Compare between Totem Acoustic Forrest and B&W 703?

[audiofan]

Hi,
I'm torn between Totem Acoustic Forrest http://www.totemacoustic.com/english...ing_forest.htm and B&W 703 http://www.bwspeakers.com/index.cfm/...el/MODEL%20703

I have listened to Totem but not B&W. There are B&W dealers near my place, but the problem is i can't audition both . So, i was wondering if anyone heard of both and what is your suggestion? I think both are in the same price range.

thanks.

[herotongtong]

If you wanna buy the B & W try the 800 series not 703 coz they are way too bright !! lack of the warmness .this is my point of view . good luck

[fatcat]

not true

You'll find lots of comments on this forum like the one above... except by owners of the 703. I use my 703s with McIntosh amplification, which might be partly why, but they sound fantastic. I heard them next to the 804s with McIntosh amps, and did not think the sound difference was worth the extra price.

Of course they do not compare to the 802s, but that's a whole different level of speaker and price.

The 703s also look gorgeous -- very high WAF rating (wife approval).

[jclyle]

I recently upgraded from the 703's and have a pair of the for sale on audiogon.com $2050 cherrywood w/ sound anchor stands. I ran them with a tube pre which helped tame the brightness quite a bit

[jim777]

fatcat is right. I got a McIntosh MA6500 and 703 and it is amazing. I would never never (did I say never..) had bought the 703 with lets say a RC1070/RB1070 combo. I tried it and it played the notes all right, but not the music
I didn't listen to the other speaker you are talking about. You will need to take your favorite CD's and use a very good amp in both cases to compare...

[BlazeMaster]

herotongtong just put everything other than the 800s series down, regardless of what the posts is asking for. It's his automatic reply.