Totem Limited Edition One Bookshelf Speakers

Totem debuted their Limited Edition One bookshelf speaker system at their Venetian demo suite. With only 2000 units being produced and retailing for $3595/pair they are certainly targeted for the audiophile that demands an exclusive speaker system. The speakers sport a high excursion Dynaudio 5 ½” midbass driver and a 1” chambered aluminum dome tweeter from SEAS. They are rear ported and bi-ampable with moderate efficiency and 4 ohm rated. Their relatively smallish footprint (12.5” x 6.5” x 9”) and light weight (9lbs) makes them easy to place into a listening space without hindering the room décor.

Totem recommends an unusually long (150-200) hours of break in for them to achieve their best performance. Doing some math would require the average listener about 3 months based on 15 hours of listening per week to reach sonic nirvana. While I think this is a bit of a stretch I certainly found them to sound quite pleasing from a first listen at the show and I am confident they would be similarly good right out of the box. Their demo room was a bit crammed and I though the speakers were placed too closely together relative to the listening position to reach their true potential. Regardless these speakers had a very fluidic sound characteristic with detailed and airy highs while conveying the intimacy that only a top quality bookshelf speaker can deliver.

For more information visit: http://www.totemacoustics.com

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