Intergrated amp for Totem Sttaf

Naim Nait 5i -- works very well with my Harbeth and Spendor speakers, might sing with your Totems too.

Have you considered a tube integrated? I've heard the Sttaf driven by solid state and thought they were very nice, but I bet tubes will really bring them to life. At 88 dB efficiency, the Sttaf should be fine with 50-60 watts. There's an upgraded Rogue Cronus (55wpc) in the classifieds right now that would be a nice match.

Lamcam,

I've owned the Sttaf's for many years. In that time, I must have gone through dozens of integrated amps (more than I'll ever care to admit).

If you're looking for bang/buck, I've found NO better match for the Sttaf than the wonderful Vista Audio i84 integrated amplifier. Don't let its power rating fool you, it's got some drive and can handle the Sttaf with ease. There are a few folks that run this combo with great success. Vista Audio also offers the i34 - I haven't had a chance to hear that piece yet.

Solid-state wise; I've found that the Sttaf is extremely particular. So far, the only solid state piece I've found that I could live with long term on this speaker is the not so affordable, yet otherwise wonderful sounding Karan Ki-180 integrated amplifier. It's worth it if you have the green. But you wont get a trial period Vista Audio offers, and you may be in for a long wait if you hope to find one used... Still, its worth mentioning just the same.

Can't speak from experience, but if you search the archives for Totem and integrated, a consistent recommendation is Plinius. It is consistently described as a great amp with a somewhat rolled off high end to tame the Totem's tendency to fatiguing forwardness. You might also search Virtual Systems for "Totem & integrated". You might find some actual owners that could help.

Wow...4 replies with 4 different amps! I am sure they are all wonderful amps but I can not buy all 4. I will study them to see which one will fit to my style. After I listened to tube at some audio store, I fell in love with the sound right away. Are they easy to maintenance? What is the minimum watt can drive my speakers? Thinking about Jolida?