pablo chicago

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
4.67 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $900.00 from van L Speakerworks

Summary:
Having checked out a number of options and reading many reviews as well as talking with a number of experienced sales people and friends, I decided to purchase Totem Rainmakers as part of a surround sound system the rest of which are Dreamcatchers (center sub, rear). The rainmakers are used as the front speakers and for stereo listening.

After 2 months, I am very happy with my decision. The totems all sound excellent and are not too bright - very natural sound in my opinion. Their value proposition is very strong. I would easily put them up against systems that cost 2x as much. They also sound good with all types of music at all volume levels.

I was a bit concerned as I was advised that Totem does not Timbre match their lines, and therefore mixing dreamcatcher and rainmaker might not sound good togeher. I detect no problem with using a mixed set.

If you are considering these speakers, I dont think that you can go wrong.

Strengths:
natural sound, value

Weaknesses:
none noted

jacks

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from A&B Sound

Summary:
Great speakers for its size. So far liking it better than my Reference 3A MM decapo-i, which cost more than 2x as much, and it is much better than the Totem Mite, which I've also enjoyed for 3 years. Lovely sound, warm and instruments are alive. Love it with satellite radio. The "nasal" tone (see Stereophile review 2004) is true, but don't mind it. Does a decent job with movies, good to 50Hz easily, maybe 40Hz depending on room acoustics. These are no $20,000 floor standing performance, but they are enjoyable for hours of listening at a time.

Strengths:
Compact, well crafted, rigid. Sounds natural for instruments, including piano, though not necessarily neutral. Capable of filling medium size room. Bi-wired.

Weaknesses:
None apparent so far considering price range.

Similar Products Used:
Totem Mite. Reference 3A MM decapo-i. NHT SB-3.

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cheroz

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.50 of 5, 4.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
These are really superb speakers. I had a pair of Spendor s3/5's, but found that they pulled a disappearing act at low listening levels. The Totems have many of the same virtues but are far easier to drive: detailed, great sound stage, excellent imaging, superb midrange, quite forgiving and very musical. I must say I was initially motivated to try them out due to the rave reviews in Stereophile and TAS; but once I auditioned them in my own environment I was convinced. They do take a bit of time to break in and they are very picky about room placement. The other thing I noticed was that they're particularly sensitive to the types of interconnects used, so experiment. If you like to listen at moderate levels, enjoy a warm, musical midrange and are tired of overly detailed, mechanical sounding, bright bookshelf speakers then I highly recommend these speakers. And they go very nicely with solid state. I'm using a Threshold T2 preamp, T200 power amp, a Sony CDPXA7ES cd player with an Audiomeca DAC.

Strengths:
very open, detailed, great imaging, very musical, easy to drive, non-fatiguing, warm, smooth, glare free high end

Weaknesses:
only suitable for smaller rooms very slightly lacking in lower bass fussy about room placement the absolute worst binding posts I've ever used

Similar Products Used:
cello elves spendor s3/5's and other spendor's including the sp9/1's ProAc (various models) Theil

henner

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
4.70 of 5, 10.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1050.00 from soundwork

