Totem Rainmaker review

They may have a complete lack of styling, but these standmounters are a truly pleasurable and musical listen Tested at £1095.00

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

These Totems are utterly captivating speakers. We love them

Pros

  • +

    Hugely musical speakers that are a pleasure to listen to

Cons

  • -

    They don’t look or feel like anything special at this price level

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.

We like surprises. And the Totem Rainmakers turn out to be one of the nicest we've had in ages.

These standmounters look like a 1980s throwback, with their lack of styling and unglamorous drive-unit complement. Getting your hands on them doesn't improve the impression much.

They feel relatively lightweight and, while solidly put together, could quite easily pass for speakers at half the money.

Amazingly musical speakers
And then you take a listen. For these are amazingly musical little speakers, sounding bold and dynamic no matter what you play.

Spin the likes of Massive Attack's Flat of the Blade and they will respond with immaculate timing, class-leading organisation and a good amount of insight.

The Rainmakers aren't the most transparent or detailed boxes we've come across for the money.

But they communicate the basic structure of music better than just about everything else we've heard at this price, and the detail they do uncover – hardly a shabby amount – goes into making the musical experience cohesive and hugely enjoyable.

Wonderful with anything
These speakers manage to find some sparkle even in massively compressed recordings such as The Magnetic Fields' Realism – a neat trick few can manage.

It also means that with an appropriate system – you'll need something like a Naim Nait 5i at least – these speakers will produce enjoyable results no matter what kind of recordings you have in your collection.

Our standard advice about using stands and taking care with positioning holds. Position the Totems at least 30cm from a rear wall with a touch of toe-in to the listening and you'll be fine.

We adore the Rainmakers. Not for what they look like, or for reasons of prestige, but because they make listening to music, any music, fun. And that quality is far rarer than it should be.

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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.

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