August 11, 2014

  • Totem Element Fire, Part 13

    20 years ago, Ace Of Base were HUGE. Because I bowled in leagues, it seemed that Ace Of Base were always on. Even when we went to alleys in Nevada, Hawaii, and Central California, we heard Ace Of Base.

    One place where we did not hear Ace Of Base was San Francisco’s Kabuki Springs & Spa. 3 days a week, Kabuki Springs & Spa was men-only. 3 other days a week, Kabuki Springs & Spa was women-only. On these single-sex days, it’s the exceedingly popular "clothing optional." You are naked and free, as you go into the communal baths. Once a week, Kabuki Springs & Spa is coed. BUT, coed days require a bathing suit. WTF?! That is why, when ACS and our friends wanted to go as a group, we avoided Kabuki Springs & Spa. Going there in a bathing suit is not the same. It’s just…eew.
    Outdoor Jacuzzi
    Yep, in the mid-90s, ACS and I liked to go to sauna & hot tub spas. In a pinch, ACS’ apartment complex had an outdoor hot tub (above). If you were by yourself, you could slip off your bathing suit. The hot tub was surrounded by shrubbery. You could peer through the gate, and see well in advance, if anyone were approaching. That gave you enough time to put your bathing suit back on.
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    One night in March ‘96, ACS and I were alone in that hot tub. She was ruminating about all of her dates and boyfriends. Not satisfied with my Signet SL-280 B/U, I was thinking about speakers. Not that we could afford $2200 speakers, but in this price range, we had three clear favorites: Martin Logan Aerius i; Thiel CS1.5; Totem Model 1 (plus stands). With Ace Of Base’s “Beautiful Life” echoing in my head, I was daydreaming about the Totem Model 1. Then ACS blurted out, “Darn!”

    Snapped out of my dream of Ace Of Base and Totem, I asked, “What, is somebody coming?”

    ACS said, “No.” After a pause, she continued, “All this hot water doesn’t kill sperm. Worse yet, it just makes them retarded. S’not the time to get pregnant!”

    Throughout the mid-90s, ACS on several occasions said, “You know, if we have a kid, we can’t just stop at one. We need two more!”

    Look, I didn’t want to have any kids with ACS. So the one Ace Of Base song I didn’t like was “All That She Wants [is another baby].”
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    Time to pack up the Totem Element Fire. I finally got the chance to visit my audiophile friend, who has the Simaudio Andromeda, P-8, W-7; and Wireworld Platinum Eclipse (all of which I’ve reviewed here). Sorry; I don’t have any photos of ACS in bowling alleys, hot tubs, or stereo stores. Nor do I have any of the Fire at anyone else’s house. In the short amount of time my friend and I had, we were too busy schlepping speakers, listening to music, and having his wife hog the system and kick us out.

    I have previously stated that, other than missing the deep bass, the Fire accurately reflects what you feed it. Wow. Wow. Driven by that Simaudio Evolution/Wireworld Platinum Eclipse system, the Fire reaches new heights (and lows, if you're referring to bass extension and power). The sound is so fresh, so alive. It’s like turning back the clock, being young, and reveling in the Eurodance of Ace Of Base. You can almost smell the stores, venues, buses, offices, hotels, schools, malls, cars, and homes in which you heard this music.

    Just as I was comparing speakers in the mid-90s, let us continue with comparing the Element Fire to others. In a prior post, I compared it to its little sister, the Element Ember. Naturally, everyone wants to know how the Fire compares to the identically-priced but floorstanding Forest Signature. Sorry; as of this writing, my audio circle has not been able to procure any samples of the Forest Signature.
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    But my friend with the Simaudio/Wireworld system did borrow a pair of Totem’s Mani-2 Signature, which I believe now costs a whopping $5495, only $500 less than the Fire. So what happens, when you go from the Fire to the M2S?
    Big Bottom
    Starting with the tonal balance, the M2S provides BASS, a bigger bottom end. It goes deeper, and there’s more of it. The bass fills the bottom 33-40% of the room. Imagine having a large hot tub all to yourself, instead of having to share with others. Since no one's around, you can actually swim and splash around in that hot tub.
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    But overall, my friend described the M2S succinctly: “conventional.”
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    What did he mean by that? The midrange and treble became warmer and drier. The soundstage was smaller, not as open, airy, and transparent. The music doesn’t move as quickly or effortlessly. Thus, the M2S sounds more “crowded” than the Fire. Finally, the M2S is not as adept as the Fire in conjuring up that “stereo everywhere” phenomenon from multiple points within the room. It’s like me and ACS having to put on the bathing suits, as other residents approach and enter the hot tub.