Summary:
Totems Rainmaker is a moderatly priced standmounted monitor, the cherry finish looks nice. The speaker feels a bit lighter than you expect when you pick one up. The cabinet seems solid, but the lighter mass is evident on the old knuckle test. Build quality is good, not exceptional. Both the Epos ES 11 and Monitor audio Studio 2 that I have owned have better build quality. But it's the sound that counts. The Rainmaker is a very good speaker with a nice blend of qualities. It works well in my room with an amp that delivers 40 watts into 4 ohms. I was looking for a Monitor with more bass extension, and the Rainmaker seemed to fit the bill. I found it to perform well with all kinds of music. They are exciting with rock, giving guitar bite, with good bass impact. These go down to 40hz for real, sometimes specs are overstated, that is not the case here. At times I thought there was a subwoofer in my smallish room. Try the opening of "Telegraph road" by Dire Straits, "Time", or "Is there anybody out there" by Pink Floyd. Very impressive. The Rainmakers go down cleanly on these tracks. Certain songs with electronic synth bass seem exagerated though, like "voices carry" by Til Tuesday. With Jimi Hendrix live at Berkely 1970 2nd show, his guitar sounds amazing, and the bass is powerful. I found the Rainmaker to beat the model one with the Hendrix disc, the guitar was too shrill on model one.....which is a good speaker, it pretty much demands good recordings though. Overall I'd say the Rainmaker is a more musical speaker, being more forgiving than model one, yet still detailed. Some speakers can do Jazz and classical but not rock, the Rainmaker is not one of those speakers. It is the best speaker I've heard anywhere near its price range with rock music. Jazz is handled very well also, sax sounds natural and dynamic, trumpet is given realistic impact. Acoustic bass has weight, there is a slight loss of "tightness" though. They are Very enjoyable with jazz music, giving a realism that belies their size and price. Classical music sounds spacious with wide imaging, depth and scale. Cellos are handled with ease. Piano is very good also. I don't hear the "parched" quality mentioned in the Absolute sound review with piano. However I do hear a bit of "dryness" on solo violin and chamber music, but I don't really notice this effect on massed violins. Fleetwood Mac "Dreams" sounds excellent, the vocals and Stevie Nicks lead and double tracked backing vocals sounds expressive and open. On certain female vocalists, there is a slight loss of communication in the upper midrange, but I don't find it to be too disagreeable, given what else the speaker does. No speaker, even expensive ones, are perfect. The Rainmaker does alot of things well, and not that many things wrong. It has the power of a floorstander with the imaging of a monitor. It walks the line between excitement and musicality, which is not easy to find, especially at this price. If you are looking for a good monitor speaker for about a grand, Go hear them and decide for yourself, since this is only what I think about them, but maybe you'll like 'em too.

Strengths:
Good with all kinds of music. Bass power and extension. Images well. Musical and exciting.

Weaknesses:
Slight loss of expression in upper midrange on certain vocals. Solo violin a bit dry.

Similar Products Used:
Epos ES 11. Monitor audio studio 2

betherin

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
4.67 of 5, 12.00 votes

Price Paid:  $900.00 from soundstage

Summary:
The Totem Rainmaker is a tremendous new addition to the product line of Canada's premier manufacturer of hi-end audiophile speakers. It should be on the list of those looking for either the best value in speakers for a two channel audio system or front speakers for a home theatre speaker system. They fall between the Dreamcatcher and the Signature Model Ones in the price range of Totem models, but as someone who has had two pairs of Dreamdcatchers in various systems and has long admired the incredible accuracy, resolution and neutrality of the Model Ones, I can assure you that they fall closer to the Model Ones as a speaker that is capable of revealing the character and musicality of the source and power components with which they are matched. Although they are approximately half the price of the Model Ones, they come fairly close to matching the appearance and performance of that long heralded speaker. The resolution is tremendous and superior to many speakers in the $1,000.00 to $2,000.00 range. They are actually slightly larger than the Model Ones, and share that speaker's ability to provide a three dimensional soundstage, making the box disappear on well recorded source material. As with all Totem speakers they do a marvelous job on vocal passages, offering a revealing but neutral presentation that often sounds like the singer is in the room with you as they perform. The bass is also quite impressive with life like reproduction, particularly when playing good acoustic bass jazz recordings. . The top end is very open with a good sense of air and space. As with other Totem speakers, they perform better when driven by amps with plenty of power and the ability to provide high levels of current. Also consistent with other Totem speakers, the build quality is first rate with very attractive finishes ranging from mahogany and black for the base price to maple and cherry for a premium price. All Rainmakers come with two sets of binding posts to allow for biwiring. Once again Totem deserves kudos for creating an affordable high quality speaker for two channel audiophiles and home theatre enthusiasts alike, at a very affordable price point, especially when one considers the value for money quotient derived from considering the essential requirements of build quality, sound quality, appearance and price. Well done Totem!

Strengths:
Soundstage, resolution, accuracy, neutrality, 'There there' presence.

Weaknesses:
Power demands, inefficient

Similar Products Used:
totem dreamcatcher, model ones