Totem model 1 with svs sb13 ultra or Forest

I've had both the ARROs and Forests in my prior systems.
There is a plethora of posts on A-GON, CanuckaudioMart, Pinkfish audio and elsewher,e about TOTEMs (particularly the Forests) requiring a lot os grunt to perform at their best.

My take:

(1) With your kit you should be OK.

(2) With the Forests, you will definitely not need a sub.

You currently have a small listening room well suited to the Totem 1 speakers. They may be short on bass but should sound great in that setting with proper amplification, which you have. Most people who know Totems would probably say it's too much speaker for your room. For that reason, I would say adding a fast, high quality subwoofer would be the safest upgrade path for where you live now. That said, there may be integration issues and adding more bass with either the Forest or subwoofer may bother your neighbors. But at least with a subwoofer, you can control the volume or turn off if late at night.

Good luck from a Totem owner.

Your amp should drive the Forrest with no problem. I've owned Model One's and combined them with 2 Velodyne DD12 subs. Also owned the Forrest's and Mani's. IMO your best option would be the Mani's. Net cost will be more but the improvement over Model One's with subs or the Forrest will be HUGE!

Zack -

the best subwoofer out there is REL.

My room is very close in size and I've never been able to properly integrate a sub for 2 channel listening. The best bass has always come out of larger speakers for me ie floorstanders/large monitors.

Thanks for your replies. If I went the mani route, would the parasound 2250 have enough current to drive the mani 2's?

I meant to say (above) that that Totem Forest speaker is probably too much speaker for your room. You may have to place the Forest 5-6 feet from the rear wall to sound best, as indicated on the Totem Website. Do you have that much flexibility in your apartment? I would suggest contacting Totem to discuss your situation. If going for a subwoofer, I would be tempted us use one of the Totem models to better integrate the sound.

As for the Mani's, they are said to be fantastic speakers. But Manis are also very inefficient (85db sensitivity, 4 ohm load) and have a demanding impedance curve. On paper, the Parasound should work okay but the Mani's would probably sound best with a better quality amplifier.

Thanks for your reply michael. Do you have any recommendations for large monitors that can reach down around 30 hz? I'm looking at the mani 2's because I really like the sound of the model 1's. Any other recommendations?

Would the parasound 2250 have enough current to drive the mani 2's?

To the extent that the answer is predictable based on specs, I would expect it to be "yes."

The amplifier is specified as being able, with both channels driven, to continuously deliver 250 watts into 8 ohms, 385 watts into 4 ohms, and 250 watts into 2 ohms. That seems more than sufficient for a speaker recommended by its manufacturer for use with amplifiers providing up to 200 watts, that is described as having an impedance of "4 ohms mainly resistive," and that has a minimum measured impedance of 3.5 ohms.

The 45 ampere current capability that is quoted in the amplifier's specifications, btw, is pretty much meaningless, as are most such specs on amplifier current capability. 45 amps into 3.5 ohms would correspond to more than 7000 watts. Amplifier specs on maximum current capability are generally based on how much current can be delivered into a near dead short, for some unspecified miniscule amount of time, and it is therefore generally best to ignore them.

Regards,
-- Al

Thanks Al. That's very helpful. I would rather not have to buy another power amp if I switch speakers (for money and sanity reasons).

While not very familiar with Totem, the mani sigs have been highly recommended to me as on par with my other speakers. The Dynaudio based woofers are very dynamic and I would expect the mani sigs to have a very full bottom end.

FWIW the Forests are the most efficient of the choices mentioned above. You should have no amp issues as far as power is concerned, unless, it's simply too much power (can happen). Forests are working well for me in a smaller room than yours, but I am using low powered tubes. Used to be in a huge room, an open Kitchen/living room. Same amps and also great (but different presentation) sound.

Your amp should drive the Mani's as well. Keep in mind however that all three Totem options you are (now) considering thrive on good electronics. I know you don't want to and you really don't have to, but an upgrade in amplification will be very rewarding with any of these three options.

Trying to keep your sanity in an insane hobby, well all I can say is welcome aboard :-).