Totem Acoustic Bison Tower Review (Vs PMC twenty5.23i & PMC Prodigy 5)

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

If you like what I do and want access to more of my thoughts of best products relative to others, where I can’t do it easily on KZbin, or if you just want more advice, please sign up to Patreon. You can sign up as a free trial for 7 days and it’s low cost at €$£5 a month. Also sign up for free to just get knowledge of the products I am about to review and you can then change it to a paid membership. I only get small amounts in sponsorships from brands but I want to build a subscriber model to keep doing credible honest reviews. www.patreon.com/user?u=20783218 Correction to video - the manufacturer recommended retail price in Canada is C$3500 but I have seen them selling for C$3000 online but in any even it doesn’t change my view too much given the ballpark prices of these speakers is similar to PMC Prodigy 5 in Canada, and US.

[@bruceparris657]

Hello Simon, Thanks for another great "true to life" review. Too much "hype" regarding the PMC Prodigy 5. As a previous owner of PMC speakers, I can say they are a great brand. Making a speaker to compete in the $3000.00 to $5000.00 range must be hard as I am sure the majority of sales are within this range. Prior to buying my new speakers (Q Acoustics Concept 50) I did consider Totem Acoustics but did not want to exceed the $5,000.00 price point. I am sure the Bison are excellent! Can you possibly secure a pair of the Q Acoustics Concept 50's for review? All the best in 2024 and I will consider a patreon account. Cheers from Canada. Bruce

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

@@bruceparris657 thanks very much Bruce. It does contrast the British audiophile review. That might be difficult re q acoustics. I am trying some lovely GoldenEar speakers atm. The BRX.

[@Nick-sk1qp]

A wonderful review of a Canadian speaker manufacturer, that really doesn’t get a lot of reviews compared to other speakers. You have intrigued my interest in the Totem brand. I also like your offering of music selection for this video, always looking for new tunes to add to the stable. Cheers

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks very much Nick, I’m still listening to Felix Laband.

[@michaelmityok1001]

Love the music choices Simon! Amazing what Totem has accomplished for the money.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks Michael , you have been an encouraging supporter. Merry Xmas to you and your family.

[@Drackleyrva]

Thanks so much Simon--I've been waiting to see a video review about these speakers. Merry Christmas!

[@MWorsa]

Oh great, now I NEED a set of Bisons 😂 Great review, the dry humor is exquisite.

[@adsph]

Really appreciate your experiences here. Thank you for sharing.

[@johnshepherd708]

Simon, Thank you for the excellent review and comparison. Merry Christmas to you as well.....Best regards...

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks Very much John

[@davidgill2520]

Hello from Montreal, nice job. Not many real bisons around here unless you live in Calgary, Alberta but this Bison speaker is in all the shops. I’m actually considering the Totem Metals to replace my Verity Parsifals another great Canadian speaker. We are very fortunate and spoiled with so many choices to choose from. All the best from across the pond.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks for watching!

[@davidgill2520]

You should visit the Totem facility in Montreal? Lots of great audio shops here and we have Poutine (chips with cheese curds and gravy)@@13thnotehifireviews7

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

I’d definitely be up for doing some videos for Totem Acoustic in Montreal and coming over. Canada does look like a fab country. I was watching a BBC series called ‘race across the world’ where teams have to get across countries or continents in stages with a budget, and the last one was Canada. Your scenery looks amazing. I’d sooner visit Canada than lots of places as I love countries with scenic wilderness areas.

[@davidgill2520]

Cheers, happy holidays. That would be great. I could show you around Mtl. I also know Thomas from Thomas & Stereo, I’ve sold him some gear and he’s very nice. I could introduce you to him. What ever… all the best.@@13thnotehifireviews7

[@sawwas4677]

no bison in calgary, try northern Alberta

[@brettbott]

Thank you for your insightful review, I am fully convinced with Totem and have had amazing listening experiences with the Forest towers and Signature Ones. I recently listened to this Bison and I am sold. In your opinion how well do you think these speakers will pair with the NAD M33?

