Unless you plan on sitting 6ft or so away from the loudspeakers and will have the space to experiment with precise placement - I would recommend you go with the Rainmakers instead.

The Rainmakers are less critical on room and associated electronics, and are, subsequently, can be a more viable option. If you wish to support your dealer, I'd ask him to show you the Sim Audio MOON CD-1 cd-player, and the accompanying MOON I-1 integrated. Or, if you have a bit more cash to burn, the NAIM CD5v2 CD player and the matching Nait5i v2 integrated.

As said many times above; Totem loudspeakers can sounds real good on tube gear. I've run through the gamut of goods on Totem.. ranging from Prima Luna, Jolida, Antique Sound Labs, etc.. so far, the best match I've found is the Vista Audio I-84. This little $730 15wpc integrated has a lot of kick, and makes for a superb match with Totem's - the Sttaf in particular.

Moving up the money chain a bit; The Unison Research Unico and the Blue Circle Audio NSCS (no longer in production) hybrid integrated amplifiers also make for a superb match.

Good luck !

Bluecirclehead, Thanks for the correction. Apparently, I got the DAR and the NSCS mixed up in my head. Doh! No matter, both are fantastic in their own right.

With respect to Hieule, I share a few different opinions on the gear.

Although I certainly agree that towers like the Arro and Sttaf offer an advantage in terms of value when you factor in the need for high quality stands and greater lengths in wire; the Rainmakers are overall the more versatile product. The Sttaf, although designed to work with a wide variety of electronics, tends to only sound its best when paired with tube gear and placed in small, sealed off rooms. It also requires fairly precise positioning; as most Totem's do.

I completely disagree with the Forest being a bad value. In fact, it may be the best value in the Totem line. For 3.3k, you can an efficient, nearly full range two way tower that is not that particular with electronics, not that particular with room placement, and can work in rooms big and small. You get great sound quality, the holographic stuff that Totem is known for... and uses the HiVi woofer that does the same thing the Dynaudio woofer does, only its more efficient and has greater cooling dispersion. Now, I can't argue if one doesn't care for the sound of the Forest as that's the thing subjectivity is made of - but when you compare it to the Sttaf (limited to small rooms), the Hawk (insanely picky to room and electronics), and the Arro (limited bass extension and output).. the Forest is an exceptional value... and in my humble opinion, is one of the single best values Totem Acoustic has to offer.

Oh, and lastly, THE ONE is 3.5k. Expensive yes, but still a good ways away from 5k. That's Mani-2 territory!

Hieule5, if you're reading this - please understand that I'm not attempting to discredit or nit-pick you. I'm just offering up a different opinion is all. :)

Hieule,

The HiVi woofer may not have the same history and cool factor as a true Dynaudio woofer, but it's performance is not slighted in any way. Oh well - I prefer the Scan Speak Revelator to either the Hi Vi or the Dynaudio woofs anyway. :)

Once upon a time I owned the Vandersteen 2CE Signatures and have gone through a number of speakers from Dynaudio, particularly from their Contour and Focus line. You certainly won't ever catch me bad mouthing either product. They are exceptional in their own right. Although I personally do not consider them to be a better value, or hold an edge in over-all performance - its easy to see how some people will prefer what they do over other options in the market.

BDGregory; Perhaps it's just my luck! Hah! I find most loudspeakers to be incredibly easy to position - Totem's, for whatever reason, always seem to be a challenge for me - right down to the last half inch..