Bonger

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.67 of 5, 9.00 votes

Price Paid:  $750.00 from audiogon

Summary:
Upgraded to these speakers from the Totem Arros, however after 8 months use, I cannot say these speakers are superior to Arros, just different. Another example of how bigger is not better.

Yes, the Sttafs sound bigger and fuller than Arros, however they lose out in absolute quality of sound. Arros have superior imaging, soundstaging and tonality.

After reading previous glowing reviews, I thought these just might be the last pair of speakers I would have for a while, but ultimately the weak point of these speakers cause me to sell them.

The Good:
easy to drive, good for music & a/v, better detail than the Arros, relaxed sound, perhaps too relaxed (totem calls it "lush harmonics") for some people. The more relaxed sound is not as tonally accurate as the Arros.

The Bad:
the bass was deeper than Arros, it was often too boomy and not tight as the Arros. Ultimately, the boominess of the bass would sometimes divert your attention of what the Sttafs excel at, smooths highs and mids. And this is what caused me to sell these speakers.

One redeeming quality of these speakers is the value. I sold these speakers for slightly more money than I paid for them on Ebay!!

Now, I'm probably going back to Arros or most likely Totem Model 1's.

Strengths:
good detail and smooth highs from tweeter without excessive brightness of some metal dome tweeters. smooth transition of highs to mids. attractive looks, good all all round speaker

Weaknesses:
bass too boomy when speakers are pushed, "cabinet coloration"

Price Paid:  $1850.00 from Goossens Hifi, Echt,

Summary:
I upgraded my audio gear from NAD to Van Medevoort, a high end dutch audio equipment manufacturer. So, the next step was to look for a new pair of speakers. I had Dali serie Blue "Live" for more than 5 years.

I first noticed, when auditioning, the big sound difference coming from each type of speaker. JM Lab, Focal, ALR Jordan, Dali, B&W, Kef, Hepta, Epos, Mission, Tannoy you name it, and I heard them. They all sounded ok, but somehow the bass was to present, more uncontrolled so to say.
And then I heard Totem Sttaf. Wow.

Controlled bas, plenty of low and a superb mid and high. Subwoofer, not necessary. Save your money. The Sttaf gives plenty, but controlled. The way I like it. Each detail is presented by this speaker. I also heard the Hawk, which generated a bit more fuller sound, but looking at the price tag, the Sttaf is for sure an excellent choice.

Make sure you position them at least 50cm form the back wall, place them on piece of stone with dampeners and you will be treated which a very real / natural sound.

I cannot think of a better pair of speakers for the money I have spend. Euro 1850.

Strengths:
Controlled bas.
Superb mid and high.
Solid and compact design: "how do they get such a sound out of this sleak cabinet? Well done Totem Acoustic!!!"

Weaknesses:
None.

Similar Products Used:
Dali Blue "Live" serie

audiofan j

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.38 of 5, 8.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1600.00 from Aris Audio

Summary:
The Totem Acoustic Sttaf gets my vote for the best quality of build and sound for your hard earned dollar. My first speaker from Totem was their Hawk model and I am convinced it is their best speaker, and the best choice for under $3,000 - period! But....I wanted to get into tube electronics and ended up buying a 40 wpc Primaluna Prologue 2 integrated tube amplifier, which made it necessary to find a speaker that could be driven properly, with proper dynamics and great sound when driven by a lot less watts.

So, I purchased a pair of Totem Sttafs in their moghagany finish and I have to say that I am very impressed with both the sound and build of the cabinet. The quality of the speaker cabinet in particular, is virtually indistinguishable from the $1000 more per pair Hawk, except for the speaker posts and the Sttaf has a wooden plinth that the speaker sets on versus the "claws" of the Hawks. Otherwise, it appears to be exactly the same!

Sound wise, across the board, most reasonable enthusiasts in the hobby will find the Sttaf as a excellent to superb performer. It has a HUGE soundstage, a beautiful midrange, can reach down to 40 hz and reveals a very high degree of resolution, (just a smidge less than the Hawk in the highest frequencies, probably due to the soft dome tweeter of the Sttaf versus the metal dome of the Hawk), is harmonically rich, dynamic, and. in my home - disappears into the soundstage! Did I mention, the seamless integration of the drivers? You are onto something special when a reasonably priced floorstanding speaker can do that! Add to that, any medium powered amp of 40-60 watts can drive it and you have a real winner!

So, if you just want to get back to the music or are downsizing to a high end set up of minimal investment, the Totem Sttaf should be on your must audition list.

