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Totem or B&W?

I am new to this audio craze and am still trying to learn as much as possible before I make my first big purchase. I am a classical musician and mostly listen to classical music although I enjoy listening to pop, rap, alternative, jazz etc. I am close to purchasing a Rotel RC-1070 preamp and the RB-1080 amp. I have visited many audio stores and have narrowed down the speakers I like to B&W and Totem. I originally was comparing the B&W 602 series to the Totem Mites but recently made the mistake of listening to the Totem Mani2s. Anyone know which speakers will work best with the Rotel setup? I would prefer to stay under $1,000 for speakers but if I do decide to go with the Totem Model-1 or Mani-2 (used) will I have to step up to a better pre-amp and amp?
Thanks for any suggestions you may have.
mattmusic

Showing 1 response by jetkitty

jetkitty
53 posts
 
I have not heard the Totem Mani-2s, but I have heard the Totem Sttaf and Hawk and I liked them MUCH better than the comparable B&W models. Whether you go with Totems or not, I wouldn't say that you would 'have to' step up to a better preamp and amp to start with.

I am a member of the camp that believes that you should first find speakers that you like (within your price range), and then start making changes upstream to compliment the speakers. Therefore, my advice would be to spend a little more on speakers (to start with) and a little less on electronics.

Of course, some will disagree...
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