Clint, thanks for the awesome review. I watched your Arro and Staff reviews couple times and ended up with Arros as my second unit. Glad to see your review on these Forest. I know you personally own the Hawk. Do you think Forest is a big step up? I may need to audition these in the near future. Cheers!
Bought these speakers , and loving the sound . Quality wise its the best of the best . However these are not made to relax , bur are more to impress and partys and have fun..This is an amazing quality for videogamez and some movies. But sometimez its cool to listen to music with a more relaxing sound. Still these are 10 out of 10 for what there made to be
Different than the original Forest? Not as far as I can tell. More bass and punch than the hawks, more sparkle on top and will play louder too. Midrange is just slightly less sweet. Female vocals on the Hawk are amazing. An excellent speaker though.
No more Dynaudio drivers. They stopped using them a few years ago when Dynaudio stopped selling drivers to other companies, hence why the Model One is no longer in production. But they also use Seas, Hi-Vi, MB, Peerless and a few others for drivers. Crossovers are very nice, yes.
Thank you for the review. They look gorgeous, but I'm an older guy with no reason to BLAST things anymore (even bass) and I want a beautiful, nuanced, layered sound. BUT...my amp is a Yamaha A-S501, 85 Watts per channel, not a big-player amp. Would it be silly overkill to buy these speakers? Anything else I should be looking at. About the same size room as the one you were talking about. I'm considering Dali Oberon 7 or QEFQ950 as well.
Can you demo them from a local dealer? Some of them will let you take them home. Otherwise you can try to bring your amp to them. If you listen to them and like the sound why not upgrade the amp/preamp also?
Thanks for another review. Do you know much about PC speakers? I'm in the market for some new PC speakers and it's so hard to pick out a decent set, I'm after a 2.0 or 2.1 setup that has good sound and bass, PC is used for music/movies/tv etc in the bedroom environment. I have been eyeballing the Edifier R2000DB but unsure and it's over $300 AUD
I don't know much about PC speakers unfortunately. I'm using Totem Rainmakers right now on a Sony amp. It's a bit crazy for a PC, but it does sound good.
I have heard some good things about the Audioengine speakers. Those are powered and right in that price range. audioengineusa.com/shop/poweredspeakers/a2-plus-powered-speakers/
Lead shot, or leadless shot, kiln dried sand or odorless kitty litter. (Basically just dry clay) I use lead shot myself, it works great. I don't worry about Lead, it's not coming out of the speaker any way. Just don't eat it, haha.
hello, I own a marantz 2235 and my q7estion is what do you think when it comes to sound about vintage amps at low volume in a room. Newer amps are they better in some ways apart from the usb , memory and bluetooth …..just soundwise 🤷🏼 thx
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy Thanks Clint. Mind if I ask you one more question? How do you like the Sky and Sky Tower? Which one works better close to a wall? What are the prices?
My Forests are loaded with 15.5 pounds of Atacamas's Atabites on each speaker and they sound phenomenal. If they were filled with sand, i'm pretty sure they wouldn't sound as much good. They want load, and iron load is the best fit
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy I don't. I went back for a second listen and both my wife and I liked the forest signatures better than the tribe. Do you think the signatures are worth the 2k price increase over the regular forest? Thanks!
It'll power them, sure. 110 watts should be fine. More would be better, but it shouldn't be a problem. They aren't super hard to drive like some others though they do extend low in the bass. The Hawk for instance wants more power/control. You could always do a Totem Signature One monitor, and then pair it with a Storm Subwoofer. That way your amp wouldn't have to drive bass and you'd up the level of the whole system IMO. It would be a pretty epic combo. That's what I would do personally given your amp.
I have one now and the sound is much better. I used to use a cheapy shotgun mic, and it still picked up too much room sound. Thanks for the offer though.
I have heard Totem speakers in the past. Their imaging is fantastic. They are very well made speakers, with high quality parts and great cabinet designs. And I love supporting Canadian speaker manufacturers. But there is no way I would spend $5000 on speakers that bottom out and distort at high volumes.For that money I would rather buy golden ear Triton 2+.
It's not a Dynaudio driver. I know it looks like one, but it's not. Hi-Vi manufactures the woofer to Totem's spec. A couple other models had Dynaudio drivers, but those are discontinued because Dynaudio stopped supplying drivers to third parties.
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy The Original had the dynaudio drive and a seas tweeter. which is why I said original. The news ones with the HI-vi drive sucks. they sound like 300 dollar speakers.
