AudiogoN Forums: Which amp to drive Totem Signiture ones?

Which amp to drive Totem Signiture ones?

I have a sytem in our living/dining room. The Totem Sig 1's are driven by a Kora 60w Jupiter tube amp and Kora Eclipse tube pre. Cables are cardas golden cross, nordost red dawn II speaker cable. The sound does not move me and I believe that the amp is not up to par. I know the Totem needs a bit of power, and i hoped taht 60w of tube would do it. what amps should i consider, and should i look at ss? I may have to go ss because of space issues for a larger tube amp. Say budget is less than 2k for used amp. I have also considered adding a powered sub, say a rel srata. Thanks all.

G_m_c (System | Threads | Answers | This Thread)

11-06-02

Responses (1-17 of 17)

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11-06-02 You have great little speakers. i would first concentrate ... Drrdiamond

11-06-02 Hi gmc: richard's comment was excellent. but before that, si ... Alliedtvandsound

11-06-02: Twl
It sounds to me like there may be a couple of issues at play here.

I looked up your product specs on the web, and the Totems are nominally 4 ohm speakers. It is possible that they may have some serious dips at some frequencies. Given that the Kora is rated from 3 ohms to 12 ohms for full power, there could be a potential problem with the amp handling the impedance curve.

Add to that, the Totem's rep for being a little power hungry at 87db efficiency, and it's entirely possible that it could be straining the Kora a little too much. According to my calculations, with the Totems, your amp will be maxed out at under 105db SPL. This means that 95db would be the highest average listening level with this combo, still leaving 10db for peaks before clipping. Add in the difficult impedance load, and you have some strong potential for problems, especially if you like to listen at louder volumes.

Many speakers that are rated at 4 ohms nominal swing below that at some points and are not particularly "tube friendly".

I would say that you are at a position where some changes will have to be made regarding the amp or speakers, to get a more favorable match.

Personally, with a 4 ohm nominal speaker rating, and 87db efficiency rating, I would have to recommend looking at some solid state amps with a rating of about 250-400 watts at 4 ohms. The efficiency levels and impedance curve virtually demand this, if you are going to maintain a decent damping factor, bass response, and 110db+ max peak SPL.

I am a tube guy, but I don't think that you are going to get any tube amp under $2k that is going to hang with these speakers.
Twl (System | Reviews | Threads | Answers | This Thread)

11-06-02 I used to own a pair of model 1 sigs and the best amp i ever ... Ultrakaz

11-06-02 Twl and ultrakaz are right on the money, especially with reg ... Jhardy

11-06-02 I use an old bryston 4b with my totem tabu with great result ... Tabu

11-06-02 The mc2102 from mcintosh will drive them, a 100w/channel tub ... mdoughty@

11-06-02 Vtl mb125 or mb100. i use vtl mb100 for my forests with grea ... Marakanetz

11-06-02 Thanks all for some excellent tought. i feel privledged to ... G_m_c

11-06-02 I have the totem model 1's and i use a pair of odyssey strat ... Rbstehno

11-07-02 G_m_c, be sure to demo that gamut 200 before you buy. i've r ... Jhardy

11-07-02 Thanks j, in fact your earlier characterization of "thi ... G_m_c

11-07-02 I have for some time been using a levinson 27 (200 watts int ... Jsl23

04-22-03 Dear g m c, i have a pair of vtl 80 watt mono's for sale. i ... Billag

04-13-04 Greetings: i'm new to this list--so i hope i'm doing this pr ... Martinroberts

04-13-04 Choose the everpresent signature 1 mkii for your needs, and ... Bemopti123

05-02-04 I notice that this thread is 2 years old, but will add my pi ... Springbok10