I am a HUGE fan of the Totem ones- midrange presence second to none- and The Ones would probably float my boat big time.
Totems are certainly not tipped up in the highs-- if anything a touch smooth ('backed up' if you can call it that- by most reviews of them - see Larry greenhills in S'phile for ex.)
You MUST NOT toe them in though or they will be harsh-- they are designed, like Reference 3a's, to work best when firing straight ahead.
Incidentally-- I have no clue what the man means when he says the totems 'mute' some frequencies or whatever-- I have owned arros and model ones (twice) and when set up correctly-- they are frighteningly real sounding- like a Quad ESL (which I currently own) with balls (which I also currently own).
If anything, they are a touch plumped up in the midbass (at least in head to head competition with Audio Physics I have owned and Proacs) and this may contribute to their sounding 'large and in charge' instead of like the midgets they really are.
I also love Naim. I have paired naim gear with totems previously and while the sound was engaging-- I found a more 'Naim appropriate' speaker such as Neat's more dynamic/punchy- especially alower levels.
I was using one of Naims more potent amps (a 250) so I doubt it was a power issue. I would have to agree the dynaudio sound is very ummm... natural-- for want of a better word (I am speaking of the contour 1.3's here I heard at length)-- very balanced across the frequency range-- maybe even more so than the Totems- though with a touch less presence.
Unfortunately some of them are a bitch to drive (totem aint a walk in the park either)-- and this can make them seem flat and adynamic at the lowish to medium levels at which I listen.
In fact, the reason I dont own Totem The One's right now is I am not sure they do as well as I like for the times I am listening at low levels/late at night etc. That sort of listening seems to want a more efficient speaker (Quad ESL's kick but at this as do Daedalus speakers).
As for Ayre- I owned an Ayre V3 with Ayre conditioner update etc. and I found this amp STUNNING in terms of imaging and tone, but it was too laid back for my taste-- making things sound way more distant than I liked no matter which wires I tried- way back in the sound stage-- so I sold it.
Never tried it with totems-- only with proacs-- which in some cases are a bit tipped up in the treble to be sure. The Ayre fixed THAT aspect of them anyway.
One possibility is either the totems or the dyns with one of the powerful Class D amps-- which while they have their problems- sound more dynamic than many at lower to medium levels with ineffecient speakers. The Bel Canto S300 and Ref 1000's which I have owned certainly had this kind of mojo when down low (sorry).
Dont get me wrong-- sure that the XS is a terrific and musical piece like all naim gear-- though it might be anemic for dyns-- especially if you plan to crank it. You might check the naim forum at naimaudio.com to see what people think. Many over there in the flat earth crowd use Dyns- though there are almost always discussions about 'minimum Naim amp needed to drive Dyns' or what have you. To be fair, people post there about Totems needing a fair amount of Naim watts to come alive as well.
In any case-- the naim is a great amp and both the Dyns and Totems are great speakers; it's just about listening taste and levels I think. Both amps will make those speakers 'go loud'-- that's not the issue-- it's sounding good/composed/easeful etc. while doing it!
Totems are certainly not tipped up in the highs-- if anything a touch smooth ('backed up' if you can call it that- by most reviews of them - see Larry greenhills in S'phile for ex.)
You MUST NOT toe them in though or they will be harsh-- they are designed, like Reference 3a's, to work best when firing straight ahead.
Incidentally-- I have no clue what the man means when he says the totems 'mute' some frequencies or whatever-- I have owned arros and model ones (twice) and when set up correctly-- they are frighteningly real sounding- like a Quad ESL (which I currently own) with balls (which I also currently own).
If anything, they are a touch plumped up in the midbass (at least in head to head competition with Audio Physics I have owned and Proacs) and this may contribute to their sounding 'large and in charge' instead of like the midgets they really are.
I also love Naim. I have paired naim gear with totems previously and while the sound was engaging-- I found a more 'Naim appropriate' speaker such as Neat's more dynamic/punchy- especially alower levels.
I was using one of Naims more potent amps (a 250) so I doubt it was a power issue. I would have to agree the dynaudio sound is very ummm... natural-- for want of a better word (I am speaking of the contour 1.3's here I heard at length)-- very balanced across the frequency range-- maybe even more so than the Totems- though with a touch less presence.
Unfortunately some of them are a bitch to drive (totem aint a walk in the park either)-- and this can make them seem flat and adynamic at the lowish to medium levels at which I listen.
In fact, the reason I dont own Totem The One's right now is I am not sure they do as well as I like for the times I am listening at low levels/late at night etc. That sort of listening seems to want a more efficient speaker (Quad ESL's kick but at this as do Daedalus speakers).
As for Ayre- I owned an Ayre V3 with Ayre conditioner update etc. and I found this amp STUNNING in terms of imaging and tone, but it was too laid back for my taste-- making things sound way more distant than I liked no matter which wires I tried- way back in the sound stage-- so I sold it.
Never tried it with totems-- only with proacs-- which in some cases are a bit tipped up in the treble to be sure. The Ayre fixed THAT aspect of them anyway.
One possibility is either the totems or the dyns with one of the powerful Class D amps-- which while they have their problems- sound more dynamic than many at lower to medium levels with ineffecient speakers. The Bel Canto S300 and Ref 1000's which I have owned certainly had this kind of mojo when down low (sorry).
Dont get me wrong-- sure that the XS is a terrific and musical piece like all naim gear-- though it might be anemic for dyns-- especially if you plan to crank it. You might check the naim forum at naimaudio.com to see what people think. Many over there in the flat earth crowd use Dyns- though there are almost always discussions about 'minimum Naim amp needed to drive Dyns' or what have you. To be fair, people post there about Totems needing a fair amount of Naim watts to come alive as well.
In any case-- the naim is a great amp and both the Dyns and Totems are great speakers; it's just about listening taste and levels I think. Both amps will make those speakers 'go loud'-- that's not the issue-- it's sounding good/composed/easeful etc. while doing it!