Integrated amp for Totem Sttaff


Hello all. I am new to the site but have been ravenously reading reviews and posts the last few weeks. I am in the proccess of replacing my 20 year old Boston A 400's with the Sttafs....Now my dilemma.I am currently running a Denon 2106 and have found a helpful dealer selling...Naim, Creek, Sim, Cambridge, Arcam. I am seriously considering jumping in the deep end of the audio pool and get a new power source as well to match....My problem..The dealer is a 3 hr drive away so auditioning the Totems and the matching amps is possible, im hoping your experince may help me have a better starting point if im to drive that far....I know other brands are out there, but I dont have access to viewing them, let alone buying them. Im hoping $ 1,500 cdn will put me in a good spot to get the most from the Totems...Thanks in advance.
mxwizard

Showing 2 responses by bargie

I recently heard the Sttafs through a Cayin SP10A integrated tube amp ($2000) and they blew me away. Enough so, that I purchased a used pair of Staffs on Audiogon. The source was a Cayin SPCD300 CD player and the cables were transparent Music Wave and Music links. I'm currently playing the Sttafs through my McIntosh 4300v receiver with an Arcam CD73t using Signal Ultra speaker cables and Analog two interconnects. Although I happy with the sound, they definitely lack the warm, extended bass I originally heard through the Cayin. I usually listen to my MAC through a pair of JBL L100's and primarily listen to Rock & Roll and smooth Jazz. I intend to keep the MAC/JBL system for R&R duty and the new integrated will be in our Living Room for Light Rock, Smooth Jazz and Classical. I'm open to the Cayin, but would like to hear feedback from anyone who has heard the Sttafs through the Naim 5i, Simaudio Moon i-1, Creek 5350 or Primare i21. We only have a Naim and Creek dealer where I live so before I begin traveling great distances to audition the other amps I'd like to hear some feedback. Thanks.
OK, I've had an opportunity to listen to the Naim Nait 5i, Creek 5350SE and Simaudio Moon i-1 through the Totem Sttafs since my initial post in December. Although the Naim was clean and articulate, it lacked any low end extension. Bi-wiring improved the situation, but I knew the Sttaf was capable of providing better bass without tweeks. Both the Creek and Simaudio provided tight, extended bass, and you'd be hard pressed to say one was better than another in this area. Overall, the Creek is extremely neutral and easy to listen to. Mids and highs are clean, and it is laid back in it's presentation. The Sim is a bit more forward so I felt it was more dynamic and engaging. The dealer who staged the audition had never heard the Sim before and said if he could take the low end from the Creek and the highs from the Sim that would be the ideal $1500 amp. Although there were some slight differences between the two, we both felt that for the price you couldn't go wrong purchasing either unit. The Creeks warranty is 2 years, while the Sims is 10. The inside of the Sim is extremely efficient and very well laid out. You get the impression that very little could go wrong. On the other hand, the Creek is more complex and not as well laid out. The Creek supports two sets of speakers, while the Sim handles one. The Sim has a convenient MP3 jack on it's front panel, but the compressed format of MP3 didn't sound very good through this high end gear. At this point, I'm leaning toward the Simaudio Moon i-1. For my taste it just seems a bit more musical. I'll keep you posted.