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Tonally then the Ember's midrange felt gently leaner than the Geithain's and a subtle depression in this range is perfectly valid voicing for greater ease. Here it simply never became a hurdle. Voices retained clear dynamic modulation with plenty of detail and in many instances felt more real than over my references. Here I'm thinking of Etta Cameron's "Careless Love" from Etta for example whose hyper-present insistence over the Geithains simply gets too much for me. The Ember retained that intensity but didn't go on my nerves.
This speed and immediacy of the vocal range reminded me of quality widebanders without the latter's often elevated presence region. I then remembered Diapason's Karis as having struck me similar in both sound and general concept. Its mid/woofer also runs wide open and the complex enclosure likewise spreads out resonances. The Italian's sound remained pleasant but not boring too. The Element Ember now hit a similar note but added decisively higher micro dynamics and resolution. So let's pull in Thiel's SCS4 which for fairaudio is a constant workhorse reference in the compact monitor category.
On soundstage specificity the American speaker played it more precise than the Canadian but in turn also felt overall more sober and a bit more distanced. Tone colors over the Totem were noticeably more saturated which likely pools back into their tonal balance. To make this point of distinction clear, I'll describe my personal reaction to a specific cut.
The aforementioned DeeDee Bridgewater album has the "Slow Boat to China" track commence with sparse beats on the bass drum. With the Thiel I was informed that at about 4 meters and about 1.5 meters right off center a bass drum was hit. The Totem showed me a sizeable drum skin triggered with a soft mallet. I was made to feel how the drum's low pitch is an archaic sound which ages ago had already moved humans into trance and ecstasy. I 'saw' the import of the bass drum in Jazz and how deeply engrained it is in its rhythms. And I somehow knew the meaning of each beat, its role in the piece and for the session and drummer. In short, the Thiel conveyed musical data, the Totem conveyed music. Granted, the SCS4 sells for less than half. And I can see how certain listeners might prefer the more sober ultra-exacting Thiel. I simply came down hard on the Totem side which I thought far more musical.
Conclusion. I view Totem's Element Ember as really really good speakers. They impress with authority well beyond their enclosure size due to special talents in the frequency extremes which are spiced up with high standards of rhythm and timing and very realistic tone colors. One might slightly criticize the by comparison slightly lean midband but not only doesn't it disturb, it occasionally prettifies the tunes a bit.
Psych profile of the Totem Element Ember:
• A highly dynamic lively presentation which simultaneously remains at easy and relaxed. What this speaker dishes out on PraT is fantastic. If your foot doesn't tap, you're in Elysium already.
• The bass is slightly round but relative to the small enclosure astonishingly deep and impressively articulate. This extents to well above room level SPL without audible distortion. This mid/woofer is capable of truly extreme excursions.
• The midband is arguably restrained a bit but I didn't come across any music track where this became a demerit. This slightly lean center is well matched to the very quick dynamic core traits.
• The treble is quite fresh but sidesteps all aggression.
• Resolution, detail tracking, microdynamics and saturated timbres are clear strengths. What's on tap here is grande wide-screen full-color cinema without any grandiose self references. It all integrates in the service of realistic music making.
• The spatial presentation favors the live perspective over sterile sorting precision. The music decorrelates very well from the boxed as apparent sound sources and arises in-room just so.
• In toto this speaker is no mastering tool but a pleasure machine at the highest level.
Facts
• Concept: 2-way compact bass-reflex monitor
• Finishes: High-gloss black or white
• Sensitivity: 88dB
• Nominal impedance: 8 ohms
• Dimensions: 105 x 358 x 248mm (WxHxD)
• Weight: 6kg/ea.
• Warranty: 3 years
