Totem Sttaf, Any Comments?


I would like to know if anyone owns or is familiar with the Sttafs. The Forest has proven to be abit much in my listening room. Thank you.
dmason

Showing 2 responses by jerome_d

A little late getting to this discussion but here is my 2 cents worth. I have had a pair of Sttafs for just about three years and I still enjoy their sweet non-fatiguing sound. With a lush midrange the Sttafs just involve me with the music. The soft dome tweeter produces non harsh highs with just enough detail. For acoustic material, jazz, and lighter classical the Sttafs are just great. I especially find pipe organ music through the Sttafs to sound full and lush. Also, the bass that the Sttafs produce is hard to imagine given the size of the midrange/woofer driver.

Normally, I take manufacturer's comments on their speakers with a grain of salt but if you go to the Totem website and read the description of the Sttaf I could not agree more. In closing, I think the Sttaf is a great small floorstander that has not been given its fair share of professional review. A true bargain at $700.00 to $800.00 for a used pair.

By the way, I obtained a pair of Totem Hawks as a possible replacement for my Sttafs. Even though the Hawk is a more sophisticated speaker with more detailed highs and tighter bass it just did not "move" like the Sttafs. Maybe others will disagree but I sold the Hawks in favor of the Sttafs.
I agree with Dave99 that the Sttaf's bass can be a bit boomy at times. When the music is "boomy" I simply stuff the ports to tone the boominess down. In my opinion this works quite well. I use a piece of rolled up foam sill sealer to plugged the ports.

I think all will agree that the Hawk is a more refined speaker. I had the Hawks for about two months and spent a fair amount of time comparing the Sttafs and the Hawks. Although I heard a bit more detail at the high end and a tighter bass with the Hawks I never got that "goose bump" or "wow" factor with them. The Sttafs may not be as accurate as the Hawks but they sure get my toes a tapping. As far as the midrange, I found just the opposite, that is, the Hawk and not the Staff to be thinner.

Oh well, to each his own and in my case I would rather sacrifice refinement for my musical involvement and satisfaction. The bottom line is let your ears and your personal preferences be the judge.

My system - Blue Circle BC21 preamp, Musical Fidelity A3cr power amp, Arcam FMJ23 C.D. player, Adcom GFT 555II tuner.