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Small living room speaker options.. Totem Arro?

Hi,

I've recently moved into a small condo and feel like my LSi9s are just not working so well in this small living room (11x14). These speakers need to be a bit away from the wall and are fairly large in stature. I am also doing much more low volume listening now and feel like the LSi9 works better when at mid volume, otherwise it's kind of a sleepy speaker that isn't very detailed, especially missing much of the mid section when listening at very low volumes.

So what I want is a small form factor speaker that has clear and live presentation at low volume. From everything I read it seems that the Totem ARRO is a very good contender for this job, especially since it's small and loves to be close to the wall, which is where I'd have it for aesthetic purposes. 

My gear consists of a Classe SSP AMP2 (Class D), which is a 200w amp, so I think I should have no shortage of power. My pre is an Outlaw 975 which will probably get upgraded over the next year or two, but for now this is what I'm working with.

Would love to hear any thoughts on the Arro in this setup and any other options I might look into at this price point and size. Again, keeping in mind low listening volume requirement and lively/punchy presentation, although I'm not a fan of "bright"  speakers. 

Should I consider the Totem Staff? I would probably like it's tonality better, because it's closer to my LSi9 in the sense that it's a more laid back speaker. But I am not sure if it will work as well as the arro in low listening volume and it is also a larger speaker in terms of dimensions that also probably would not work quite as well backed up against the wall.

Any and all thoughts much appreciated! 
lietuvis91

Showing 7 responses by lietuvis91

lietuvis91 OP
10 posts
 
Thank you all very much. This is a lot of very good info and much to consider.

Since I currently have stand mounts, it did cross my mind that a smaller high end bookshelf might also be a nice upgrade to the Lsi9. Something like Salk Silk, maybe?! Initially, I settled on the a Arro tower because I want just enough low end not to need a sub, and to keep things simple, but if there’s a bookie out there that’ll produce satisfactory bass, then maybe I should look into it. From my searching though, I see that most bookshelves that produce decent low end without a sub tend to be "little" giants, of at least the size of my current LSi9, and since I was trying to downsize, I thought a small tower might be more effective.

In the end, I suppose if my new high end small bookie or tower end up underwhelming me with the low end, I can always add a small 8-10 in sub. 

Maybe that’s the better route... But again, hard shaking bass is not necessary or even usable in my condo, so not sure how much good that'll do.

but I was just hoping to find a satisfactory all in one solution to have a more minimalistic setup.
lietuvis91 OP
10 posts
 
Interesting.... so Bob, even for this small 11x14 room you think a 12in sub is appropriate? I would think it was way too big...

I get your point about the function of the sub. That makes sense, as it does a specific job in a specific frequency range and therefore delivers the goods.

I actually already have a 12in sub in a sealed cabinet... it’s an emotiva ultra 12. It's not the best, mid grade I suppose. It might do... so hmmm... maybe a small set of bookies to pair with this sub after all... decisions... decisions...
lietuvis91 OP
10 posts
 
I’m impressed to see so much support for the Rega brand. I had honestly never heard of it before this thread.

You guys have really completely have me re-thinking the decision to go with towers. I imagine that no matter how small tower I go with, it will still create some level of additional "clutter" in this tiny 11x14 room. And with the many suggestions of good bookshelf options, I am really thinking I should go with a small bookshelf instead.

So with the priorities being:
- a minimalist low profile do-it-all speaker
- low volume coherence (with the option of adding a sub if absolutely necessary)
- ability to place close to the back wall

I’ve drawn up my list of contenders:


Rega RS-1 (or RX1)
Dynaudio Focus 160
Ascend Sierra 1
Totem SKY
Totem Rainmaker
Salk Silk (only if I can find them used)

What else should I add to the list that will is small and competent?

lietuvis91 OP
10 posts
 
Wow, nice... that looks like a very interesting option nitewulf. Never heard of these before either. Appreciate you sharing that idea, I’ll look into it.
lietuvis91 OP
10 posts
 
Man... those are both very nice speakers...

Legacy Studio HD
and
Harbeth P3SER (which appear to retail around $2k)

My main issue with both might be that they both have very low sensitivity 83-85db, which might mean low listening volume performance might suffer relative to the Arro or the Rega RS-1?! 

Price wise, I really don't mind paying up to $2k for a superior product. I, just like everyone else, just want to make sure to get something that will really be worth it given my specific requirements. My requirements are the reason the ARRO rose to the top in the first place. 
lietuvis91 OP
10 posts
 
Ok, I see you're right. Thanks.
93 db is great, I thought I saw 83 in some publication, but that may have been my misread. These look mighty attractive, but what does concern me is the documentation says you need 1 to 3ft of distance from the back wall, which to me means this speaker does need some room to "breathe". While I can probably do 1ft, at best, if the speaker gets boomy and needs to be pulled away from the wall further, this would create an issue for me.

I don't suppose anyone here has experience with these...
lietuvis91 OP
10 posts
 
I've been traveling a lot since I bought the condo and really haven't been home enough to even think about the furniture or speakers. I feel like I need to get the furniture figured out before I can decide on the speakers.

In short, no decision yet. 

I have to thank everyone for this superb discussion and suggestions. This is really fantastic info all around. :-)
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