Totem Acoustic Element Fire V2

Totem Acoustic was founded in 1987, in Montreal, Canada, by a former high school math teacher named Vince Bruzzese. The company's first product, the Model 1 loudspeaker,' impressed me so much I bought a pair.

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My old pal George Stanwick, who worked at Stereo Exchange, spotted me walking up Broadway through the store's window, whereupon he ran out and literally dragged me off the street pulling me by the arm-against my mumbled protests.

I followed George into Stereo Exchange's luxurious back room, where, spotlighted in front of me, I saw what looked like an expat's spin on trad-British "minimonitors." He busked me saying, "I know how you like Quads and Snells, so I know you'll like these Totems even more."

I loved George, so I sat and listened patiently-knowing that when he finished, I could laugh and tell him how wrong he was.

But he was right. These little boxes steered the music straight into my brain-just like Quads and Snells. I sat riveted, as George, who also worked at Tower Records, played a selection of genre-diverse recordings that he had just purchased (with my money) especially for me. (At that time, I was giving George $50 a week to buy me any records he thought I should have.) The Model 1s did not sound British, or American. But, like the best British speakers, the Totems preserved each record's unique flavor, a trait I regard as proof of truth.

Proof of truth is why I've always liked studio monitor type speakers, but at that time my BFF Altec 604s were feeling forward and noisy and fatiguing. That they lacked "pinpoint" imaging- which was the hi-fi fashion of the day-was stuck in my awareness. As was their shipping-crate bulk. I needed a radical change. George corralled me because he already knew I was shopping for something smaller and more laid-back. Something where the soundspace happens behind the speakers, where the speakers disappear while presenting a deep, wide, delicate soundstage. These new Totems did all that, and I used them until I bought my second pair of BBC LS3/5a's.