Floorstanding loudspeakers — Totem Acoustic Tribe Tower

The Tribe Tower is a slim floorstanding loudspeaker from Totem Acoustic, which the Canadian company presents as a synthesis of research from its Tribe and Element series. Totem prices it from USD 6,500 to USD 6,900 per pair depending on finish, with Dusk, Ice, Satin White and Satin Black offered.

Key specs that matter

Two 4 inch Torrent woofers work with a 1.3 inch (3.3 cm) laser etched textile soft dome tweeter mounted behind a half inch thick metal faceplate. The published response is 30 Hz to 30 kHz and nominal impedance is 4 ohm, and Totem recommends amplifier power between 50 and 200 W. Each cabinet measures 17.8 cm wide, 93.5 cm high and 20 cm deep and weighs 14.1 kg. The stated break-in time runs to 100 to 200 hours.

Engineering and use context

The Torrent drivers are hand-assembled with machined parts. In this version, seventeen neodymium magnets, each about 6.4 cm long, completely encircle the voice coil, so the coil stays immersed in the magnetic field even at full excursion. The coil is wound from square copper wire to eliminate air gaps, the spider is a natural cotton hybrid, and the cone combines several compounds and is reinforced with an o-ring. Totem introduced Torrent technology in 2007. According to the company, the response of these woofers is wide and flat enough that they need no active or passive crossover components, and the single filter in the speaker is a first-order high-pass section feeding the tweeter. That network is hand-built, its parts mechanically crimped and joined with WBT silver solder. The lock-miter cabinet has interlocking edges that Totem rates at up to five times the strength of a typical cabinet joined with V-grooves. Veneer on both inner and outer surfaces resists warping, the panels are variable density fiberboard, and borosilicate damping is used in place of poly filler because it does not deteriorate. Machined aluminium semi-spherical decouplers support and level the cabinet.

Pairing

Terminal hardware depends on the finish. Dusk and Ice versions carry WBT bi-wire capable connectors on annealed aluminium plates, while Satin Black and Satin White versions use gold-plated terminals. Both woofers cover the same bandwidth and are run full range, working from the recommended amplifier window.

Alternatives

Higher in Totem's floorstanding range, the Wind Design is a four-driver three-way system with an 8.5 inch woofer, two 5.5 inch midranges and a 1 inch alloy dome tweeter.