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks very much - I think they will pair well. Has decent grip. You can get more out of them with better amps

[@rog86]

Brilliant video. Very interesting. Twang! Merry Christmas

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thank you

[@gerardfletcher1203]

excellent production 5 stars. safe a happy christmas to u. thank u for excellent reviews cheers

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks very much. You too Gerard. Have a good one yourself and enjoy your hifi.

[@MG-iv8oo]

great reveiw. i am down to the totem arro vs. the bison tower. the price delta is not a factor. any thoughts on picking one over the other?

[@Harrisongrey19]

Just ordered the bison twin tower a couple of days ago, I’m pumped to see how it sounds with my H390. Let see if they replace my dynaudio’s. Awesome video as always Simon. Keep up the hard work in 2024 and you’ll see great benefits from it.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks very much Harrison. Please do come back and share your thoughts against the dynaudios and model details etc, when you get the Totem’s. I’m sure you’ll find the Hegel H390 works wonders with the Totem’s. One of the best amps out there.

[@Harrisongrey19]

@@13thnotehifireviews7will do, happy holidays

[@philrob4468]

What dynaudio u using ?

[@buckethead84]

curious to know what you think of them and what Dyns you are replacing

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

@@Harrisongrey19how did you get on?

[@dan-qe1tb]

Such praise! I had just met Vince at an audio show, but they had only played the Element Fire v2 speakers. It was great to see a fellow Canadian. Hoping to find a used pair of Bisons. Harbeth, Spendor, and ProAc don't come cheap here (in the US). Hoping Totem can provide the tonal richness and natural timbre, for less money.

[@murraycampbell1548]

Merry Christmas to you too, Simon.

[@Bartmanblues]

I had the same predicament. I had to choose the PMC or the Totem I finally chose the PMC.

[@masamunexc]

I have owned two pairs of Hawks, and now Totem Metals. They all have a slightly forward side of neutral top end that image superbly and very smooth sounding. Do you think the new soft dome tweeters Totem is putting in some of their newer models, is a new type of sound for them, perhaps less bright? Or do the newer models still go after that similar Totem house sound? Any plans to review more Totem products in the future?

[@mat_v]

Thanks for the detailed review Simon, totem shows 8” as the minimum distance from the rear wall. How far did you have to bring them out to get optimal sound?

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

I found about a foot works really well, or ideally 2-3 feet if you can.

[@sawwas4677]

@@13thnotehifireviews7 what about the pmc? do they like to be close to the rear wall?

[@paulinquebec]

Great review. I would really love a review of the totem forest speakers, which I believe are one step up. I figure if I do eventually invest in totems that would be my price range. I presently have triangle speakers which I quite like and I’m also looking to upgrade, maybe with the triangle Antal 40th anniversary speakers. So for me a comparison between triangle Antal and totem forest would be amazing. But even just to have your thoughts on the forests would be appreciated.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

@buckethead84 sorry I deleted your comment by mistake. If you want to add it again happy to carry on chatting.

[@davesnidelywiplash-fi3kt]

Hello and thank you for the detailed review. Based on your review and a few conversations with dealers, I’m selling my DALI Oberon 7s and getting the twin towers. If you are familiar with Arcam, I’d like to know your thoughts on how the SA20 (90 watts into 8ohm, 150 into 4, considered high current) would pair with them. Thanks again. Great information.

[@MG-iv8oo]

any thoughts on pairing the bison's with a rega elicity mk5? thx

[@majtextwriter1794]

How close or different are they to Spendors A2 or A4? I like spendors, my friend has them, nice to listen to them, but for my taste they have some caveats... tooo much mid base, can be muddy and consequetly midrange - natural timbre of instruments is ok, but not great at all, highs a re good but can be too sharp sometimes, sound stage is nice, but too much layed back. So the Totem Bison's have such caveats, or no? Kind regards and all good to you Simon and your channel in 2024

[@cmessi]

I think Spemdor and Totems really sound different. You found the soundtsage a bit laidback on the Spendors, while Totem is known for their 3D sound. I think Totems are more livelier.

