Totem Acoustic - Mite -T centre channel speaker

[ken88]

Hi members,

What are your thoughts on the Totem Mite-T centre channel speaker? I listened to it last weekend at an electronics store and I was amazed at its incredible sound quality and the beauty of the product. Would you recommend it and how does it compare to other high-end similar products? Your comments and input would be truly appreciated.

[Hyfi]

I have not heard that speaker but most of Totem's lines are very nice.

[poppachubby]

I listened to it last weekend at an electronics store and I was amazed at its incredible sound quality and the beauty of the product.

You answered your own query. As for how it stacks up, it's Totem. At that level of performance, it really comes down to whether or not you like the sound.

[ken88]

I just bought the Totem Mite - T centre channel speaker and I am very happy with it. I am totally blown away by its extraordinary vocal clarity and imaging ability, so much so that I can almost feel the physical presence of the singisng artists, like the one and only Celine Dion or the extra gorgeous and sexy Shania Twain singing in front of me !!!!!!!! Do other owners of this same speaker feel the same way as I do and care to share their listening experience with other members. Thanks for all your input.

[audio amateur]

You listen to music in surround mode?

[ken88]

Yes and no. In surround mode, I can hear the vocal coming from the centre channel very clear. Other times, I just listen to the two front speakers when I prefer to hear the musical instruments better. I like the switch from front to surround to satisfy my varied listening taste. By the way, what is the "best mode" when it comes to listening the music? I know, it depends a lot on individual preference.

[poppachubby]

Yes and no. In surround mode, I can hear the vocal coming from the By the way, what is the "best mode" when it comes to listening the music?

2 ears, 2 channels...

[audio amateur]

Yes and no. In surround mode, I can hear the vocal coming from the centre channel very clear. Other times, I just listen to the two front speakers when I prefer to hear the musical instruments better. I like the switch from front to surround to satisfy my varied listening taste. By the way, what is the "best mode" when it comes to listening the music? I know, it depends a lot on individual preference.
99% of music is meant to be listened on a stereo system (2 channel). Listening to music using a surround mode does nothing for me (must be using an A/V amplifer to do this) . The sound coming out of the rear speakers sometimes even sounds distorted. I only use the surround modes when I'm playing a game or perhaps if I'm watching a movie whose sound is outputted in stereo (naturally if the movie has 5.1 Dolby or DTS I will be using those surround modes).

However, there exists multichannel music on formats such as DVD-audio & multichannel SACD, but these are very rare compared to the availability of conventionally recorded stereo CDs.

[Mingus]

The Onkyo TX-DS595 has a all channel mode which I use when I am moving around the room. But most of the time it's 2 channel.

[ken88]

I generally agree that by listening to the 2 way streo mode gives a fuller sound dimension. However, I still believe that the vocal sounds a lot better if it is coming from the centre channel. This mode is very useful when you want to hear the pure vocal cords of the singing artists. By the way, does increasing the treble and bass levels from, say, neutral to 5 or higher, reduce the natural sound?? Or, by increasing these levels make the sound clearer?? Thanks.

[poppachubby]

I generally agree that by listening to the 2 way streo mode gives a fuller sound dimension. However, I still believe that the vocal sounds a lot better if it is coming from the centre channel. This mode is very useful when you want to hear the pure vocal cords of the singing artists. By the way, does increasing the treble and bass levels from, say, neutral to 5 or higher, reduce the natural sound?? Or, by increasing these levels make the sound clearer?? Thanks.


A proper 2 channel set up will reveal vocals perfectly. There are a few members here who listen to vocal based music. Of course, increasing the tone controls will alter the original recording. At lower volumes it can be necessary, but a good amp will reproduce the source info with no need to mess about.

[ken88]

Is it a good idea to use smaller tower speakers as rear speakers for surround sound purposes when the main front speakers are even bigger floor standing speakers ?? Is louder sound coming from the rear when watching movies mean it is more life-like, just like being in a movie theatre? Another question is: is it better to have side surround speakers or rear surround speakers if one wants to have the best surround sound system in a good home theatre set-up? Any noticeable difference/benefits or disadvantages between side surround v/s rear surround sound?Many thanks for all your comments.

[ken88]

I look forward to get your valuable advice ......Many thanks.

[audio amateur]

Is it a good idea to use smaller tower speakers as rear speakers for surround sound purposes when the main front speakers are even bigger floor standing speakers ?? Is louder sound coming from the rear when watching movies mean it is more life-like, just like being in a movie theatre? Another question is: is it better to have side surround speakers or rear surround speakers if one wants to have the best surround sound system in a good home theatre set-up? Any noticeable difference/benefits or disadvantages between side surround v/s rear surround sound?Many thanks for all your comments.
The majority of the sound will be coming out of the center channel speaker (especially voices). The surround speakers have the easiest job, they are there solely to reproduce 'ambiance' sounds. In a movie with heavy action all around, they will work harder though. Still, less so than the front or center channels. For surround duty, you are fine with bookshelf speakers. The only reason you might want big rear speakers is if you are running the surround speakers full-range, but this shouldnt be the case as you should be setting the surround speakers as 'small' on your AV receiver, which will cut most of the bass from those speakers. The 'rear' bass (bass from 80Hz down is omni-directional) will be redirected to the subwoofer.
When determining the loudness of each speaker, you should use the test tone (white noise) generator on AV receiver and adjust each speakers level so that they all match in loundess. You can do this by ear but it is better to use an SPL meter.
As for side surrounds or rear surround, it depends if your setup is 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1.
For 5.1 you want your surrounds to be positioned like this:
http://www.kookerkids.com/finishabasement/home_theater/images/speaker_placement.gif

