Its non-parallel sides reduce the build-up of internal standing waves, and the panels are damped by the use of Borosilicate – something unique to Totem, to the best of our knowledge.The bi-wire speaker terminals on our review samples wouldn’t look out of place on speakers one-tenth of the price. That small, angled cabinet isn’t ordinary either. Most of the old levels have had a subtle.
Their dispersion is nicely controlled, so minute adjustments of the toe-in angle towards the listening position aren’t needed to get a decent stereo spread.A sensitivity of 89dB/W/m suggest that the Tribe will go loud with any decently powered amp, though the 4 ohm nominal impedance means that it needs to supply a solid amount of current to get the best from them. They sound tonally balanced close to a rear wall without being overly thin when placed further away. The standard finish choices, also white or black but with a satin finish, look neat though.These Totems are refreshingly easy-going when it comes to positioning.
They have a wonderfully cohesive sound that balances detail, refinement and attack well.These are rhythmic performers that make the most of the insistent beat on My Right Eye while still communicating the feeling and intensity in Anderson’s distinctive vocal superbly. SoundWe start with Laurie Anderson’s Homeland on our reference Naim ND555/555PS music streamer and the Tribe Towers sound right at home. That seems like an age, but use them regularly and that time flies. This much is apparent after only a few hours of use, but if you want to hear them at their considerable best you’ll need to give them a few hundred hours. They’re so well balanced that you’d have to go out of your way to mismatch a system to make them sound wrong.
Totem Tribe Gold Drivers And Compact
The speaker’s appearance may suggest a thin presentation, but Totem deserves plenty of credit for delivering an unexpectedly robust and solid presentation. They’re not wholly neutral, but still sound nicely balanced and reasonably full-bodied. Basslines have decent weight and are tuneful.That’s not to say that larger alternatives, such as ATC’s SCM 40s, don’t do better - more that these Totems manage considerable more sonic heft than their size suggests.We try Prokofiev’s Romeo And Juliet next and admire the Tribe Tower’s well-judged tonal balance. Those small mid/bass drivers and compact cabinet don’t look promising when it comes to low frequencies, but they deliver enough to have us checking there isn’t an additional woofer hidden round the back.
VerdictIf your main objective were to buy the best sounding floorstanders for this amount of money we would point you towards the likes of ATC, Spendor or ProAc. We can forgive this though, as the speakers successfully cover their tracks in most other areas. These speakers don’t manage to represent the scale and authority of the orchestra so successfully though, failing to fully communicate the feeling of power and scale. These speakers don’t aim for an analytical balance – placing more importance on timing, dynamics and general coherence – but they still offer enough resolution to be able to follow a multitude of instrumental strands easily.The sound stage is decently expansive and nicely layered with a pleasing sense of depth.
If you value sound quality but need discreet, unfussy speakers, try these.
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