[@khoi83]

Thanks for the excellent and interesting review of this very nice Canadian speaker (I am from Québec, Canada). I would try them with the IsoAcoustics Gaia II feet.

[@buckethead84]

Update: a dealer that allowed me to audition the bison towers also let me take home the twin towers, which I believe judging by the totem website is a 2.5 way design. While the bass was better defined the twin towers in my room at least lacked the magic of their smaller siblings. It was as if there was a hole in the midrange, something was missing. Again, I want to emphasize that this was in my room and it could be the case that I just couldn't position them right, or maybe they just nailed it with the smaller towers.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thanks for update.sorry I deleted your earlier post thread by mistake . I was going to include in a video, but forgot too. Glad you got on well against Buchardt’s. I often find a sweeter sound with simpler designs. Just my opinion.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

What did you decide to do in the end.

[@buckethead84]

​@@13thnotehifireviews7no worries, thanks for the mention in the new video. I'm going to get the bison towers, they offer enough of an improvement over the buchardts to justify the purchase. I also have to take in some real life considerations with a toddler around, standmout bookshelves are a safety risk, the small towers should mitigate that considerably.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

I thought I’d put it in as some back up to your mention about the s400 mk2’s. The ones in white and the light oak look really good, better than the black pair I featured. I would get the oak ones personally as totem wood veneer finishes are very good. Actually I don’t recall a speaker with as good a woodwork as totem and they have plenty of wood in Canada!

[@nc3419]

Would the performance suffer much driven by a 55/85 watt into 8/4 ohms driven to low to moderate SPLs? Don't need loud in a flat and would be looking at the Bison standmounts.

[@paulmastermann2200]

Thanks! Did you listen to ATC 19A in comparison? Thanks in advance!

[@oneemotiva4975]

I must say, I would love to try Gato Audio phono pre-amp. Did you ever made a review on it?

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

No I haven’t tried that one tbh. I’d like to do more of the streaming amps of there’s or a cd player maybe.

[@oneemotiva4975]

@@13thnotehifireviews7 Thanks, I like records, so I may give it a go and see. Thanks

[@Drackleyrva]

Hi Simon---do you think these would match well with the Sugden A21 Signature, class A?

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

How can I say when I’ve never tried the a21.

[@chrishumphries7697]

Great brand. I used to own Totem Hawk speakers and will always regret selling them. Unfortunately Totem decided to terminate that model a couple of years ago. I should check these Bison speakers out sometime. Hey, you should demo a Simaudio Moon amplifier someday. That company is also based in Montreal.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

I did try getting some sim audio but am doubtful they will offer the same as Hegel etc, so I thought let sleeping dogs lie. I’m also keen to explore more Chinese amp brands as for some, their economies of scale and value for money is incredible. Amps made in China and shipped one way around the world makes, I think, for a much lower cost than a supply chain of British and American brands assembling Chinese boards into amps and parts coming all over the world, then being shipped out again.

[@davethornley1955]