Had the Forests for about a year (as upgrade to Arros), and I have to say I didn't like them ... to me, the bass was too boomy and exagerated. I moved on to Fire Element Fires, and even as monitors, the bass was much more satisfying, more controlled and tight. The newer V2s of the Fires go down to 30Hz, just like the Forests but in a much smaller package! It's telling of what Totem was able to accomplish with the Element line. It's a different price point obviously, but if you have the money, check out the Fires ... hope this helps.
I hope you do a vid on the MAC 7200. I’ve been thinking of buying one lately but first I need to find a good divorce lawyer...my wife is going to kill me. jk
Great video. To spend that much money when I could buy the new elac debut 2 or even a midrange golden ear speaker seems silly. Heck I could buy a floor standing pair of B&W for the same money. Sure seems silly to me. Even SVS ultra towers cost less. Not your fault but not even remotely worth the money!
You really need to listen to these speakers if you haven't yet had an opportunity. I bought these 17 years ago and I will admit, it wasn't easy shelling out the money (the were only 3k back then), but boy was it worth it! These speakers image and produce a soundstage that is truly amazing, as the speakers completely disappear in the room; damn-near mind boggling. I replaced them with a new pair of Klipsch Cornwall III's last month, and although they can't produce the shear volume of sound and bass of the Cornwalls, they sound just as good, and in some ways (sonically), they sound better. I no longer have a need for them, but I can't get myself to sell them either. Cheers!
@@toddmorrison7342 I am going to make plans to audition these Totem speakers. In the mean time, I had a few questions for you about these speakers if you don't mind. Do you find the bass output to be satisfying. I'm not a heavy handed bass listener anymore. However, I do expect the lowend of these Totem speakers,at this price point, to sound fast,tight,punchy & musical sounding. What is your impression of how the bass sounds. Any issues? Also, I would appreciate any quick overall impressions of how these speakers present the midrange & upper octave regions in music you listen to. It sounds like this might be a coherent sounding speaker across the the frequency spectrum. Thanks So Much,. David
@@davidstein9129 Hey there, David. Yes, they are definitely fast, tight and punchy. I listen to a very wide spectrum of music (pretty much everything but rap), and the only type of music I found difficulty listing to with the Totems was hard rock. Although they were fast, transparent and exceptionally clean, the lower frequencies were lacking enough to make Led Zep and likes not very enjoyable. Totem does, however, make a powered subwoofer to address such issues but I've never heard one. The highs and midrange are simply superb. They are highly transparent with remarkable imagining. If you're into vocals, instrumentals, classical, etc, you're simply going to love these speakers. Hope this helps.
Thanks Todd. You have given me all good news about the Totems. I don't like rap or listen to hard rock anymore. You nailed my taistes in music, folk ( singer/Songwriters), like to medium moderate swinging jazz , ca lot of light cassical music, acoustic music,some new age? Alt- folk & Americana Good to know that these genres of music that I listen to most frequently are right in the 'wheelhouse' of the Totems. I think I accidentally gave you the wrong model of Totem speakers that I purchased & were shipped out to me this morning....they are The Tribe Tower Speakers. They were gently used by 1 previous owner...50 hours. I got then for about 55% Off the MSRP...a huge savings. They are beautiful Satin Black.
Purchased these speakers two yrs ago....Been in heaven ever since.....LOVE THESE SPEAKERS!
how much they cost ?
Lots of good info hope to see you soon in some more videos
Totem is amazing
more vids, clint the audio guy! :)
What have you done with Clint ?! I enjoyed Grizzly Adam's presentation !
what is the MSRP on these today?
Clint, thanks for the awesome review. I watched your Arro and Staff reviews couple times and ended up with Arros as my second unit. Glad to see your review on these Forest. I know you personally own the Hawk. Do you think Forest is a big step up? I may need to audition these in the near future. Cheers!
Bought these speakers , and loving the sound . Quality wise its the best of the best . However these are not made to relax , bur are more to impress and partys and have fun..This is an amazing quality for videogamez and some movies. But sometimez its cool to listen to music with a more relaxing sound. Still these are 10 out of 10 for what there made to be
Hi!
Is the 18m² room too small for them?
I used to own the Hawks. Are these much different than the original? So difficult to choose between these and the hawk.
