Totem Tribe Tower

Here is in my opinion an accurate review of the Totem Tribe Tower. I have been running mine for 2 years with my SN2 and I agree with everything he says.

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Yes, hard to beat Totems. I have Hawks on my Nova and the Forest Signatures on my SN2. Lovely natural sound and superb imaging.

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Funny: I came to this thread, by using the search tool, just after my cousin send me the exact video link today. I wanted to now how good is the synergy between totems and Naim.

Guess @Mike_S answered my question…

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Totem and Naim sound incredible together!

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I use a Naim SN2 with the Totem Tribe Towers. It’s a great match!

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I love Totem speakers. I discovered them some years ago and only when my previous Hi-Fi broke down, I had the chance to make a big change. The Staff caught me for their imaging, but then I ended up with my Sky Towers, I love them. I wish to try the Tribe Towers too.

I was wondering… my dealer told me that these Tribe Towers lack of base (clearly quite different from what the guy says in the video), so he suggested me to consider the Forests for future upgrades. Does anybody have thoughts about this? Is it just amp dependant?

I auditioned the tribes at the same time as the Sky towers and bought the Sky’s. The tribes are extremely similar in their presentation and sound characteristics but the torrent drivers are really power hungry to get the best from them.

At the time I was using a Supernait2 and the performance was superior with the Sky’s and I believe this was due to it having better control.

The elements would be the ones I would love to hear one day.

Mine don’t lack bass in my 3 x 4.5 metre room. I’ve had them up to 90 db without breaking a sweat, and with plenty of bass.

@popeye Do you think the Tribe Towers would sound very different in the low end with your actual NAC/NAP combo?

I only tried my Sky Towers with an Exposure 3010S2D and the Nait XS2. I preferred the delicacy and soundstage of the Exposure, despite missing a bit of punch compared to the Nait. I should try the Supernait or a proper NAC/NAP combo.

I would be curious to hear them too, what a pity they are so damn expensive!

@DanielH Might it be due to your room size or positioning? Or maybe it’s just a matter of personal taste.

It could be my room. But, they also had a lot of bass at the dealer’s when I listened to them.

To my ears, they are enough. Of course, some people have two subwoofers and like to hear the walls rattle.

The setup and room are very important (I noticed how my Totems changed with different sources and positioning), therefore the impression might change a lot.

At this point I think preference plays a big role. Eg. a friend heard my Sky Towers and he though that they didn’t have a lot of bass, but clearly he’s not used to certain kind of Hi-Fi gear (I stopped a long time ago enjoying uncontrolled and strong bass, it’s pointless).

I find the Sky Towers bass quite refined and structured, maybe they lack a touch of punch in the low end but a different amp (a Supernait?) would easily change that a lot.

Hopefully I’ll try the Tribe Towers. I would like to compare them to the Forests and Forests Signatures and see which one I would like the most. After all what matters is what you like!

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The Tribe Towers don’t lack bass, but I think the Forest Signatures are the better speaker all round if you are happy with the size of them. I have the Forest Signatures with a SN2. I’d skip the earlier Forest model, the Signatures are a quite a bit more refined.

I’m glad about that, I can’t judge myself as I’ve never heard them. What do the Tribe Towers lack of in your opinion? What are their pros and cons compared to your speakers? I do remember your Hi-Fi, there aren’t many people in this forum with Totems, especially the Forest Signatures!

If funds will allow that, I will surely consider your speakers after a proper auditioning. Size doesn’t really matter in my room, I’m creating a dedicated studio so my concern will only be the space the speakers need behind them. I just don’t want them in the middle of the room if possibile.

I’ve only heard the Tribes a few times at my dealers. I thought they were really very good, and don’t lack anything as such. It’s just that the Forest Signatures are further up the Totem range and you get more for the higher price. The FS’s have a much larger cabinet which I expect gives lower and tighter bass extension and I’m guessing that the imaging might be better, as this is a particular strong point of the traditional Totem floor standers. Auditioning is important, but with good amplification in a dedicated room I’d be recommending the Forests. If you are well up the Naim range, then there are the Winds and the Element Metal V2.

I own the Sky Towers in my second system (in the process of being dismantled) & being from Canada, Totem are well represented at local dealers & shows. I’ve heard the tribe towers a couple times at shows, don’t have a real impression being it was in a show environment, but I can say while the bottom end can be very impressive for their size, they will hit their limit/distort when pushed hard in a larger space (Vince layed on the volume with a bass heavy techno track). Now this was in a space (portion of a conference room) that would typically be far larger then any home environment, so they likely have much greater headroom in a typical listening environment.

@Mike_S I’ve always been more keen on buying the Forests (possibly the Forests Signatures) but before making such a choice, I would gladly test the Tribe Towers. At least my mind will be happy!

Right now I don’t have a Naim amp, I just own the NDX 2 which I would like to improve with an XPS DR in the future. My amp is an Exposure 3010S2D (similar to a Supernait XS 2) and this might not drive the Forests properly, I tried that one year ago and I thought it wasn’t enough despite its power on paper (or maybe I didn’t have a proper test, who knows). Therefore I need to change it at least with a Supernait before moving up in the ladder with Totem.

@daren_p I used to go to shows, but I stopped doing that as I won’t get a real feel for the Hi-Fi gear in my opinion. It’s much better to test it at local dealers. I’m sure the Tribe Towers will be impressive for their size, I just wonder how much. I guess they might work quite well in some rooms.

Just out of curiosity, I wonder why only few people seem to appreciate the Totems in this forum (as there are few people that have them).

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They don’t have the best dealer network in the UK. They are few and far between.
I guarantee if more could hear them, then would be in more people’s homes. It’s a simple as that.
Vince is a great guy and his passion is music, I believe he isn’t really into Hifi.

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That’s quite a surprise to me (but I don’t live in the UK, so I couldn’t know that). The network surely makes a difference, for instance where I live it’s more difficult to try Chord or PMC products which are pretty popular in this forum.

You can really see how Vince is passionate about his job. Maybe you are right, he seems to be more focused on the experience rather than the gear itself. However when he was introducing the Tribe Towers he seemed to be quite pleased with the technology and the results, don’t you think?

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While I’ve never used shows to truly judge gear, I still go as it gives me something to do & to see all the new gear.

On top of what popeye said, it’s also likely due to the fact that the majority of forum members are from the UK & one would expect that Totems, being an import are likely rather expensive there (same way as the UK brands are here in Canada).

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I do agree about that, I can’t deny that it’s fun to see new gear.

I don’t know the UK market well enough to judge, but what you say does indeed make sense. After all price might make a difference when choosing a Hi-Fi component. Why should one spend more if you have an alternative which is similar or cheaper? Product price / availability does influence the market and its perception a lot.
I noticed that Naim (as well as other brands of course) can be pretty expensive in some countries, I wasn’t aware of some big price differences.