You will have no bass in a room that size with a Totem monitor, unless you go with the power-gobbling Mani 2 (which is really a doubled-up floorstander). I think you are going to have to have a sub if you want real bass, soundstaging, emotional impact, scale and image depth.
Properly mating the speaker to the room is the single most important step to getting great sound. If you screw that up, you'll spend the rest of your days swapping out amps and cables trying to fix the problem. I've seen it a hundred times.
My advice would be to get a floorstander that has -3dB at 40Hz or below. My room is only 14x13 and my speakers are rated at 38Hz at -3dB and I have +-5dB bass down to 16Hz, which covers pretty much all recordings. BUT, the openings in the room also play a big role. I have two open doorways in one of the back corners. If you have an open floor plan, then your bass requirements go up exponentially. If your room is totally enclosed when you listen, then you won't need nearly as much bass extension to achieve full-range sound.
If you go with a monitor, get an active sub and that way you can simply adjust its output to meet your needs.
Some people don't care about having full-range sound - having the bass chopped off is not a problem for them. Maybe you are one of those? Your tastes do matter because this is YOUR stereo. I personally feel bass is required to get the most out of music. Its presence is felt in many vital ways.
Arthur
Properly mating the speaker to the room is the single most important step to getting great sound. If you screw that up, you'll spend the rest of your days swapping out amps and cables trying to fix the problem. I've seen it a hundred times.
My advice would be to get a floorstander that has -3dB at 40Hz or below. My room is only 14x13 and my speakers are rated at 38Hz at -3dB and I have +-5dB bass down to 16Hz, which covers pretty much all recordings. BUT, the openings in the room also play a big role. I have two open doorways in one of the back corners. If you have an open floor plan, then your bass requirements go up exponentially. If your room is totally enclosed when you listen, then you won't need nearly as much bass extension to achieve full-range sound.
If you go with a monitor, get an active sub and that way you can simply adjust its output to meet your needs.
Some people don't care about having full-range sound - having the bass chopped off is not a problem for them. Maybe you are one of those? Your tastes do matter because this is YOUR stereo. I personally feel bass is required to get the most out of music. Its presence is felt in many vital ways.
Arthur