What I do not like is the cost in the UK almost double the price in Canada. Where does this extra money originate? I know know shipping, import duties but an increase of £1500 is pushing it too far in my mind.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Regardless of the ethics either way for dealers and the direct selling model can be a great one opposingly - the dealers take a margin of the product once all these costs and the price is set by the main EU distributor, so it has to be set competitive for the dealers to stock it and what they can make from other brands, as opportunity cost. This can be 40-50% of the overall price and it's going to differ, depending on local markets, cost of sales and red tape in each country and so on. I suspect it is way cheaper in the US/Canada than with all the EU charges and legislation, and then you have different sales tax rates too. I am with you as a lot of the time I do free promotion on products I believe in, most traditionally nobody has paid me who watches my videos to get this info about what I am finding more competitive and being honest with PMC comparisons etc, as I was in this video, only for the viewer to benefit and the dealer too in the sales my honesty drives. I'm not moaning in the case of Totem but overall my videos drive sales for which I should benefit more and the dealer less so. 80-90% of the videos I make I have to do free with no sponsorship afterwards. So we can't blame Totem, blame the dealers. Most of them make too much money for just transactions when I have put all the effort in with legitimately marketed videos that take a week or more each. I would also like to see more and more sales direct and less reliance on dealers and more so on brands using youtubers (and online ways of sales and affiliate links) and crucially by only those KZbinrs who believe in the gear (and call out other less competitive gear wherever they do this) to drive down the costs for consumers where I have built up trust with a number of viewers over the years, who have tried the products I have recommended and where they have agreed with me. Also what is driving the cost of HiFi up is shilling reviewers who say products are good to appease distributors and PR agents, when they wouldn't actually buy the products themselves, so the bad products at high prices don't get called out and then gullible people with more money than sense, buy them. Also consumers are driving cost of products up by not investing small amounts in reviewers whose thoughts the consumers can access privately in the confines of how this is a brand market of reviews, to lower the demand of uncompetitive pricey products and bring prices down generally and make HiFi more competitive, and ensure reviewers survival too. In this way the review industry is acting for consumers and the prices don't stay inflamed.

[@cmessi]

I am oversensitive for too much and harsh treble. PMC and Totem are not good choices for me?

[@marckant3611]

Why on earth are the binding posts above the bass reflex port? I can imagine the speaker cables will rattle when volume is loud.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

No they don’t rattle. I tried loud and it’s fine. It’s due to the internal organisation of speakers that they are placed higher I understand.

[@philrob4468]

I will be buying totem speakers in the next couple months I am excited for what Vince is doing over at totem. Not sure what I’ll get( tribe tower , bison twin tower, or the forest speaker) but whatever it will be I’m excited for the journey

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Those are ones I want to try next - the Forest or Tribe tower as I suspect they are way better than mine. I hope they appreciate the integrity of my review which I think they do, as few prodigy 5 reviews have compared to others and done proper critical appraisals.

[@DigitalPhilosophers]

imho There is nothing on planet hifi earth that sounds like the Tribe Towers. The only speaker I know that doesn’t sound like a speaker but the real thing. Tone and PRAT out of this world.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

@Selltschuck thanks for saying. I’d love to try them.

[@christiantessier6599]

Govwith Forest signature My acoustic room is weak and the Forest dont care about that 😉 Easy for placement too.Verry impressive after tried over 20 pairs in my room

[@buckethead84]

The tribe towers/forests I've yet to hear, but having compared the Bison Tower and Twin Towers, I was disappointed with the Twin Towers. They had better bass performance but the magic wasn't there, it's like there was a hole in the midrange. The integration between the tweeter and woofer on the bison towers is just seamless. This was in my room, maybe the Twin Towers were too much for my room, so worth trying out in yours.

[@michaelbooth6007]

Just looking at the UK pricing of these speakers you say at £3295 against 2250USD. 2250USD is around £1767 equivalent so these speakers are around £1528 more expensive over here than they are in the US.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

The 2250 is what I saw one shop selling them at but I think the USD recommended retail price is higher, so it is roughly about £1000 difference between the UK and US and Canada, into pounds Sterling. The distributors obviously set these prices but the higher prices are obviously accounted for by the margins the distributors need to take and the transport costs.

[@stephenlibin9526]

In the USA, MSRP is 3000.00/pair. I think Simon made an honest mistake on the price in the USA. Thank You.@@13thnotehifireviews7

[@gertjanvanderkooij9242]

i own the totem tribe towers,love them a lot!!

