Totem Arro review

A little more expression in the midrange and an extra ounce of finesse and we would give them five stars Tested at £1200

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

The Arro is an accomplished design, and will work well in most systems – but the competition is mighty stiff

Pros

  • +

    Slender looks

  • +

    expansive soundstage

  • +

    fine integration

Cons

  • -

    Could sound weightier

  • -

    could sound more detailed

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

When talk turns to compact floorstanders, the name Totem will invariably be invoked. These Arros have undergone any number of detail changes (and a 20 per cent price rise) since we last looked at them back in February 2006; but their tiny cabinet dimensions of 85 x 13 x 18cm remain unchanged.

Totem has revised and upgraded the Arros’ crossover, capacitors and 19mm textile dome tweeter.

What it hasn’t addressed, sadly, is the Arros’ entirely unsatisfactory plinth arrangement. The supplied, spiked plinths don’t bolt or screw to the speaker cabinets – instead, you must use the supplied sticky pads, Blu-Tac or similar to create a union. Does that sound like £1200-worth of speakers to you?

With plenty of playing-in time under their slender belts, and with minimal toe-in, the Totems are, fortunately, talented enough to make you forgive the indignity of their plinth arrangement.

Arresting stereo focus
Nils Frahm’s The Bells positively revels in the Arros’ distinct, wide-open soundstage and vivid imaging. Dynamically adept, rhythmically surefooted and musically up-front, the Totems offer fine timing to accompany their arresting stereo focus.

There’s impressive togetherness to the Arros’ sound, a seamless integration from the bottom of the frequency range to the top.

The bass-hungry may raise an eyebrow at the flyweight low-end presence (Totem admits mass-loading the cabinets might be an idea), but what bass there is, is four-square, tonally varied and solid.

In fact, the Arros cover their tracks well – they’re not the punchiest, the most transparent or the most detailed speaker here, but they are among the most vibrant and musical and, as such, ought to feature on any short-speaker shortlist.

See all our hi-fi speaker Best Buys

Follow whathifi.com on Twitter

Join whathifi.com on Facebook

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

Read more about how we test

Latest in Hi-Fi Speakers
Elac Debut 3.0 DB53 standmount speakers
Elac Debut 3.0 DB53
KEF LS50 Wireless II streaming speaker system on a desk next to the the Technics SC-CX700
4 things Technics needs to do to beat KEF’s LS50 Wireless II hi-fi system and one area where it’s better
Elipson Planet L Performance speakers
These Planet-shaped speakers promise "exceptionally pure sound" with an out-of-this-world design
Bowers & Wilkins Radiohead The Bends event
I heard my favourite Radiohead album on the B&W speakers used to record it – and now I love it even more
Dynaudio Confidence 20A
Dynaudio's Confidence 20A active speakers boast "the biggest upgrade in active hi-fi in over a decade"
Fyne Audio F501E floorstanding speakers
Fyne Audio ousts Q Acoustics as our new favourite sub-£1000 floorstanding speakers
Latest in Reviews
iFi Zen Phono 3 phono stage
iFi Zen Phono 3
Google TV Streamer video streamer
Google TV Streamer
Samsung QN990F on a white media unit with a grey curtain in the behind it and soundbar in front
Samsung QN990F 8K TV
Elac Debut 3.0 DB53 standmount speakers
Elac Debut 3.0 DB53
 iFi Zen DAC 3 digital-to-analogue converter
iFi Zen DAC 3
Sennheiser HD 505 open-back headphones
Sennheiser HD 505