JH2os: sorry to hear about your sad experience. I got bashed for starting a thread re: Forest using Swan's drivers but I guess there may be an issue with quality control somewhere between China and Montreal...
A year and a half ago, I had to let go the idea of keeping the Hawks I had on loan as the dealer, well informed, told me their driver was way too delicate for a HT use - he made same comment re: Forest... I then turned to the Yara but he recommended I stayed with Totem but went the Dreamcatcher way, 2 monitors with two subs or Staff + 1 sub if needed (room size). I was not thrilled with the idea of a monitor + a sub * 2 and did not like the Staff on pure 2ch audio so I went the AP Yara way.
So, if you must stay with Totem and you like Staff, go for it otherwise you may want to start "cheating" on Totem and go somewhere else...$ for $, the Yaras will likely blow away the Staff for 2ch audio IMHO. |
Jh2os: that is interesting! The loaner I had came with no instructions but the dealer warned me and my HT need were better served by the AP. I am a real fan of Totem products and their designer but a $2,000 floorstander that cannot take an occasional beating and/or that comes with such a written warning is really disappointing. Long throw or not, one should be able to hit them as hard as their specs tolerate. Even a careful music listener may be surprised by the dynamics of a new record and induce some pain on these babies. To me, the disclaimer is almost a warning that these speakers have been over-engineered to reproduce bass excessive for the size of their woofer.
On the other hand, the one that matters.... they are something special when associated with the right gear. I loved them with the Cary SLI 80. Let us know after 150 hrs how you like them and if they are still intact! |
Grakesh: what I am about to say is very relative to one's ear but Cary and VTL are not, in general for me at least, your typical lush warmish sounding tube gear (not a CJ) and they can have a more "neutral" sound than some solid state. The dealer I used to buy Totem from would play the Hawks with YBA, SimAudio and Shanling. With the right cable (make it rather lean-clean), the Hawk-Shanling was exceptional while the combo with YBA was not seducing.
I would agree with Jh2os that Hawk can be non-involving sometimes and I do not consider these to be warm speakers.
There are so many factors to consider that my comment on the Cary-Hawk may not fit the bill for others...but it did for me. Their exceptional midrange coupled with the immediacy of the right tube was truly exceptional. When I moved out to the AP Yara, I lost a tad of midrange magic but gained in overall robustness, slam and versatility.
In any case, in a small room with tube gear for 2ch audio only, Hawk are great speakers. Especially at CDN retail prices.... But they are not alone out there! |
Jh2os: I think there is a way to settle on all this: get a sub for HT and set up the Hawk as "small" for HT. You will still benefit from their midrange magic and preserve their integrity for 2ch audio full-range. In the budget sub - if like me you are not a bass freak and do not want to spend for a buzz or two (!)- the Mirage LF100 is of astonishing value and can be had for $150 (LF150 a bit lower and more$). |
Jh2os: Yes, set up sub to yes/on and speaker to small via the DVD player. This should remove those bass that could damage Hawks when too loud. My theory about subs is that either you go for the real musical sub that will costs min $750 used or you go for one that is reasonably fast not to embarrass you but that deliver true value at low price. I found the latter in the LF100 and at that price, how can you go wrong?! |
Jh2os and Walkman, the answer is not what you are looking for but what about moving out of your chair and turning it on/off (in the case of someone using same amp for 2ch or HT) or plug/unplug (in case you own a 2ch amp and a receiver)- depending on the application?!!! seriously, there may be ways to have it set up differently but my solution will work 100% of the time!!!!!
Or, like me, you own a Linar 10 5.1ch integrated and the sub is on all the time but the remote allows me to control its volume, 0 for audio, equal (if I want) to front for HT. |
Jh2os: my former response was posted before your last two. Connecting to the DVD will not give you volume control of the sub so this will likely not work. A sub out , unlike a tape loop, has variable volume that goes with the L/R output volume.
Turning speaker to small requires a sub to take on the bass that has been cut off the satellites so this is not to be done without a sub properly in place. |
Sub-less is more often than not the way to go for 2ch audio when one owns speakers of that quality. As I like to say, better restricted yet outstanding low end than muddy lower bass. In my book, there is nothing worse than a low end out of control or not well integrated. For HT, it is always interesting to have the extra 20-35 Hz bandwidth to watch Terminator!
My Avalon Studio Pro are "limited" to 34 Hz but trust me, it seems that they go much lower and bass is so tight and defined than I do not know how much I would have to spend to get the extra 15Hz missing below that of same quality.
A question for you Jh2os: have you listened to the Mani-2? I never did but their specs in the lower register make me wonder if they are not the real gem in the Totem line. |
Jh2os: I feel and share your pain man, sincerely!!!!! I will take a shot at your problem, may be right, may be wrong. As I have owned Cairn Fog, Arros and tested Prima Luna 1 for a week end, here is what I think: is it possible that you are missing the combination of an extra clean source passing information to a tube amp providing immediacy and midrange transparency to a neutral holographic speaker like few others?
May I suggest you pose for a second and reevaluate your choices and options? Ever since I sold Arros because of the popping woofer issue, I have been happy but never 100% content until I listened to Avalon speakers. Partnered with a tube amp with balls, they made me forget about Arros. $ for $, I would try (I know, there is no such thing as money back on used gear!):
- VTL IT85 tube magic yet no mellow.
- Avalon Symbol FL as you are a FL kind of guy. If they resolve like my Studio Pro and disappear even only 70% as good as the SP, you are in business! same feeling as before just better, deeper larger image and probably better resolution. 85w is more than enough to drive Symbols and you would be back to tube/holographic speakers. I have lost track of your source but stay away from the darker sources like Simaudio Equinox or the tube output ones, I find them boring after a while. Fianlly, if you want to add a HT component, there are different options with Avalon for center (symbol or LCR monitor).
A tube - Arros lover ought to stay tube-holographic system!!!!!
My 2 cents. |
Avalon's soundstage is something very special and if you liked the Arros, chances are you will love how they image: very deep and wide, literally disappearing. One small constraint: to really benefit from Avalons, one should have the freedom to place them way into the room. As far as the offering, budget will drive the models available to you. Price-wise, AP offers more choice between $2000 and $7000 than Avalon and they sound different. Avalon would be more "neutral" but at the same price point, AP will give you more bass (but not better bass). Between AP Yaras and Avalon Studio Pros or Symbol, the Avalon speakers offer more transparency...yet Yaras are no loser either! Both are great makes but again, Arros sound can be found and improved in Avalon more than AP. On the other hand, AP only needs 30W so the tube amp will be easier and cheaper to find. |