Different than the original Forest? Not as far as I can tell. More bass and punch than the hawks, more sparkle on top and will play louder too. Midrange is just slightly less sweet. Female vocals on the Hawk are amazing. An excellent speaker though.
I forgot the Hawks are a bit more difficult to drive I think.
Will you preview the TOTEM TRIBE TOWER?
Totem uses premium drivers by scan speak and dynaudio. The crossovers all have precision, tight tolerance components.
No more Dynaudio drivers. They stopped using them a few years ago when Dynaudio stopped selling drivers to other companies, hence why the Model One is no longer in production. But they also use Seas, Hi-Vi, MB, Peerless and a few others for drivers. Crossovers are very nice, yes.
Thank you for the review. They look gorgeous, but I'm an older guy with no reason to BLAST things anymore (even bass) and I want a beautiful, nuanced, layered sound. BUT...my amp is a Yamaha A-S501, 85 Watts per channel, not a big-player amp. Would it be silly overkill to buy these speakers? Anything else I should be looking at. About the same size room as the one you were talking about. I'm considering Dali Oberon 7 or QEFQ950 as well.
Can you demo them from a local dealer? Some of them will let you take them home. Otherwise you can try to bring your amp to them. If you listen to them and like the sound why not upgrade the amp/preamp also?
Thanks for another review.
Do you know much about PC speakers? I'm in the market for some new PC speakers and it's so hard to pick out a decent set, I'm after a 2.0 or 2.1 setup that has good sound and bass, PC is used for music/movies/tv etc in the bedroom environment. I have been eyeballing the Edifier R2000DB but unsure and it's over $300 AUD
those are good if you have the the desk space. if not the vanatoo t0's have a great sound and very surprising bass for the size of the them.
I don't know much about PC speakers unfortunately. I'm using Totem Rainmakers right now on a Sony amp. It's a bit crazy for a PC, but it does sound good.
I have heard some good things about the Audioengine speakers. Those are powered and right in that price range. audioengineusa.com/shop/poweredspeakers/a2-plus-powered-speakers/
How do you add mass? What do you fill it with?
Lead shot, or leadless shot, kiln dried sand or odorless kitty litter. (Basically just dry clay) I use lead shot myself, it works great. I don't worry about Lead, it's not coming out of the speaker any way. Just don't eat it, haha.
Simon Yates sand
Sand
I use brown rice, but found lentils help with tighter bass.
Are you a cyclist?
hello, I own a marantz 2235 and my q7estion is what do you think when it comes to sound about vintage amps at low volume in a room. Newer amps are they better in some ways apart from the usb , memory and bluetooth …..just soundwise 🤷🏼 thx
What's the difference between this model and the Forest Signature version?
Forest Signature has a special gloss Mahogany finish, better crossover components matched more precisely, and is angled back.
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy Thanks Clint. Mind if I ask you one more question? How do you like the Sky and Sky Tower? Which one works better close to a wall? What are the prices?
My Forests are loaded with 15.5 pounds of Atacamas's Atabites on each speaker and they sound phenomenal. If they were filled with sand, i'm pretty sure they wouldn't sound as much good. They want load, and iron load is the best fit
No sound test ?
Great review Clint. I'm a big fan of the Tomen line. I own the Model 1's and love them, but plan to buy the Forest soon.
Awesome. They're special speakers for sure.
Listen to Totem signature and tribe towers yesterday. Everybody in the room thought the tribe towers sounded the best.
Hm, interesting. Do you remember what song sounded good on them?
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy I don't. I went back for a second listen and both my wife and I liked the forest signatures better than the tribe. Do you think the signatures are worth the 2k price increase over the regular forest? Thanks!
Is a Parasound New Classic 200 Integrated enough to power these?
It'll power them, sure. 110 watts should be fine. More would be better, but it shouldn't be a problem. They aren't super hard to drive like some others though they do extend low in the bass. The Hawk for instance wants more power/control. You could always do a Totem Signature One monitor, and then pair it with a Storm Subwoofer. That way your amp wouldn't have to drive bass and you'd up the level of the whole system IMO. It would be a pretty epic combo. That's what I would do personally given your amp.
Clint the Audio Guy thanks for the advice, it makes a lot of sense given my amp.
Give me your address so I can send you a lavaliere microphone. Great presentation, just need some TLC.
I have one now and the sound is much better. I used to use a cheapy shotgun mic, and it still picked up too much room sound. Thanks for the offer though.
