Totem Acoustic Bison Monitor
The Totem Acoustic Bison Monitor turns compact dimensions into a holographic soundstage, with precise placement, natural voices and richly detailed treble. HiFi News praised its quick, rhythmic bass and exceptional definition, while Home Cinema Choice found its imaging remarkably lifelike. A refined, neutral standmount built for immersive listening in small to medium rooms.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
92/100
Build Quality
91/100
Value for Money
92/100
Pros
Exceptionally wide, deep and precise imaging lets the cabinets disappear into an immersive, natural soundstage.
Neutral, highly resolved midrange and treble reproduce vocals and acoustic instruments with smoothness, clarity and little harshness.
Quick, tuneful bass and crisp dynamics give rhythmic music real energy despite the compact cabinet.
Well-made, compact cabinet is easy to place and performs strongly for its premium standmount price.
Cons
Bass favors speed, texture and rhythm over deep, room-shaking weight; listeners wanting substantial low-end impact may prefer a subwoofer.
Understated, conventional styling lacks the visual distinction of some premium rivals.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 92/100
Reviews consistently describe an unusually refined, neutral and engaging small-speaker presentation. Its particular strengths are holographic imaging, lucid midrange detail and composed treble, while bass is satisfying and articulate rather than full-range in scale.
Bass
88/100
For a compact 5.25-inch standmount, reviewers found the bass tuneful, tonally rich, quick and more potent than its dimensions suggest. It prioritises snap, rhythm and detail over room-shaking extension, and several reviewers suggest a subwoofer for listeners wanting substantial low-end weight.
Mid
93/100
Midrange performance earns repeated praise for its resolution, definition and natural tonal balance. Vocals, saxophone, strings and acoustic instruments were described as clear, smooth, lifelike and free of obvious coloration.
Treble
92/100
Reviewers highlight sparkling detail, clarity and the ability to unravel fine treble information without harshness. One reviewer found the upper range slightly forward of neutral, but also called it refined, effortless and easy on the ears across a wide range of amplifiers.
Soundstage Imaging
96/100
Imaging is the Bison Monitor's most widely celebrated attribute. Reviews describe a wide, deep and highly dimensional stage with precise yet natural placement, speakers that disappear convincingly, and an unusually broad listening area with little obvious sweet spot.
Dynamics
91/100
The Bison Monitor is repeatedly described as energetic, rhythmically assured and capable of handling fast, dense material with crisp percussion. Reviewers also found it able to convey orchestral scale and demanding crescendos without losing composure.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
91/100
The understated cabinets are consistently described as well made, reassuringly solid and finished to Totem's usual high standard. Reviewers specifically note the lock-mitred, horizontally braced monocoque cabinet construction, attractive fit and finish, and effective if unexceptional binding posts.
Value for Money
92/100
At roughly $2,250-$2,495 per pair, the Bison Monitor is positioned as a premium compact standmount, but reviewers generally feel its performance supports the asking price. Audiophilia judged it to play above its MSRP and recommended it for shoppers below $3,000, while Hi-Fi News characterised the range as a bang-for-your-buck option.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
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Specifications
- Design
- Ported 2-Way Monitor Speaker
- Tweeter
- 1.3 in /33 mm Laser Etched Textile Soft Dome
- Woofer
- 5.25 in / 133.35 mm Long throw (3 inch Voice Coil)
- Impedance
- 8 Ohm
- Sensitivity
- 87 dB
- Frequency Response
- 40 Hz to 29.5 kHz ± 3 dB
- Recommended Power
- 30-150W
- Crossover Frequency
- 2.5 kHz (first order)
- Speaker Terminals
- 4 way Bi-Wire-able
- Break in Time
- 70-100 hours
- Placement (from rear wall)
- 6in – 3ft/ 152 – 914.4mm
- Placement (in between)
- 3ft – 10ft / 914.4 – 3048mm
- Width
- 171mm / 6.732in
- Height
- 333mm / 13.110in
- Depth
- 243mm / 9.567in and 253mm / 9.961in (with Grill Installed)
- Weight
- 29.75lb / 13.49kg
Manufacturer's Description — Totem Acoustic
Defying All Expectations
The made-in-Canada Bison Monitor redefines the luxury bookshelf speaker category by defying the visual expectations associated with such a small-volume enclosure. Purposefully designed to engage the broadest music lover audience to date, the Monitor Bison marries the signature Totem characteristics of enormous imaging, phase coherence, and remarkable bass response with broad amplifier compatibility and prodigious power handling.
Experience Totem’s never-ending quest for an affordable soul mover of the highest caliber. Regardless of what other audio components you pair this speaker with – whether it’s the KIN AMP, an exotic tube amplifier or a cutting-edge Totem surround system – it will reward you with a superior listening enjoyment.
Audition the Bison Monitor today!
Design Highlights
Customized Drivers
Bison Monitor drivers are completely unique and proprietary in design. They are engineered by Totem and 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 be 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
Bison Monitor 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.
Verified Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Totem Acoustic Bison Monitor
- The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
- Accent On Music — in-store — Mount Kisco, New York, United States (website)
- Acoustic Technologies — online and in-store — Montréal, Québec, Canada (website)
- Alpha High End — online and in-store — Brasschaat, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium (website)
- Alta Fedelta — online and in-store — Lombardia, Italy (website)
- Area 51 Audio Visual Engineering — in-store — Tucson, Arizona, United States (website)
- Audible Elegance — online and in-store — Cincinnati, Ohio, United States (website)
- Audio Artisans — in-store — Bozeman, Montana, United States (website)
- Audio Concept - Luxembourg — in-store — Gare, Luxembourg, Luxembourg (website)
- Audio Destination — online and in-store — Tiverton, England, United Kingdom (website)
and 71 more verified dealers