Did some research on the Totem Hawks & the PSB Stratus Silver I. Do not have the time to go listen to them. Room size is 25 X 11 x 8' celing. Source is NAD C720BEE stereo receiver & C542 CD player. TO those of you out there who have heard both speakers, which one will be better for music only. Any and all opinions welcomed.
I have auditioned both speakers and preferred the sound of the Totem Hawk. I listened to the Hawk with NAD C372 integrated and C542 CD and enjoyed the combination. I do not remember what electronics were powering the PSB Stratus Silveri (I think it was an Arcam AVR), but I found them less detailed than the Hawks. I thought the PSBs were a good speaker though. Of the PSB line, I preferred the Platinum M2 Monitor to the Stratus Silveri.
NOTE: I own the Hawks and run them with a Musical Fidelity A3.2 integrated and A3.2 CD.
The 720BEE will not drive either speaker the way they should be driven. I own a 320BEE (same power section), so it's not a knock on the BEE. You need more power and current. I wouldn't go any higher than the PSB Image line personally, which I own the T55.
As far as which Totem, I don't know. I think their lower end bookshelves would probably match better, like the Dream Catcher, but I haven't heard the combo before. The Arro isn't the best sounding speaker when paired with the BEE. It shows the short comings of the BEE very quickly. I wouldn't run the Arro with anything less than a 352.
If you have no plans for changing your electronics you might want to look into higher sensitivity speakers. Paradigm, JM Lab, and Triangle would be better choices. These speakers are a little on the brighter side of the spectrum but would pair well with the warmer NAD sound.
If you are willing to upgrade electronics along with the speakers you should look into Simaudio Moon I-3 or Plinius 8100 (both go used for about 1k). These are both high current designs that will drive the lower sensivtivity speakers like the PSB and Totem lines.
The Silver's aren't bad, just don't try and Rock 'em too hard. That said, moving from a H/K AVR to the Rotel power amp made a HUGE difference in the attack speed and response of the Psb's! With a good sub set-up the arrangement can be very good, if a bit contrived. I Upbraded the XO's in the Silvers and have a changeout set of tweet's(soft dome from the 800 series, and the original meatals), great range, overall. Except the bass. The specs say like 36Hz or something, well my treatment delivers 45 or so.
Obviously, my room sucks.(not news).
PS, the Silver dip to about 3.2Ohms in action, amp accordingly.
Stu is bang on the money. Take the money you were going to spend on the Hawks, halve it. Spend one half on Totem Arros and the other half on a decent quality amp. The C542 is a fine CD player and would work well in that kind of system, but it would become the weak point and would be your next upgrade.
I already have a NAD 752 receiver. Would this be powerful enough to run either the totem or the stratus. If it is then I'll have more time to save and buy a better 2 channel amp.
I'm assuming the 752 is the AV receiver. It should be enough to hold you over, but isn't an optimal solution. You could add an external amp like the NAD C272. This would drive them the way they were meant to be driven.
The PSBs and Totems on paper seem like somewhat easy speakers to drive. In reality they're not. The PSBs have erratic impedence swings (as Nuck elluded to) and therefore require a very powerful amp to drive them properly. I don't know much about the impedence swings of the Totems, but they sound equally inferior with lower power supplies, hence my assumption that they too have some impedence swings that tax an amp.
PS - If you like the Hawk (I don't know if you've actually heard them yet), you should make it a point to hear the Arro. Some people (myself included) like the Arro more, and many others feel the Hawk isn't worth the extra money over the Arro. I think Frank said a while back that a lot of people audition the Hawk, but end up buying either the Arro or the next model up. The only way to know where you stand is to listen for yourself.
I see I can get a pair of Wharfedale Evolution 40 for $999.00. Are these speakers in the same league as the Totem Arro and the PSB Stratus Silver I ? If they are I'll pull the trigger & get them now. The price is great and they look very nice.