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Can the Totem Hawk Rock?

I was told by a dealer, who distributes both Totem and B&W that the Hawks are superior in every way to the B&W 704 except for volume (Note: the 704 is an excellent speaker). This particular dealer does not stock the Hawk, because he stocks the Staff and claims the two are so close in sound. I already know from second-hand research that I would prefer the Hawk over the Staff. However, I hate to ask the dealer to bring in the Hawk specially for me if there’s a chance I might not like their sound - thus my thread. I appreciate quick detail, image and clarity, a good soundstage, etc., but I do like to crank up the volume when the wife and kids are away. I'm from the old-school and like to "feel" the music right in my chest. When the dealer said the Totem's wouldn’t play as loud as the B&W's I thought I should ask you Agoners before I drive 3 hrs to listen to a pair of speakers that the dealer would have to bring in specially for me to demo. I've demo'd the 704's and was impressed with their ability to play loud, but I was not that happy with their overall sound.
Note: My listening room is small (12 x 15) - due to layout, I'm forced set up and listen between the shorter distance (12 feet). I can bring the speakers out 18 - 20 inches without freaking the wife out too much (that is the max though!)

Thanks in advance to your responses. Keep in mind, my budget is only $2,200.00 max. so no need to remind me of all the really great, but pricey, speaker choices.
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Showing 2 responses by spacekadet

spacekadet
63 posts
 
The short answer is YES. I think as long as you have a good quality, high current amp, there shouldn't be any problem.

I brought in my McIntosh 7300 (300Wpc) amp into my Totem dealership here in Singapore and the totem hawk rocked w/ AC/DC and had a surprisingly good base response for these tiny boxes!

Having said that, if you like to play rock music at relatively loud levels, I'd demo the B&W 704s again, from what I heard, I actually liked the B&W 704's base performance better, it was quick and defined. I'd definitely choose the 704s for a house party. But then again, I think the Totem Hawk are much better overall speakers and are more musical in my opinion.

With your budget, you can go up one more to the forest, they've been listed here used for less than $2000.

If you have any questions on the Totem speakers, I'd strongly suggest you call up Totem Acoustic in Canada and speak to Vince directly. He's extremely helpful and you can always trust an expert opinion from the person who actually designed the speakers!

Good luck,

Seong

P.S. I think the hawk are certainly better sounding speakers than the staffs in every sense.
spacekadet
63 posts
 
I'd again recommend the Totem Hawk for your situation. They certainly can't play as loud as the B&Ws, but in your small room, 100dB (which they can definitely play without compromising sound quality @ about 2m away) will cause serious ear damage if you listen for more than couple of hours.

If you're a party animal and need to blast windows and shake walls, look elsewhere. But I think the Totems will serve you right. I have not demoed any Thiel speakers, so I can't quite comment on those, but I hear they're excellent as well.

I've demoed the B&W 704s and the Totem Hawks with less than 2 minute break between them (in Singapore's Adelphi building) and I liked the Hawks better. It was quicker, had extremely good imaging (didn't try too much off-axis) and awesome soundstage. Plus they're significantly smaller than the B&Ws so it'll be nice for your small room.

As for the lack of bass extension mentioned by Exertfluffer, I dissagree. The Totem Hawks were certainly missing the very bottom octave, but they weren't designed to reproduce the very low 20Hz-35Hz frequencies. But they had very good bass response when I demoed them in a room about your size. It was nicely detailed, quick and loud enough. If you are obsessed like many of my friends are, you'll need a sub-woofer, even for the B&Ws. The bass does go a little mushy if you really turn up the volume (again, probably an uncomfortable level for your room).

I'd recommend that you actually do take a day or a weekend off to demo the Hawks and the Thiel speakers. It'll be worth it and see which one YOUR ears prefer before you spend $2200.

Good luck,

Seong
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