Home Speaker Asylum

General speaker questions for audio and home theater.

Totem Sky, Part 15

"Who cares if they're not pretty or sexy? They're smart, and they like [popular] music." An Inmate, who still has the Totem Model 1 Signature, checked in with me. "I've known you since the early 2000s. I think I originally asked about cables: XLO and Kimber. But I regret not asking you about the girls."

I started meeting local Bay Area audiophiles in 1994. But most of my friends then were still in college. They did accompany me, when I'd see audiophiles outside of San Francisco itself. For the most part, the audiophiles ignored my friends. One time, my girlfriend KJ explained how digital separates had to be done right, in order to outperform a similarly-priced one-box CD player. KJ was a panda-shaped UC Berkeley student. The audiophiles felt threatened, did not like her, and responded to her with.......dead silence. Yet, when I said the same things KJ had said, the audiophiles engaged in lively conversations.

"Oh okay," the Inmate above allowed, "In the mid-90s, your female friends were not just smart, they were too young. And they didn't listen to audiophile-approved music." He then pivoted, "C'mon, John, anyone with a dinky speaker like the Sky is NOT going to have vinyl. If he had physical media, he's going to have CD, not space-hogging vinyl." So he asked me for pointers and advice, about CD sources for a system back-ended by the Totem Sky.



Obviously at the mercy of the room and upstream audio products, the Totem Sky nevertheless does have the potential to replicate our mid-90s road trips up and down California. It's not just about the destinations; it's about the journey, the company, the accompanying music, the stops and hikes in between. The Sky may not be pretty or sexy, but that just ups the "I'm not pretentious or snobby" factor. The Sky is the equivalent of those modest subcompact cars. If you say, "Pack lightly," the audio equivalent is using, for example, the Kimber 4TC. If you want to get pricey and sophisticated, fine, go for the excellent Kimber Bi-Focal XL, which costs more than the Sky itself. But with the 4TC, the Sky will still take you places.

I can't emphasize this enough. If you were in the backseat with one of my nerdy female friends, you had to be very careful. You could end up with her, even though, outside of the trip, you weren't the best match. She may talk about academic subjects, especially in the natural sciences, you have no clue about or background in. When she talks about team sports, she's not rah-rah; she does so in the way a coach breaks down film. In music, you may not know enough about her tastes in pop, from dance to hard rock. So in terms of speakers, if you are the SA, who values warmth and tonality, the Sky will take you out of that comfort zone. Yet, you might find yourself, well, in the backseat with one of these nerd girls. The Inmate above laughs, "I don't think many of us [audiophiles] relate, when you talk about being in the car with three girls."



If you go on enough of these road trips, someone will get a headache. Someone will bleed. Someone will cramp up. Someone will twist an ankle. Someone will have an upset stomach, and maybe even throw up. And of course, everyone is going to jump to, "Are you pregnant?" But all these years later, Omani's "NO!!! I haven't gotten laid in a year!" still rings in your ears. But hey, if you were the one who sat in the backseat with her...



"I can't see!" If you go on enough of these road trips, someone will lose or break her contacts or glasses. In the mid-90s, if you were out of town, you had to go to a ready-in-an-hour optometrist, and have your hometown optometrist fax your prescription.



At the end of 1994, we went on a Carmel/Monterey getaway. The Inmate above said, "Um, no, I stayed home, and did the solo audiophile thing." Omani took this photo. The other two girls buried you under the blankets. In those days, MTV and VH1 had stopped playing music videos, in favor of reality shows. But in the car, everything seemed to melt away, and you and the three girls sang Natalie Cole's "Miss You Like Crazy," OMD's "Dreaming," and the Wilson Phillips version of "Daniel." To which the Inmate smirks, "Eh, um, no."



At the Monterey El Torito, we looked out, and saw a few boats and kayaks. Perhaps one of our albums which audiophiles also liked was Basia's Sweetest Illusion . Since our girls were (a) still in college, and (b) just 21 years-old, motherhood creeped them out. Thus, Basia's "Perfect Mother" served as both a warning about being a young mother, and also encouragement, should that happen.



The photo above is from Fresh Off The Boat . A different audiophile asked, "Were any of your girlfriends like Jessica, the mom on Fresh Off The Boat ?"



