Should I be able to hear a 4Hz difference in my speakers?


I have just upgraded from a Totem Hawk speaker to a Forest Signature speaker. The Hawk's specs are 32Hz - 21kHz. They have a 5.5 " long throw driver.
The Forests specs are 28Hz - 22kHz with a 6.5" woofer. The Forests are physically bigger too. 
I can hear the treble more clearly and more detail with the Forests but no more bass than with the Hawks. Should I be able to hear more bass with the Forests or is the difference in specs inaudible?
128x128traceyc

Showing 3 responses by rbstehno

I used to own all Totem speakers for all my different rooms. The difference between the Forest and the Hawks were mainly In the lower frequency range, Forest produced a more full sound. But with every Totem speaker I had except for the Arros, you needed a powerful amp. To get the best sound from my Mani II’s, I used the 1000 watt McIntosh monoblocks. For the Model 1’s, I used a 250 watt Classe amp. For both the Forest or Hawks, I would go with at least an equivalent 250 watt Amp like from Classe, Pass, McIntosh, and the Odyssey monoblocks. I had used all of those amps with Totem speakers with good results. I had the McIntosh ma6500 integrated for a while and it didn’t provide the power that either the Mani’s or model 1’s needed, that’s when I switched to monoblocks and separates.
Speaker positioning is also important in your room. Totem makes a really good speaker that produces full range sound from a smaller speaker. 
The mani’s are a better speaker than either the Forest or hawk but they are the hardest to drive because of the isobaric woofer setup. I met Vince many times At different shows and he thought the same about the mani’s. Used you can get a pair of mani’s for around $2000, then you need good stands which I used the 4 pillar target stands and filled each pillar with sand. I had multiple pairs of mani’s in different rooms. Don’t skimp on power for any of the totem’s except for the arros. If you like totem and can spend a little bit more, go for the wind, easier to drive then the mani’s and has more fuller sound than the other totems. I sold all of my totems and went with Usher speakers. Big jump in SQ. Totem Are nice speakers 
Traceyc didn’t specify what he was using to drive his totem speakers. You need a good powerful amp to drive the better totem speakers. For example, I had a $3000 Yamaha home theater amp and I hooked up my mani’s to it, it sounded like crap, thin, just garbage. My Mcintosh ma6500 at the time was much better controlling the mani’s. But the mani’s blew me away with the 1000 watt Mcintosh monoblocks. I switched to separates. For the next 15 years, I Went from separates to very good high powered integrated amps back to separates. 10 years ago I sold all my totems and went all Usher speakers. With the Ushers just like the Totems, the middle of the line speakers like the model 1’s, forest, hawks, can be used with a good integrated like a hegel, Mcintosh, pass, etc.. with a couple hundred watts. When you move up to the top of the line Speaker like the mani or wind, you need more power that only separates can provide IMO

BTW; going back to the question if you can heat a 4K difference. I went from the usher mini dancer ii speaker with a 28hz low end to the usher x-towers with the 11” Eaton woofer that’s rated to 24hz, I can hear the difference easily when playing music with that content. Not only does it go lower, the 11” woofer provides much cleaner bass than the 2 - 7” mid/woofer of the md ii’s