Just wow... Synergy

audiocr381ve

Synergy is a wonderful thing when you find it. So I have two pairs of closet speakers. Fully modded SDA-CRS+ with original stands and a pair of Totem Hawks. The Harbeth Super HL-5's are my full-time speakers. Well tonight I decided to let the closet speakers have some fun. But before I get to that, I should mention a couple of things.

I made quite a few changes to my system over the past few weeks. The new pieces in are the Chord Hugo DAC and the Musical Fidelity M6i integrated. The MF M6i just wasn't jiving with the Harbeth's for some reason, but my Rogue Perseus Magnum tube pre does really well with them and my temp amp, a tiny Parasound Zamp.

First up was the SDA-CRS+'s. I have a lot of history with these speakers and I love them for certain things but they aren't close to being in the same league as the Harbeth's, so I only listened to them for a half an hour or so.

Next up were my trusty little Totem Hawks which have been by my side for quite a while now. I paired them up with the new gear and my jaw dropped straight to the floor. The Hawks LOVE the new gear. They are completely different speakers with the Chord Hugo and MF M6i and it's intoxicating to listen to.

I have to say, the Hawks are just absolutely fantastic speakers. Over the years, they've proven to be highly resolving with an incredible soundstage (they really do disappear) and are just flat out musical. They're fantastic at lower level listening and crank just the right amount. The system is sounding pretty damn sweet right now! It's like the MF integrated and Hugo were made for these speakers.

I think that once I find the right amp to pair of the Rogue pre, the Harbeth's may edge out the Hawks but who knows. The Harbeth's are going to pull closet duty for awhile which is crazy to say considering the price difference.

Rock on dudes, this stuff is fun sometimes

audiocr381ve

Zero wrote: »

As much as I admire Harbeth loudspeakers, the Totem Hawk's can be earth shatteringly good when you give em' what they want.

Enjoy the toys man. You have some great stuff.

Thanks Sean. I'm really happy with the setup right now with the Hawks. I just swapped in the Harbeth's minutes ago and the sound definitely carries much more weight. Instruments sound true through them too. Not a contest there.

But the Hawks are insanely spacious sounding with the entire room being the sweet spot. They're more resolving and extended. Lower level listening is much better through them. I gotta say, I like the top end better on the Hawks too.

tonyb

Synergy baby, you know it when you got it. Congrats man, the Totems are certainly no slouch.

headrott

Zero wrote: »

On that note: You gunna take that MF off the market?

Sound plan!

cnh

As TMW would say, it looks like you're makin' ALL KINDS OF GAINZ...ALL KINDS! lol

Synergy = GainZ!

Enjoy!

vcwatkins

Yeah, synergy is definitely weird & unpredictable.

Had my own synergy epiphany three days ago: I wanted to use my Rogue Cronus Magnum integrated for a system in a tiny space at the beach. This was to be my private space where I could listen without bothering others. I just assumed my Revel m22's would sound great there - they've always sounded good with a wide variety of gear - but they sucked. Bad. Partly, I think because I couldn't pull them far enough off the wall; and partly due to warm speaker + tube amplification = mud. Terrible imaging. Next tried the Pioneer bookshelf cheapies and they were okay but not the sound I wanted for a listening room, even a tiny one.

So I brought down RTA 11t's from the bedroom and WHAM! Big lush sound. I was instantly taken back to the supper club where I first heard some bigger Polk speakers (also 11t's IIRC) and fell in love with the sound. Never in a million years would I have predicted that. And probably would never have tried it had I not been really desperate to set up something half decent that evening. Maybe I'll be more willing to experiment in the future.

Glad you found a combo that you liked, Shane. I might have to look for some Hawks. Never heard any Totem, but I don't think I've ever read anything but glowing remarks about them.

erniejade

Hawks are a good speaker. The Harbeth is not everyone's taste. Some might find them not as evolving, or too analytical or dry where the hawks or a lot of totem speakers seem to have a little more soul to them.

erniejade

Sorry hit the wrong button before I was done typing. Harbeth makes a darn good speaker. I imagine the totem's are easier to find synergy vs the Harbeth. While I have heard Harbeth and enjoyed them from what I am reading on the SL5 is placement is the key and tricky on them.
This is taken from a good review on them.. "Soundstaging can be a tricky thing to get right. If your source, amplification, and/or loudspeakers are not up to job, the soundstage can be greatly compromised. In order to achieve a good soundstage the system has to work as a whole and speaker placement can be crucial (as I mentioned earlier, taking the time to find the right speaker placement within your room will allow you to reap the benefits the Harbeth have on offer). "

Just from reading, maybe the synergy difference isn't with the amp but, placement?

SCompRacer

In audio, syn is good.

What's your right amp?

audiocr381ve

SCompRacer wrote: »

In audio, syn is good.

What's your right amp?

Hah I've been looking for either a McCormack (shoutout to my man tonyB) or Pass Aleph. Something Class A would be the last thing to try. But then again I honestly regret getting rid of my Wyred 4 Sound SX-1000 mono's because they were damn close to being the right amps.

Craig & erniejade, you guys are right on the money. Different speakers work better for different spaces and placement is a massive deal. Equally as big a deal as listening position. What the Harbeth's do is something very special so I'm not at all giving up on them, I just gotta find that darn synergy.

Sean, the MF funds the amp so I gotta leave her up for now. I'm building the system around the Harbeth's and I can't keep both.

steveinaz

Well, you let me know if those Super HL-5's start spending too much time in the closet. The 7es-3's were a transformational addition to my system that brought me back from just about giving up on digital audio.

Totem's remind me of vintage AR speakers that were sneaky little bastads. At first listen, you'd think---"yeah, they're alright" but then you slowly get sucked in, more & more; then the addiction would begin. I owned 3 different vintage AR models, and loved every set.

I have learned thru the years to be immediately skeptical of any speaker that impresses me right away; because that usually indicates that something is amiss in the linearity department---most of the time.

SCompRacer

audiocr381ve wrote: »

Hah I've been looking for either a McCormack (shoutout to my man tonyB) or Pass Aleph. Something Class A would be the last thing to try. But then again I honestly regret getting rid of my Wyred 4 Sound SX-1000 mono's because they were damn close to being the right amps.

Carl has a Classe DR-25 that mates up well with his Rogue Super Magnum (6SN7 tubes). I had tried the Wyred 4 Sound SX-1000 mono's with my speakers and they sounded pretty good but I preferred the old Krell KSA-250. Like me, it's old but still useful. lol

I wonder sometimes if the Wyred's prefer higher sensitivity speakers. The Krell seems to like lower efficiency speakers.

Speaking of synergy, I like when friends are over when trying different gear and they say "You're not going to put that back in the rack, are you?"