The Totem Sky has quickness, and does not overinflate images. In fact, said images lose density and body. Therefore, you will want to avoid CD players, which have, as my former girlfriend ACS called it, "credit card sound." To her ears, too many CD players made textures "plasticky." And while the sound had width and height, both the soundstage and the images lacked depth. But no, none of my friends was like Fresh Off The Boat 's Jessica.



After that Carmel/Monterey trip, I once again visited Bay Area audiophiles. I then went to a picnic with KJ, at the San Leandro marina. Putting everything together, I made up my mind, and knew I had to get a California Audio Labs Delta CD transport. In size, aesthetics, and sound, the half-width CAL Delta is a natural match for the Sky. And yes, with its textures, 3D imaging, and breath, the CAL Alpha 24/96 DAC makes a wonderful front end for systems ending with the Sky. Because of the Sky's speed, detailing, and imaging, you might get all giddy, rolling the 12AX7s in the CAL Alpha. And if you are scrounging around, Theta Digital's mid-90s DACs, with lowered analog output, sound good with the Sky.

Many of my audiophile friends have been in this hobby for decades. So it makes sense, that some of them have audio products, which, not injusted for inflation, cost the same as an economy car from the mid-90s. Two had this pair of Sky, before I did. One guy did not think the dCS Puccini was a good match for the Sky. He wrote, "The sound becomes too austere, diaphanous, and misty marsh."

Another guy still has access to the big, bold, thick, and powerful Wadia 781i. He wrote, "You know what? I hate to say that two wrongs make a right. But in this case, the thick 781i and lean and quick Sky are quite yummy! The 781i makes the Sky more fulsome. Yeah, the midbass is thicker and richer. But it's the rest of the spectrum, which now doesn't sound as small and lean. Voices just sound more stable, powerful, and present."

As an aside, he also added, "Regardless of which amp I use, you can put your ears up to the Sky. The Sky itself does not make any noise." My experience agrees with that. The Sky itself is, like the audiophiles reacting to KJ, dead silent. The Sky does not generate any hum, buzz, or hiss. Any POP, DC offset, or noise comes from the amp, not the Sky.

In the mid-2000s, I had the Simaudio Andromeda. Regardless of medium, the Andromeda is that rare product, which preserves the music's liveliness, that anticipation you get, before a vocalist starts to sing the next line; that rise to attention you get, as a band enters the stage. So when we received the relatively placid Simaudio 750D, I was disappointed. Moreover, the 750D did not have the Andromeda's air and breath. But my wife noticed the 750D's better resolution of low-level detailing. And she would hum along. Which isn't the same as you and the three girls gleefully singing in the car.



If you read my review of the Simaudio 820S outboard power supply, you will find that it does not directly address the 750D's weaknesses. Instead, it makes refinements here and there, so that it "tells more of the (musical) story." Interestingly, ever since we took in the Sky, my wife actually sang along to the music. And at times, like being in the car, she poured some emotion and energy into it. And that has not occurred before, even with other and more expensive Totems.

But as my audiophile friends showed, the Totem Sky does not waste or throw away what some of these $$$$$ CD players provide. You would not know that the Sky costs less than 15% of one of these CD players. So if you have such a player, desire and like Totems, but do not have the space for, say, the Element Ember and up, the Sky may not be pretty or sexy, but it will work in that small space, and sound upbeat, engaging, communicative, and sometimes vital.

Hardly any of my friends became young mothers. In the early-2000s, audiophiles were so laser-focused on audio products, they did not ask about my friends. As the friends approached 30, that's when they started to get married and have kids. Omani's husband likes audio/video, and is not averse to high-end audio. As the Inmate above said, "Man, I knew you back then, but I never asked you about work, life, girls, and even music."

But there are no restrictions, in checking out the Totem Sky. In this price range and size, the Sky expands the pool. It is not the SAs' cup of tea, but if going on road trips with your three female friends, and gleefully singing in the small car appeal to you, the Totem Sky may send you on your way...

-Lummy The Loch Monster



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  Kimber Kable  


Topic - Totem Sky, Part 15 - Luminator 21:27:13 05/2/21 (49)

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