Amp or Preamp Upgrade for Totem Arro's


Hi. I'm looking to get a pair of Totem Arros. My current amp is a McIntosh 2100, 105 watts per at 8 ohms,( has 4 ohm tap), MX114 Preamp/Tuner and Rega P3 24 with Channel Islands Phono Amp and Power Supply and a pair of JBL L19's. I'm wanting to upgrade one of the McIntosh pieces for something with tubes. If I keep the amp for now, will it be too much with the 4 ohm Totem? I will also be adding a Totem sub in the future. For now I will use my Paradigm ps1000. Looking for opinions on which piece to upgrade first and stay in the 500.00 - 800.00 range, used. My listening room is approx. 14x 16 with 8 foot ceilings, hardwood floors and furnished. I mostly listen to rock, jazz and reggae. Some of the pieces I'm liking so far are Jolida, Conrad Johnson,Anthem and Rogue. Looking forward to your input. Thanks.
hoffius
My experience with the Arros would suggest that they always like lots of good clean current. You will be very surprised with the amount of bass energy these speakers will put out. I never had real good luck with integrating a sub into the mix with the Arros however. Using tubes with the Arros might get you into impedance problems and the resulting current drain but I have been surprised before so you never know until you try it.
Larryrx7, Thanks for the input. I'm pretty sure I want something a little newer and better than the Mc2100. Maybe I'll think about another ss amp and look into a tube pre. From what I've read about the Arros, a lot of folks have mentioned using tubes with these. I like what I've read about these speakers and their size and looks would be good for my room too. Just trying to match them up with components that bring out their best. If I don't need a sub, great. Thanks again.
Totem speakers are very, very difficult to drive. I have one pair of Model 1 and two pairs of Rainmakers so I am somewhat familiar with Totem speakers.

To extract the most out of your Totem, your integrated amp needs to put out somewhere at least clean 80 watts to 150 watts per channel. Whether you want tube or solid state is a matter of (a) budget (b) personal preference and (c) WAF factor if this applies...

The Arros have been very popular with many Totem followers for two things, tight bass and WAF factor (deco purposes). I have also heard that the Arros can be placed very closed to the walls which is a big advantage where space is at a premium.

I never had Jolida and Anthem. I have listened to my Model 1 with Rogue and the sound is okay. CJ can be better. Totem usually drives their speakers with Plinius or Sim Audio integrateds at the CES trade shows in North America.

Or you can call Nico at Totem to ask him what brands would do the Arro justice.