[@sonusancti]

The Bison rams the PMC. Vince can't seem to do anything wrong. Merry Christmas Simon!

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Have you done direct comparisons out of interest. Merry Xmas to you too!

[@sonusancti]

@@13thnotehifireviews7 Based on your review only. I've always had a high appraisal of Totems having heard them several times early in my journey. Now I'm more a minimalist and toying with the idea of "barely visible" speakers without compromising sonic ideals. The Tribe 3 on-wall pair might be the ticket. If the wall matches its color, it will be hardly noticed. I gain floor space with nothing taken since Vince never compromises sonics.

[@michaela.5363]

You need to hear their flagship, i.e. metal v2

[@peterd1364]

Have Totem Arros, very small and slender floorstanders and would not part with them for the type of music I listen to, heard Totems in 2006 and never looked back. Would love the Bisons but hey retired now so fixed income and all that. BTW Sim Audio (Moon) and Totem make a great mix

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

I’ve heard your speakers and liked them very much too. 😀

[@IrenESorius]

Complete and utterly madness, to burn bunker-oil to ship luxury goods over the oceans. Cheers and Merry Jesus-birthday Mr Master Reviewer,, or Midwinter Bloodbath, if your from around here,, ☀🌟❄☃☕🥰🍰☃❄🌟☀

[@bruceandt]

Totem has enjoyed the highest regard from owners. That said, they have pushed the Bison. But why. In their highest ranks we find to Torrent Driver. Absolutely superb. On the more acceptable end of pricing we find the Bison in a single or a twin. This frustrates me. The Totem Forest and Signature Forest have been around for a very long time. It’s expensive. A tower speaker that boasts incredible results. It uses a driver called the Hi Vi D 6.8. The cost of this driver is only 168 dollars Canadian. This Totem Forest speaker needs a refresh. If Totem utilized the Purifi 6.5 woofer? Not a single person would consider the Bison line.

[@itk2493]

Always get a good sound from Totem, top imaging always, shame the price in the EU is an utter pizza takeaway.

[@De132an]

Nicely done!

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@timleelim9930]

Son: Dad, what do I do if I come across a great pair of loudspeakers? Dad: Bison.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Nice one , like it. 😂👍😀

[@willjones4085]

Informative review but why the ridiculous UK/EU premium over the CDN/US price...it's actually quite offensive & I won't be auditioning them anytime soon.

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

Because we are in an energy crisis with situation in Russia and Ukraine it costs more to send overseas with shipping and container costs. One firm was telling me how much a container had gone up. Then the EU/UK distributor has to make a margin on top of that , and the shop too, to to be in business. When you add that in it’s not hard to envisage differential pricing. The alternate is same pricing but that means Canadians pay more and Totem may want to saturate the local market. When we say all this it’s not right just to simply say pricing is ridiculous and offensive. Way too over simplified and just thinking about it from a consumers view. That doesn’t really account the economics of what’s going on. You could listen locally and then try and import a pair - maybe

[@willjones4085]

Well as a consumer, I'll stick to looking at it from a consumer's point of view...Merry Xmas!

[@cmessi]

Same here in Holland. UK voted for Brexit, Neat Acoustic prices went up 45©.

[@ericp8094]

They are very short speakers , I’m sitting 7’ from my speaker . Would that be to close with these totems .. ear level would be a few inches higher

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

I think it will be ok. The tweeters are very dispersive

[@ericp8094]

@@13thnotehifireviews7 thank you so much for the response

[@HanifBarnwell]

Yo nice shirt, where’d do I get one?

[@13thnotehifireviews7]

It is nice isn’t it. Passenger shirts. I got mine in a camping hiking shop in the UK called Cotswold outdoor. www.passenger-clothing.com/collections/mens-shirts/products/woodland-organic-overshirt-grey-marl

[@HanifBarnwell]

@@13thnotehifireviews7 thank you, I’m ordering now

[@LeoRousseau]

❤✌️