Totem Arro in larger room??

In my opinion, the Arro and Forest have a very different sound. Have you heard an Arro? If the Forest is truly what you like, then I would recommend just getting one used (rather than new) and you will be within your price range. I personally actually prefer the Arro (especially with tubes). I feel also that the Arro and Forest differ significantly in which amps tend to drive them well.

Michael

From my experience with the Arro I don't think the speaker would work well in a room that large, even with a sub. I owned the Arro for a few years and used it with tubes and solid state. I don't think there is much you can do to get around the speaker's inherent dynamic limitations.

In addition to auditioning the Sttaf, I think you should also consider the Model One plus a sub(s), assuming you're open to stand-mounts.

Thank you everyone for the great info. After much thought (and several demos) I pulled the trigger on a pair of Sttafs. These speakers just seem right to me. I did enjoy the Forests alot, but really I just really did not want to blow the budget as this is a secondary system in our living room. I also really enjoyed the demo time that I spent with a pair of LSA1 Sigs, but in the end, I felt the Sttaf was the best all around for what I needed.

I had the Sttafs in a room about your size and they were great. Enjoy!

I am very fond of Totem's. Fell in love w/ some Model 1's several years back. Last year I picked up a pair of Arros, along with Lightening sub and DreamCatcher center and surrounds for HT use.

As noted previously in this thread, I found that the different speakers in the Totem line have somewhat different personalities. At least to my ears, there is just something special about the Arros. Their slim size and ease of placement (especially for HT) was just a bonus for me. I listen to mostly jazz/classical/instrument/vocal, and the Arros work well for this stuff.

BTW, I've been very pleased with the Arro+Lightening combination.

Let us know how you like your new speakers! People love to debate about "break in" issues. All I can say is that my Arros absolutely benefitted from the recommended break in time.

Regards