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Request advice-need "brighter" speakers than Totem Hawks

Hi All-
Love the community here; first time poster.
My gear:
i have a pair of Totem Hawks, driven by Sim Audio W-5 amp and P-5 pre. I listen primarily to Redbook CDs via a Marantz SA8005. Cables are all Audience AU24SE. I listen both through a modded Eastern Electric DAC (op amp upgraded, tube removed) and direct from CDP to preamp (teensy sound difference between DAC/no DAC, if any). My medium sized room is pretty dead sonically (carpet, textile window coverings).

My Issue:
The high frequencies are uncrisp, rolled off severely, muted, and just lacking generally, especially on contemporary works (jazz, rock). I don’t hear cymbals, hi-hats, or rich, crisp snare drums (yeah, I’m a drummer). Listening to my favorite disks is a deeply disappointing experience, Though classical sounds ok to fine. I am thinking that I need brighter speakers than the Hawks (though there are numerous folks who extoll Sim Audio plus Totem speakers, something is not right. I do have a bit of hi-freq. hearing loss from playing percussion for over 40 years (amateur), but I’ve heard a number of less expensive systems that sound better to me. My first thought is to go for a used pair of B&Ws (CM5s?) or Vandersteens (assuming good WAF on the latter) to swap out for the Hawks. I’m on a budget, but am not above selling some of the current gear to pay for the right equipment.

I would love love to hear some suggestions or alternate diagnoses/ideas. I am not limiting myself to speakers; I’ve tried a bunch of different cables to no good effect. Analysis Plus silver cables, for example, were a disaster with this gear, for example, FYI. Thanks in advance for any sage thoughts you choose to offer. -Bruce


bheiman

Showing 4 responses by mb1audio

mb1audio
151 posts
 
Turn your amp off and walk over to one of your speakers. Unplug the speaker cable from the binding post. Put them back on, but swap positions. Then do some listening. Your system will either sound a lot better or a lot worse. 

Make sure you reverse the speaker cables on just 1 speaker, not both. And just swap the end by the speaker. Leave the other end of the cable by the amp alone. Also, you can't hurt any of your gear by doing this. There is 0 risk.  
mb1audio
151 posts
 
" mb1audio: 99% confident the speakers are in-phase, but I will try your suggestion anyway. Will report back."

I'm sure you're right, but I've seen so many people make that mistake (myself included), I just couldn't help but mention it.

Have you tried any placement options? Toe, back tilt, how far apart the speakers are...?




mb1audio
151 posts
 
" I switched back and forth several times to confirm my impressions. I conclude I had the speakers in phase alignment on my original setup. Whew. 

Thoughts?"

The easiest way to check if its right is to listen to music that you know has a strong center vocal image. If the speakers are out of phase with each other, the center vocal image will be coming from one of the side walls instead.

More break in won't fix the problem. If anything, it will make things worse. 

mb1audio
151 posts
 
" I think this is a serious finding: Left tweeter almost nothing coming out, with nothing in the upper-highs, and maybe nothing in the mid-highs. a little low-highs. No distortion at all (I think this is important--I listened very closely). Right Channel: Interesting--I heard the lo-highs, mid-highs, and hi-highs--all of them, but overall the signal was very very attenuated from what I might expect. It was not the case that "if I had both speakers firing like the right one it would be great. The right tweeter was, on an absolute level, was attenuated. "

You need to verify its really the speakers. Swap the speakers position (Put the left speaker on the right channel and the right speaker on the left). Listen to the same music as before. If the speaker that used to be on the left still has the same problem, its a speaker issue. If not, the problem lies elsewhere. 
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