Loudspeakers

A floorstander simply has more bass extension. Though a monitor can sound more precise, with a tight low end. Much depends again on where you want to place them in a room. But a monitor certainly need not be inferior to a floorstander, and is moreover more flexible in terms of placement.

For a small room I would advise you to look at a quality loudspeaker, a loudspeaker that has been designed by ear. A small room with small loudspeakers also has its advantages when it comes to realistic reproduction. Do choose a quality brand, though.

You don't need a subwoofer. Although a subwoofer can add something if you like deep and powerful bass. That can also be done subtly. Much depends on your room and on how you like to experience music.

Absolutely. And if a loudspeaker is well designed, the difference in your living room will be even greater than in a dealer's demonstration room. That is at least what I experience with loudspeakers from Totem Acoustic.

Yes, the premium for a small maker genuinely benefits the musical experience. A small maker is more likely to use quality components, where mass production has to cut back on many things. Small makers also have far more passion for their product. They have to be creative with their designs and sometimes start again from scratch until it is truly right for them. The bar is simply set higher. Compare it to a large-scale kitchen and a small, fine restaurant.

Every loudspeaker is different. Smaller loudspeakers can go closer to the wall, like those from Totem Acoustic. Also take a look at transmission line loudspeakers, where that breathing space doesn't apply at all. A fine example of that is Kerr Acoustic.

For a small loudspeaker you absolutely do not need stands. You can just as well put them on a shelf, on a bookcase or in a bookcase, and that is actually very good. There are also wall brackets to mount a small loudspeaker on the wall if you wish. If you do buy stands, then you are best off looking for good quality and for the possibility of weighting them down with dry sand or even with lead shot, which is small lead pellets. You can find those lead pellets at a gun shop, or better still at a fishing hobby shop. Sand you can find at the pet shop, canary sand for example.

Yes, just like all veneer, the veneer on loudspeakers fades in the sun too. You can avoid that by not placing the loudspeakers directly in such a bright spot. You look after the veneer simply with a damp cloth. Very important for the drivers: clean those as little as possible with soap or chemicals.

Have a look at the Totem range. At Totem, the intention is for a loudspeaker to sound big. Totem has, for example, the Tribe Tower, a very slender column that in principle has quite a high WAF. What is a WAF? A wife acceptance factor.

No, that risk isn't really there. To be safe, check who the distributor is and, if need be, talk to the maker himself about how long he has been around. In the forty years I have been in this industry I have met many makers, and a great many of those people are hugely passionate and can build wonderful loudspeakers with few resources. That is not where the problem lies. A small maker does not build his drive units and parts himself; he buys them in. So those parts can always be replaced. And suppose the manufacturer is one day no longer there, then any technician can still put such a loudspeaker perfectly in order. There is even a big advantage to buying from a small maker. They spend hours listening, hearing the small differences and adjusting for them. You don't find that so much with the big brands: there they work with anechoic chambers and complicated mathematical formulas, and because of that they often miss the mark. It ends up a pretty sound, but it doesn't touch your heart, your soul, your emotion. In those forty years I have come across many small makers I would gladly take into our range, but that is simply not all possible. There are a number of facets that determine whether someone comes on board, and Totem and Kerr meet them.

No, you absolutely don't have to keep your boxes. It is of course true that, if the loudspeakers ever have to go back to the importer or the manufacturer, it is a good deal easier to do that in the original boxes. But the warranty does not depend on whether you still have the boxes or not.

No, a ribbon tweeter does not sound too bright or sharp at all. That is a myth. It only becomes bright or sharp when something else is wrong: when the cabinet around it is not well built, when the balance in the crossover is not properly balanced, or when you are dealing with a would-be ribbon tweeter that is simply not well made. But then that is not down to the principle. A good ribbon tweeter is a lovely, gentle tweeter. It sounds beautiful when playing loud as well as when playing softly. Highly recommended.

No, of course not. Bear in mind that you, as a person, change over time as well. What was your favourite ten years ago you may listen to differently now: you stand differently in life, with other feelings and other emotions. But I would never throw anything away. Who knows, in ten years' time you may find that music enjoyable again. Besides, there is no such thing as a badly recorded record. Records were recorded in the situation as it was. Take a fairly unknown band that is just starting out: they do not have the expensive equipment or the financial means to make a really beautiful recording. But perhaps that is precisely the charm of it. Listen more through the technology, to what the people who made the recording actually did.

A loudspeaker is not honest or dishonest. Every loudspeaker has its character: some sound a little warmer, others a little further away, but that does not make them dishonest. Just let the music be heard. Every person is different, and so hearing and feeling are different too. I firmly believe that all the senses play a part at the same time, whether at a dinner or when listening to music. Candlelight, a clear sky, a rainy day: that changes your emotions, and so also how you listen to a hifi set. The fear of having to choose actually lets your feelings in less, and then making the right choice becomes harder. My advice: let it go, listen to the music and then decide.

Go to a good hifi dealer and listen to small monitors from different manufacturers there. Compare them with each other. Very quickly you will understand and feel what suits you best. If you are new to the hifi world, it is in any case advisable not to spend thousands of euro straight away. Keep your budget limited: two, three, four hundred euro, perhaps five or six hundred, depending on your financial strength. Do not go and buy the very expensive loudspeakers right away. Wait until you have more experience. After five years that small bookshelf loudspeaker may move to the study and be replaced by a larger, probably somewhat more expensive loudspeaker.

There is only one truth, and that is your own ears. A reviewer's ears or measurements made with instruments are subjective. Only your own experience, your ears and your feeling make the choice of a loudspeaker possible. Not a reviewer, not an importer or anyone else, and certainly not an instrument.

No, Totems are not hard to drive at all. With a small, good amplifier of 30 to 50 watts they will already sound very musical indeed. What is true: Totems have a lower decibel output. That means they need a little more power as input to reach the same sound level at the output. Nothing to worry about. Here too, as for all Totems: it is better to buy a smaller Totem with a better amplifier than a more expensive loudspeaker.

There is a very good chance that it can simply be repaired. For that you go to a Totem dealer; you will find one on our website. Or send an email to info at joenit.com.