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Totem Acoustic Arro
Straight to the heart
The Totem Arro shoots straight to the heart. The Arro’s strong frequency extension and broad-spectrum harmonics blend in a phase-perfect conjunction that transmits the true essence of music. With its ultra-slim design, the alluring and versatile Arro speaker is an aesthetic room-pleaser that allows endless placement possibilities.
Omni-directional in character, the Arro defies the laws of physics with extreme bass extension and holographic sound imaging. If you like authentic-sounding performances that reach beyond the realm of space and time, experience the streamlined beauty of the Totem Arro.
Design Highlights
- Ultra-slim design and aesthetic compactness
- Specially modified proprietary drivers
- Flexible installation close to back walls
- Absolute surreal holographic imaging
- Great bass extension and phase correctness
- Full mono-shell hand-assembled chassis
- Interlocking mitered joints
- Ultra expensive borosilicate damping
- Ultra sophisticated crossover with integrated bi-wiring
- Exclusive, hard-wired crossover
- Magnetic Grilles
Customized Drivers
Every single driver is completely unique to Totem and proprietary in design, engineered by Totem and then manufactured to the strictest standards to meet our parameters by the finest raw driver suppliers in the world. In some cases, where the technology is beyond the capabilities of suppliers or is wished to kept secret, Totem can and will build our own drivers. Every driver exhibits phase linearity, speed, emotion, off axis natural presentation, and spatial articulation.
Handmade Crossovers
Totem crossovers don’t require many parts because of the synergy between our customized drivers, but the components are the world’s best. Our crossovers aren’t built on PCB’s because the laminated conductive tracks are weak and inconsistent. Instead they are secured to a thin piece of fiberboard or insulated polymers and components are mechanically crimped together because it simply sounds better. When we must solder, we choose WBT Silver Solder, the purest in the industry.
Artisanal Cabinet Construction
Meticulously hand crafted for peak performance that lasts decades. Lock-Miter assembly is an intricate woodworking procedure where edges physically interlock together. The resulting cabinet is up to 5 times stronger than conventional V Groove cabinets. Internal and external veneering resists warping, structurally fortifies, and ensures consistent peak performance. Industry unique Borosilicate damping manages dissipation, keeps the cabinet musically alive, and never deteriorates. Popular materials like poly fillers eventually decay, dramatically affecting the performance. Variable Density Fiberboard is denser at the extremities than the interior to reduce repetitive nodes and resonances.
Connectors
Two sets of high conductivity gold plated connectors efficiently capture the incoming signal for superior speaker performance and allow traditional, bi-wire, or even bi-amplification options. They accommodate a variety of connection options such as bare wire, banana plugs, and spades.
Sound Isolation
The Plinth Stabilizer improves the steadiness of the remarkably slim cabinet. Should the speaker sit on carpet, included spikes add further grip.
Dealers selling Totem Acoustic near you
With a beautifully neutral midband and exceptional vocal clarity, the Totem Arro delivers refined, room-friendly presentation that excels at nuance and ensemble imaging. HiFi Choice praised its consistency across listening positions. The ultra-slim floorstander pairs airy treble with vocal coherence, precise stereo imaging and excellent dynamics, making it ideal for vocal and chamber-music-focused systems.
Pros
- Refined, neutral midrange with superb vocal coherence and clarity.
- Outstanding stereo imaging and consistent presentation across listening positions.
- Agile, well-timed bass that can deliver surprising punch for such a compact floorstander.
- High build quality and attractive finishes, with thoughtful enclosure damping and solid joinery.
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Cons
- Limited bass weight and authority; lacks deep extension and gravitas on large-scale orchestral or heavy rock material.
- Relatively expensive for a compact speaker, with high-gloss finishes adding a notable premium.
Sound Quality
92/100
Weighted average of sub-criteria below.
Bass
89/100
Reviewers consistently note limited bass weight and authority for such a compact tower but praise its agility, timing and ability to deliver punch when required. HiFi Choice: 'inevitably has some limitations in terms of bass weight and loudness capabilities' yet 'remains agile and well timed' and port tuning (~52Hz) supports respectable extension within constraints.
Mid
94/100
Multiple comments praise a neutral, smooth tonal balance and superb voiceband coherence; vocals are described as brilliant and refined. HiFi Choice: 'sweet and smooth sound, with superb voiceband coherence' and 'brilliant vocal expression and coherence.'
Treble
92/100
Treble is described as neutral, smooth and well judged with good refinement and low coloration. Review: 'beautifully neutral, smooth and well-judged tonal balance' and low enclosure coloration supports a clean high end without harshness.
Soundstage Imaging
95/100
Reviewers highlight fine stereo imaging and consistent presentation across listener positions; low enclosure coloration aids clarity and imaging stability. HiFi Choice: 'the low enclosure coloration and fine stereo imaging are equally worth mentioning' and 'quite superb consistency, irrespective of the position of the listener.'
Dynamics
92/100
Dynamics are praised for excellent range, conveying delicate low-level detail while delivering vigorous, realistic dynamics, though lacking the ultimate grip and drama of larger speakers. HiFi Choice: 'excellent dynamic range... dynamics themselves are vigorous and realistic, albeit without quite the grip and drama of larger speakers.'
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Build Quality
94/100
High-quality construction and finish are repeatedly noted: slim, beautifully made enclosure with mitred joints for strength, borosilicate (glass) lining for damping, and neat chamfered edges. HiFi Choice: 'beautifully made', 'mitred joints... increase the surface area and hence the strength', and use of borosilicate lining for enclosure damping.
Features Connectivity
80/100
Passive tower baseline applied. The Arro is bi-wireable/bi-amp capable with two pairs of terminals and a minimalist hard-wired crossover, but as a passive tower receives the standard passive baseline score.
Value for Money
76/100
Pricing sits in the mid-high range and at least one reviewer calls it 'quite costly' relative to its limited bass authority; high-gloss finishes add a hefty premium. HiFi Choice: notes cost (~£2,025 for high-gloss examples) and flags 'DISLIKE: Quite costly for a speaker with limited bass weight and authority.'
Reviews
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