Associated equipment:

- Ah! Supertjoeb 4000 tube CD player
- Primaluna Prologue 2 integrated tube amp, 40 wpc
- Totem Sttaf 2 way floorstanding loudspeakers
- Signal cable Magic AC powercord, 10 gauge, 4 foot
- Signalcable Double run 10 gauge copper speaker cables, 8 foot, biwired with
- Analysis Plus copper spades on amp end and AP copper banana plugs on
speaker end
- Signalcable Silver Resolution interconnect cable

Strengths:
Harmonically rich, BIG soundstage, great midrange and goes low to 40 hz. A beautifully built speaker cabinet with REAL WOOD veneer! This speaker has a very high WAF, especially in the mohagany finish.

Weaknesses:
Could be slightly soft on the top end with tube electronics, but.....this can actually be beneficial as a trade off, taming those CD's with too much high frequency energy.

Similar Products Used:
Totem Hawk

Shiden Kai

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.86 of 5, 7.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1100.00 from Aris Audio

Summary:
This is my first write-up here at the reviews. I cannot think of a better way to break the ice than to briefly summarize my experience and impressions of Totem’s often over-looked achievement, the “Sttaf”. There is no higher accolade I can give the Sttaf than to say that through the plethora of speakers that have come through these doors in these past few years – none other have brought as much listening pleasure as these two divine miniature towers. In fact, these are the only pieces of audio gear that have remained in the house. So why have I kept these particular speakers? To save you time from reading more audiophile terminology – that answer can be best summarized as soul and emotion. They have all the right elements you would expect from a good speaker, and add a layer to the music that no other speaker I have owned or heard has been able to reproduce. It has also taken me years to appreciate the box-less sound, a feat that is quite amazing given its smallish two way enclosed nature. The cool thing about Totem’s entry level products is that they were designed to be used on a variety of equipment ranging anywhere from entry level receivers all the way up to audiophile approved components. With an easy load of 8ohms and a sensitivity of 89db, the Sttaf will work with the majority of amplifiers on the market. In fact, the purpose of the Sttaf is to act as a general purpose loudspeaker capable of delivering solid performance on a wide range of equipment, with any genre of music or audio format in many different rooms. Getting good sound out of the Sttaf is not a chore. However, seeking what it truly has to offer is. I have found the Sttaf enjoys being on the long side of a wall in a smaller room in a near-field listening situation. The tweeter should be facing near your listening position and both speakers should be spread a good distance apart and about 1.5 feet from any wall. I have personally found the Sttaf to sound best when driven by either Class-A SS amplifiers with zero feedback, or high powered vacuum tube amplifiers. If you wish to use a sub with your Sttaf – make sure it is high quality and sealed. Prepare to invest some time and effort and just hold to the promise of worthwhile rewards. The Sttafs have their limits. They are not an end to a means, but when treated right, they can become an intensely emotional speaker that is just right when the lights are low and you need the woes of the day stricken away. I give the Sttaf a value rating of 5 because it has been able to do things no other speaker I've heard can do. It has won my heart over many more exotic products and therefore I feel justly earns full honors. As you may have suspected, I also give the Sttaf an over-all rating of 5 because simply, it is "far better than I imagined".

Strengths:
Beautifully rich and understated look in mahogany Incredible frequency range given design and driver compliment Airy high’s, delightful mid-range with accurate and tout bass Great sound-stage, amazing depth, great dynamics and PRAT

Weaknesses:
The high’s can become difficult to tame in some rooms and on some equipment The same applies for the bass. Remember, to get the most of this speaker requires attention to detail in both room, placement, and associated equipment. It is one of the more picky speakers I have owned.

Similar Products Used:
owned; Vandersteen 2CE Sig. Dynadio Focus 110. Dynaudio Contour 1.1. Meadowlark Kestrel 2. Audio Note Ax-Two. Totem Acoustic Hawk. Totem Acoustic Tabu. Polk Audio Lsi-15 / 9. Polk Audio SDA 2B. I could really go on and on..

e36m3

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
3.50 of 5, 8.00 votes

Price Paid:  $650.00 from used internet

Summary:
when properly placed, these things can sing, with surprising amount of bass extension as well. A pretty good bargain in the used market. I havent experimented with loading the speaker but already am pleased with the sound it creates, in fact now i can spend the time listening to music rather than "listening" to the speakers if you know what i mean.

Strengths:
soundstage, musical

Weaknesses:
none at this price point

Similar Products Used:
totem arro,vandersteen 1C, Thiel .5