Totem Arro vs Silverline Prelude vs Salk Songtower

I've been accused of "overselling" the Preludes as better than they are, but having upgraded some things around them lately (power supplies for my DAC and phono preamp, digital cable, speaker wires, vibrapods and butcher block stands that raise 'em a few inches, dusting, obscure pagan ceremonies), I can say with certainty that they ARE better than they are.

I love my Preludes.

I had them in a ~10 X 20' room, along the long wall, less than foot from the wall.

I recently moved and they are now in a VERY big room, cathedral ceilings. And they hold up fairly well; the extra room for them to breath, able to pull further from the wall, etc, really 'breathed' some extra life into them.

They are now more sensitive to quality of recording it seems.

Most would say they arent up to the task of a room that big, but I am going to try a sub with them before I try a larger speaker, there is just something about the sound of these I am loathe to give up.

Depending on the recording, I sometimes find them a bit strident on the top, but am going to try also roll the tube in my Peachtree Nova, and am upping the amplification a bit with Red Dragon M200 monoblocks.

Not to be a naysayer because I do like the Arros; HOWEVER.... did you actually audition the Totem Arros with the Peachtree Nova amp, or did you hear them hooked up to other kit?

Why do I ask?

There is a plethora of posts on Audiogon about Totem speakers: they can be wonderful with one key point to consider: Totems love lotsa high current and lotsa watts to make them perform to their capabilities.

In support of the same from direct personal experience, I've had the Arros and also the Forests both at the same time before I sold them both in the last year+: I drove the Arros with a 100 watts X 2 hi-current integrated amp: I drove the Forests with a like bi-amped system (100 watts X 2 X 2) to get them to perform to their capabilities. Totem usually uses Sim Audio, Plinius and like hi-current/high-watt amps to showcase their kit at the expos.

If you have not actually audtioned the ARROS with your selected Peachtree amp, I would caution you to first test-drive them with that particular amp, to eliminate any potential disappointment.

Good luck.

I just purchased a pair of used Totem Sttafs in Maple. All I can say is WOW! These speakers, for the price I paid, are simply incredible. I didn't expect much bass response given the 5.5" woofer size but they far outshine my initial expectations. The woofers put out more sound than the 10" woofers in my 1980 vintage Advent Loudspeakers. Incredible value for the money. If you can buy a pair for around $850-1,000, do it. These speakers retail for $2,100 new. Very low profile, full range, tower speakers with bi-amp capability. I am completely satisfied with the engineering, sound quality, and appearance. Check out CanuckAudioMart.com if you can't find them stateside.

Sandman...I'm using the Preludes with a REL Q150e sub and it's a very nice match, along with a recently added tube power amp. Although I've never felt the treble of the Preludes to be strident (with my pile of gear anyway), the tube amp (new version of a factory upgraded Jolida 502P) does sweeten the highs somewhat. I almost got rid of the Preludes (out of boredom really...and a lame desire for a fancy wood veneer) for a beautiful pair of Thiel 1.6s, but I thought the Preludes sounded SO much better all around that damn, I'm keeping 'em!