Totem Mite monitor speakers

[ken88]

What are your thoughts on Totem Mite to be used as surround sound speakers? Are they good speakers in a HT set up? Will they reproduce enough sonic bliss for music and movies? What I am looking for is a nice detailed sound in a multi channel mode when listening to music and good bass for watching movies. Thanks to all your feedback.

[GMichael]

What are your thoughts on Totem Mite to be used as surround sound speakers? Are they good speakers in a HT set up? Will they reproduce enough sonic bliss for music and movies? What I am looking for is a nice detailed sound in a multi channel mode when listening to music and good bass for watching movies. Thanks to all your feedback.

IMO they are very nice speakers. Hard to knock them. But what speakers do you already have as mains & center?

[ken88]

My main front speakers are Totem Sttaf and the centre is Totem Mite T.

[GMichael]

Sounds like a match made in heaven.

[eisforelectronic]

seems pretty obvious that they would be a good match.

[ken88]

On paper, it sure looks like a perfect match. I had listened to the Mite as main front speakers but not as surround. Just wonder if anyone has actually listened to them in surround mode in music and movies and if they live up to expectations.

[bobsticks]

Hey Ken,

Hmmn, sounds like you're in the process of setting up a pretty nice system. I have experience with the Sttafs and some knowledge of the Mites, though not in surround usage.

I think results will be heavily dependent on your room. On the plus side the Mites and the Sttaf will be well timbre matched, excellent overall for general applications and invaluable for multi-channel music.

The only downside I can see is the relative limited frequency response from the Mites. On most material this may not be an issue at all but for music or scenes with heavy rear/side content this may have a negative impact.

In any case, good lucj and enjoy!

---sticks

[Mr Peabody]

With the rears set to "small" lows below a certain freq can be directed to sub, which would help compensate.

[GMichael]

Not much bass going to the surrounds to begin with. As long as they go down to 80 htz you should be golden.

[Mr Peabody]

GM, that should depend on the movie or effect, rears are full frequency range in 5.1 and should also be more important on Blu-ray or 5-channel music. I admit though unless you watch a lot of action movies it may not be that big a deal and I personally feel the timbre match is more important.

[harley .guy07]

I would say you are going in the right direction with selecting rear speakers that are made to match the main and center. My setup has several brands of speakers and still sounds killer but I do someday need to get a Dynaudio center channel to match my mains even though the model of Yamaha I have seems to do a great job well above most peoples expectations and my own for that matter.

[ken88]

When listening to a 5.1 surround set-up in the music mode (for fun, as opposed to serious listening in a 2 channel stereo mode), I notice the rear Mite T sound "faint' as opposed to a "full sound" compared to the fronts. I guess this is normal?? I have not had a chance to listen to the multichannel movie mode yet. Will the surround rear sound "faint" too? If so, is there any other way to boost up the sound level other than increasing the decibel output level?. Thanks.

[GMichael]

GM, that should depend on the movie or effect, rears are full frequency range in 5.1 and should also be more important on Blu-ray or 5-channel music. I admit though unless you watch a lot of action movies it may not be that big a deal and I personally feel the timbre match is more important.

The std is to send 80 & up to the surrounds and below 80 to the sub. Not that everyone uses the std's. But it is a safe bet that if they go to 80 he'll be golden.

[Mr Peabody]

GM, the processors I've used and all the receiver's I've set up that I recall have all sent full range to the rears set to "large", when set to "small" then the crossover is adjustable.and everything above the point goes to sub. You can review Dolby's website for 5.1, all channels have the potential for full frequency range.

Ken88, if all five of your speakers SPL are balanced the "faintness" is probably in the mix of the soundtrack. I don't have a lot of concert videos but many of the 5.1 use the rears for more ambience than to be equivalent loudness to the fronts. A couple things like BT or Flaming Lips seem to use the rears to full range but it's not all the time just in certain parts of a song. If your receiver has "party" or "MC stereo" mode you might try this to get an idea of the rears range. These modes send the same signal to all channels, but I believe it will give a left/right stereo effect.

[GMichael]

GM, the processors I've used and all the receiver's I've set up that I recall have all sent full range to the rears set to "large", when set to "small" then the crossover is adjustable.and everything above the point goes to sub. You can review Dolby's website for 5.1, all channels have the potential for full frequency range.

Ken88, if all five of your speakers SPL are balanced the "faintness" is probably in the mix of the soundtrack. I don't have a lot of concert videos but many of the 5.1 use the rears for more ambience than to be equivalent loudness to the fronts. A couple things like BT or Flaming Lips seem to use the rears to full range but it's not all the time just in certain parts of a song. If your receiver has "party" or "MC stereo" mode you might try this to get an idea of the rears range. These modes send the same signal to all channels, but I believe it will give a left/right stereo effect.

MP,
You can set the surrounds to full (large), but you don't have to. If the Mites go below 80, then he should end up with a system that will work very well.

[ken88]

Thank you Mr Peabody and GM for your input. You are right Mr Peabody in that when I set the receiver to "all channel stereo mode", the rear surrounds output full sound. All in all, I prefer to listen to the 2 channel stereo for music. In this mode, the sound from the fronts are just so clear and balanced which I thoroughly enjoy.

[Mr Peabody]

GM, now we are tracking in sync :) in fact, many of the auto set up systems tend to put the speakers in "small" for some reason. I guess that's how Dolby or THX like it.

Ken88, I agree, so far I prefer recordings in 2-channel. If the 5-channel is mixed for 5-channel like the titles I mentioned above they can be fun in an entertaining way but I can't take it as serious as the 2-channel.