Totem Sttaf

I wanted to post an update regarding the Sttaf. Yesterday evening, a cold front started moving through my area, which meant I could open up the windows and break out my PrimaLuna Prologue Two. I hooked it up to the Sttafs, and I will say that these speakers are a much better match for tubes. It didn't solve all problems that I found with the Sttafs, but it helps tremendously. Since the tube amp has more of that "fat" sound, it helps to fill out some of the leanness I heard in the Sttaf's lower midrange. Alas, the summers here are too hot for me to use a tube amp during, so the Sttaf would still not be a good choice for me because of that. But just something to keep in mind for others who are considering these speakers.

I think I forgot to click "submit" on my previous post, so apologies if this is a duplicate.

Donjr: My amplification is a Yamaha A-S2000 solid state, but I also have a PrimaLuna Prologue Two integrated that I haven't tried yet. My room is small and gets very hot in the summer with tubes. I'm actually probably going to sell the tube amp. The Yamaha has a very natural, smooth sound with great soundstage depth and width. I could hear this very clearly with the LSA1's. As for Harbeth, my dealer does carry these, but the model you mentioned only goes down to 75 Hz, so they would need a sub without a doubt. I managed to get by on the LSA1's without a sub, but the bass was definitely still lacking. Those go down to 42 Hz.

Sufentanil: I do have sound panels that I purchased several years back. They have made a huge difference in the room. As for the tube amp, I am yet to try my PrimaLuna, but that is not an option for me in the summer, since it heats up the room very quickly. The bass on the Sttafs isn't completely lacking to my ears, it's just not clean bass. There also seems to be a suckout somewhere in the lower mids/upper bass that makes things like piano sound like they have no foundation.

I'm trying to get my dealer to let me audition some Golden Ear Triton 3's in my room. The fact that they have an adjustable built in powered sub makes them possibly small room friendly, but I won't know for sure until I hear them in my room.

Bdgregory: Yes, this is in my 11 x 11 room. I have them 24 inches from the back wall. The right speaker is about 2.5 feet from the side wall, and the left speaker is further away from the other side wall. I can get exact measurements once I'm home.

The dealer told me these showroom demos have about 50-75 hours on them, but could these not be fully burned in yet?

Ghosthouse: Totem recommends 60-80 hours for the Sttaf. I can hear the bass, but it sounds more like undefined rumble most of the time.

There's also a certain quality to the treble that I don't like. Things can sound a bit sibilant at times. They don't quite cause listening fatigue, but it doesn't sound "natural" to my ears.

Bdgregory: I believe they are currently 5 feet apart. I will try bringing them in even closer.

Ghosthouse: Since I only have these on demo, I won't be able to experiment with plinths for the speakers. But that is a good idea.

Stereo5: I really agree with you on this. I made the same mistake once before, and I should see the writing on the wall here. I'm pushing the dealer to let me try to the Triton 3's in my house. If he says no, I either have the option to take a leap of faith and just buy them (which I probably won't do), or start looking for something used on A-gon.

Thanks to you all. I would agree that the Sttaf just aren't for me. I've already put an order in for the Triton 3's. From what I heard of them at the dealer, they were pretty darn good for the money. Now it's just a matter of making them work in this room, which hopefully won't be a problem.