You are correct they are excellent speakers thank you for the post
I have heard Totem speakers in the past. Their imaging is fantastic. They are very well made speakers, with high quality parts and great cabinet designs. And I love supporting Canadian speaker manufacturers. But there is no way I would spend $5000 on speakers that bottom out and distort at high volumes.For that money I would rather buy golden ear Triton 2+.
Excellent point. That's a LOT of cheese for speakers that are limited to mid to low volumes.
Totem forest or kef r500
Not in the same class. The totem is way ahead.
I have both . Totem all the way not even close
seas and dynaudio. Good as it gets. Yes its important
It's not a Dynaudio driver. I know it looks like one, but it's not. Hi-Vi manufactures the woofer to Totem's spec. A couple other models had Dynaudio drivers, but those are discontinued because Dynaudio stopped supplying drivers to third parties.
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy The Original had the dynaudio drive and a seas tweeter.
which is why I said original. The news ones with the HI-vi drive sucks. they sound like 300 dollar speakers.
Had the Forests for about a year (as upgrade to Arros), and I have to say I didn't like them ... to me, the bass was too boomy and exagerated. I moved on to Fire Element Fires, and even as monitors, the bass was much more satisfying, more controlled and tight. The newer V2s of the Fires go down to 30Hz, just like the Forests but in a much smaller package! It's telling of what Totem was able to accomplish with the Element line. It's a different price point obviously, but if you have the money, check out the Fires ... hope this helps.
Brand of the tweeter “not important” 🤓
I hope you do a vid on the MAC 7200. I’ve been thinking of buying one lately but first I need to find a good divorce lawyer...my wife is going to kill me. jk
Aerial are a better choice
I like those khaki shorts better
Great video. To spend that much money when I could buy the new elac debut 2 or even a midrange golden ear speaker seems silly. Heck I could buy a floor standing pair of B&W for the same money. Sure seems silly to me. Even SVS ultra towers cost less. Not your fault but not even remotely worth the money!
Big Jay your list doesn't touch these speakers, totem is on an entirely different level
You really need to listen to these speakers if you haven't yet had an opportunity. I bought these 17 years ago and I will admit, it wasn't easy shelling out the money (the were only 3k back then), but boy was it worth it! These speakers image and produce a soundstage that is truly amazing, as the speakers completely disappear in the room; damn-near mind boggling. I replaced them with a new pair of Klipsch Cornwall III's last month, and although they can't produce the shear volume of sound and bass of the Cornwalls, they sound just as good, and in some ways (sonically), they sound better. I no longer have a need for them, but I can't get myself to sell them either. Cheers!
@@toddmorrison7342
I am going to make plans to audition these Totem speakers.
In the mean time, I had a few questions for you about these speakers if you don't mind.
Do you find the bass output to be satisfying.
I'm not a heavy handed bass listener anymore. However, I do expect the lowend of these Totem speakers,at this price point, to sound fast,tight,punchy & musical sounding.
What is your impression of how the bass sounds.
Any issues?
Also, I would appreciate any quick overall impressions of how these speakers present
the midrange & upper octave regions in music you listen to.
It sounds like this might be a coherent sounding speaker across the the frequency spectrum.
Thanks So Much,.
David
@@davidstein9129 Hey there, David. Yes, they are definitely fast, tight and punchy. I listen to a very wide spectrum of music (pretty much everything but rap), and the only type of music I found difficulty listing to with the Totems was hard rock. Although they were fast, transparent and exceptionally clean, the lower frequencies were lacking enough to make Led Zep and likes not very enjoyable. Totem does, however, make a powered subwoofer to address such issues but I've never heard one. The highs and midrange are simply superb. They are highly transparent with remarkable imagining. If you're into vocals, instrumentals, classical, etc, you're simply going to love these speakers. Hope this helps.
Thanks Todd. You have given me all good news about the Totems.
I don't like rap or listen to hard rock anymore.
You nailed my taistes in music, folk ( singer/Songwriters), like to medium moderate swinging jazz , ca lot of light cassical music, acoustic music,some new age? Alt- folk & Americana
Good to know that these genres of music that I listen to most frequently are right in the 'wheelhouse' of the Totems.
I think I accidentally gave you the wrong model of Totem speakers that I purchased & were shipped out to me this morning....they are
The Tribe Tower Speakers.
They were gently used by 1 previous owner...50 hours.
I got then for about 55% Off the MSRP...a huge savings.
They are beautiful Satin Black.