Upgrade to Totem Forest or Monitor Audio GS60?

The slippery slope here is that upgrading to the kinds of speakers being mentioned (JM Lab 1027 BEs and Dali Helikons) may expose upstream weaknesses. I haven't listened to your Arcam amp, but am very familiar with others in by Arcam. I've found Arcam to be very pleasant sounding, but not the last word in dynamic reproduction, which given your taste in music, may be an issue. A two driver setup like the Forests isn't going to move the amount of air as most of the other speakers being mentioned, true, but you're still dependent on your amps ability to power whatever you choose. At 100 wpc into 8 ohms the Arcam is capable of driving a bigger speaker (truth be told, I found the Forests power hungry) but you may find you're still lacking that final bit of depth and size.

Strangely enough, Mimberman and I had the exact same upgrade path. I had the Forests for about 6 months and upgraded to Dali Euphonia MS-4's.

I, like you, listen mostly to indie rock and heavily produced rock recordings. I truly enjoyed the forests, but one issue I had in my system was that the sibilance on some records (singers pronouncing the letter "s") actually got too hot for me. Once I started hearing it I just could not get around it.

The voicing of the Dali's is such that I have gotten rid of the sibilance problem, but without losing the detail, speed and transparency I enjoyed so much with the totems. Also, even though one of the Forest's strong suits is bass, especially for their size, moving to the larger Dali's has confirmed that there is no replacement for displacement. Bigger drivers and bigger cabinets are going to move more air.

The Forest is a fine speaker, but like Mimberman, I suggest you give serious consideration to Dali Helicon 400 MkII. JM Lab does make a great rock speaker as well. I auditioned the 1027's a while back and really, really liked them.

For rock, prog-rock, techno, electronica, and any other musical style where you want pits of hell deep bass that's accurate, fast and musical, great mids and treble and the ability to move a lot of air, check out Legacy Focus HD.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I agree with knownothing - I need to move much more air now. I'll see what my local dealers can offer for loaners.

Jim

14x20 is just a bit on the large side for the Forests IMO. Mimberman's post is right on. I know them in a room that is 14x17x8 and that was about as much as their bass can handle.

I think you should look into a slightly larger speaker that either of those. JM Lab Electra 926 would be a great candidate, or something of that size - assuming you want enough bass extension to create real soundstaging. Some people don't care about that in which case the Forests would indeed work well. Personal taste always plays a role of course.

of the two, the forest...check out the ohm 100mk3

I love the Totem Forests in a bigger room, but I think the Monitors will be better for rock - all those aluminum drivers will move lots of air RIGHT NOW when asked.

Not sure which would best compliment your ARCAM amplifier - can you audition with your amp and your music at the show room?

My current room is 17 by 21 and I had the forests in here for about 6 months before upgrading to the Dali Euphonia MS-4's (my current speakers). Upgrades depend on what you think is missing. I know this sounds silly and literal, but when you say small, do you mean sounding or looking? I know that sometimes smaller speakers in a larger room can fool me into thinking they're not up to the job, when in reality they are great. I loved my forests in my room; however, the Dali's have shown me how much I was missing in low-end authority and detail (and what I loved about the Forests was their detail, so that's saying something).

So what are you missing? Bass, detail, soundstage size? I think if you like the Hawks you'll like the Forests (I auditioned both and got the Forests). If you're looking for a HUGE jump, then I don't know if the forests will provide that. I can't speak to the Monitor Audios, although I've never loved their speakers. The winds certainly would be something to keep in mind if you're staying in the totem family. I know I always feel weird when someone pushes what they have in their listening room, but given that you like Totem's sound and listen to a variety of music, I think the Dali Helicon MK II's would be up your alley, sonically and aesthetically.

Most of my music is rock - Coldplay, Elbow, Big Big Train, Doves, Mostly Autumn etc - mainly indie. I do like to listen to my remastered classic rock as well. I also like to listen to music loud.

Jim

My room is 13.8 by 20 something,when i had forests it was plenty for room.Music tastes are what should be considered to,jazz,classical you should be alright,rock or harder stuff?