Totem Tribe Tower

Hi-Fi Corner
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Ladies and gentlemen…they are finally here!
It’s been a while since I wrote on this forum, work and much more have distracted me from my joys.
I ordered these speakers at the end of January 2023 and just a few days ago my friend/distributor sent me a whatsapp message saying: speakers arrived!

I immediately call my good friend ‘Andreino’ and ask him if he can accompany me to Mantua to pick up two splendid creatures that respond to the name of: Totem Tribe Tower.

Soon done !!!

I get home in the evening and after a super shower and a nice plate of spaghetti I decide to open the boxes.

It was Saturday night…I was tired…I wanted to unpack the speakers on Sunday morning, but I couldn’t resist…

Many months of waiting, by now I no longer hoped for it…

…What a scent again. . .it feels like they have just been built…I like this smell…

I admire them aesthetically and check if there are any scratches or imperfections, luckily everything is ok!

We get to Sunday morning … I connect the two towers to my Supernait 2 and loop several songs …

…on like this…for 170 hours…

…I finally arrive at day ‘x’ where I decide to listen to music with a little concentration…

… and so I do!

… Amazement!

That’s what I think of when I hear Tribe Towers.

They sound good at low volume! …and when you raise the bar (I’m speaking between 11.30 and 12 of the Supernait 2 / HiCap DR ) they amaze you with their composure and transparency without destroying your eardrums.

Luckily … I was afraid they would replicate the loudness effect that was very present both in the Tablette 10 Sig and also in the DT8 that I had before these …

At the moment they are still playing in loop just to break everything in better together. As soon as I have the opportunity I will devote even more attention to listening to the songs that I like most.

Just for the record…I listened to D.Gilmour’s In any Tongue and something happened to me that I’m not ashamed to tell you…I cried!

… . . . ‘‘Magic of Music’’. . . …

7 Likes
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Without destroying eardrums? I’ve never played my sn2 this loud, are the totems low sensitivity?

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On the live in Pompeii album this track is sooooo good. Listened to this yesterday as it happens! Bryan Chambers, incredible voice.

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Congratulations for your purchase!

I’m a Totem fan as well and I do love the presentation given by their speakers (the soundstage and details are just fantastic). I’ve listened to many of their speakers (Sttaf, Arro, Rainmaker, Sky, Forest, etc.) and I think Naim amplifiers are some of the best matches I’ve heard.
I’d be curious to listen to the Tribe Towers as well, I’ve never had the opportunity, it would be interesting to compare them to the Forests.

Right now I have the Sky Towers which are giving me great pleasure. After the break-in time they really opened and the clarity became amazing. By they way I noticed these speakers smelled great after unboxing. Such a wood scent! Unluckily it faded away after few months.
If I may, I would recommend you to try these speakers with Nordost cables (at least Blue Heaven or Red Dawn).

Enjoy your new Totem speakers, there’s a lot to re-discover in your favourite music!

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I call @Mike_S , allias the Dragon Chaser, to this thread. He has 2 different Totems. And had the Supernait 2 before.

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I’ve owned a pair of Sky stand mounts since their launch 3-4 years ago. Very room friendly albeit a bit dry in the upper mid range but still quite nice for what they are.
I’m fortunate enough to live a few minutes from where they are manufactured so I was able to get them at a very reasonable price. Luckily here in Canada we don’t get clobbered with the shipping and import duties that European customers have to pay on Totems.

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The Tribe Towers are a great pair of speakers. I have mine hooked up to a Supernait 3 and they are fantastic. So much better than the Focal Cobalt’s I had before and they look nice and sleek.

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I’ve heard the tribe towers on my system, and they were fantastic. Such amazing bass from a relatively small cabinet.

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Three actually :roll_eyes:. Forest Signatures with the 552/300, these were on the SN2 when I had it, and the Nova before that. Have Hawks with the Nova in the lounge, and a Star the Rainmakers in the games room. So, I guess I like Totems :sunglasses:.

I’ve heard the Tribe Towers at my dealers, and they are very good. The Torrent drivers are very highly regarded - fast and deep.

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I had a listen to a pair of Element Metals when I was in Vancouver (a lucky occasion - a dealer that I popped in to browse at while there happened to have a pair of the V2 metals and I had a listen for an hour).

I’m going to try and pop into RMC to have a listen to the V1 pair they have when I’m up in Auckland next week to see Slowdive…

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The pair that’s on clearance? How exciting. There was a pair of black Earths (?) on TM recently, that went for a really low price. Though they only had the single Torrent driver, whereas the Metals have pairs (I think I have that right?). If I had a larger room, I’d be up for having a Metal v Wind show down!

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Yep - those are the ones. I believe they were originally down in Christchurch. I understand that the V2 metals are better in ways that aren’t well described in the Totem website, but I’m keen to hear how the V1’s sound. A larger sound/more refined version of the Tribe Towers is what I’m hoping for (although being rear vented I’ll have to see how they go near-ish to a wall)

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Here is the stunning part of these speakers

2 x 4” very fast torrent drivers for mid/bass
No active or passive crossover for the torrent drivers
Freq Resp - 30hz - 30 kHz

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I have always been a great fan of Totem speakers ever since Vince demo’d an early pair at the Heathrow hifi show - I was totally smitten by the wonderful sound and did not move for quite some time! So far I have resisted but the temptation runs strong. It sounds like you are really enjoying yours & long may that continue!

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I discovered the totem speakers late, unfortunately…
If I have to be honest, I tell you that in my opinion there is not much proportion between the quality of the materials and the price at which they are offered.
The tray for connecting the cables is really too cheap compared to the 7900 euro price list in Italy. Even the support feet have a really cheap look and the perceived quality is very low. I solved it with SoundCare Superspike feet! …And these make the difference especially in acoustic terms…bass seems more defined and informative.
I didn’t want to take the version with wbt terminals because here in Italy the extra price requested is over a thousand euros.

It doesn’t matter … I’m very happy with my purchase.
They are ‘timeless’ speakers…simple and beautiful wherever you put them…and they sound like hell!!!

Now I would like to find a good speaker cable proportionate to the amp and speakers. My current Qed Reference Signature I consider it an honest cable but not up to par. I’d like to stay on Qed…or try other worlds like Nordost purple Flare…

… . . . I’m on the hunt. . . . .

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If I may IMHO, Purple Flare cables are not adequate to the level of your speakers, unless you look for that kind of sound of course (they don’t reveal many details and they seem to be too smooth. Purple Flare cables could be comparable to QED cables in my experience).

Unless you want to limit your budget or you really like that sound signature, you should consider (or at least try) Nordost Blue Heaven. Red Dawn cables are more expensive but they could be a balanced and proportionate choice according to your speakers and amp (even if I know many tend to go for Heimdall 2 and Frey 2, however there’s quite a jump in price, I wonder if that’s worth it).

Blue Heavens do have quite an effect, in my experience they enhanced all the characteristics I love in my Totems: soundstange became crystal clear, more depth and definition, micro dynamics were much better and refined, bass became more articulate, precise and punchy too. Overall I’ve been really impressed by Nordost cables. I tried QED as well, but they don’t give me the engaging experience I was looking for. I found QED Reference Signature to be a great match with the Focal Kanta.

If you ever try Nordost cables, keep in mind that they need a bit of break-in time. By the way if you buy your gear in Mantua, I’m pretty sure they have those cables too.

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A picture is worth a thousand words…

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