For 6.1, like this:
http://a248.e.akamai.net/pix.crutchfield.com/ca/learningcenter/home/ht/speakerplacement-6-1.gif

For 7.1, like this:
http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/129025.jpg

I suggest you have a look at the official Dolby website, which will probably be informative to you: http://www.dolby.com/consumer/setup/speaker-setup-guide/index.html

[ken88]

Thanks a lot audio amateur for your great advice. For good surround sound effects, is it better to get bipole or dipole surround speakers as opposed to regular small side speakers?? Are dipole better than bipole speakers for surround effects?? Any good bipole and dipole speakers anyone can recommend? I don't want to spend too much and my budget is around $300 or so. Is it an absolute must to have a pair or a good single bipole or dipole will be enough?? Thanks.

[audio amateur]

I've heard good things about dipoles/bipoles (whatever they are called), but i have no experience with them and don;t know much about them, other than they are supposed to enhance the surround effect.
How many channels are you running in your system?

[ken88]

5.1

Thanks A Lot, Audio Amateur.

[audio amateur]

Try and read up a little on dipoles and see what is recommended in a 5.1 setup. There's tons of tutorials and info on sites like avsforums, audioholics and hometheatershack, so have a look.

You're welcome, btw :)

[JoeE SP9]

With a dipolar speaker the rear wave is 180Deg. out of phase with the front wave. Virtually all panel type speakers are dipolar. Open baffle speakers are also dipolar. When one side pushes the other side pulls.

With a bipolar the rear wave is in phase with the front wave. Think of a box with a speaker on the front and one on the rear. They both push at the same time.

Unless you have dipolars (Magnaplaner's, ESL's, Ribbon's) as front speakers stick with bipolar for surround speakers.

[audio amateur]

Thanks for the clarification Joe. I believe conventional box surrounds are bipolar?

[ken88]

Hi Joe,

I am quite confused regarding dipolar front speakers. I am surprised to learn that audiophiles use dipolar as front speakers. I always thought the front speakers should always be the conventional type speakers (without bipolar or dipolar features). Does that mean front dipolar speakers produce much better sound for listening to music or they are only suitable when playing movies?? So with regular conventional front speakers, one gets better surround sound with bipolar speakers and not with dipolar ones, if I understand you correctly. Supposed, I use dipolar surround speakers to use with conventional front speakers, does that mean the dipolar will produce lesser or inferior surround sound?? Thanks.

[audio amateur]

I'd be happy to answer but I'll let Joe do so:)

[audio amateur]

Hi Joe,

I am quite confused regarding dipolar front speakers. I am surprised to learn that audiophiles use dipolar as front speakers. I always thought the front speakers should always be the conventional type speakers (without bipolar or dipolar features). Does that mean front dipolar speakers produce much better sound for listening to music or they are only suitable when playing movies?? So with regular conventional front speakers, one gets better surround sound with bipolar speakers and not with dipolar ones, if I understand you correctly. Supposed, I use dipolar surround speakers to use with conventional front speakers, does that mean the dipolar will produce lesser or inferior surround sound?? Thanks.
I guess I will then.
You don't seem to be familiar with planar speakers. They use 'ribbons' as their main transducer. These aren't the conventional 'dynamic' drivers like you have in 99% of speakers. There is no enclosure or box, which means the rear sound wave is free to roam which in turns means it will be reflected off the back wall (the wall behind the speaker) and this causes cancelations int the frequency range. Because of this, they need to be placed ideally a couple feet or more away from the back wall. There are very few companies who manufacture full range planar speakers. Magnepan is the biggest (www.magnepan.com). Have a look. The reason planar speakers aren't predominant is because they are usually quite large (they need a big surface area in order to produce any bass), are relatively fragile and are quite picky about placement in the room. Also, they are probably harder to manufacture. However, the people who own them generally love them, and agree that normal box speakers have a 'boxy' sound.
Another similar type of speaker is the electrostatic type, the main manufacturer of these being Martin Logan. You'll notice that some of the models rely on a conventional woofer drivers to produce the bass range. The reason for this is that the rest of the speaker doesn't have be so big.
These types of speakers (planar, electrostatic) are dipoles, which have nothing to do with the bipole (box type) surround speakers that are used for home theater use. I hope this clears it up a little:)

[ken88]

You certainly have clarified my confusion. You could not have answered my question better. Thanks again for your expert advice, audio amateur, or rather audio pro !!!

[audio amateur]

You certainly have clarified my confusion. You could not have answered my question better. Thanks again for your expert advice, audio amateur, or rather audio pro !!!
hehe, thanks!
I just noticed the Magnepan link I wrote includes the second bracket, you'll need to delete it for the link to work.