A few points. 1.) I love the Rainmakers. I've compared them blind next to a $3500 pair of B&W monitors of the same size, and it was no comparison at all. The Rainmakers were so much better. Everyone who listened to the comparison confirmed it. I'm aware of the slightly elevated tweeter's response, but love the extra air, detail and soundstage. I think they've got better than most caps on it, and I think that helps it be non-fatiguing to listen too. They're designed to be listened to without toe-in, somewhat off axis. 2.) They don't fill the cabinets with foam or polyfil. They use Borosilicate mineral based paint instead for resonance control. 3.) I thought that woofer looked awfully similar to one in your design. I love paper cones in general. 4.) I've had them for years, and I've never heard any port noise. One thing Totem does is tune a bit extra deep for their size, so if driven harder than I'd care to listen, I'm sure that could become a problem. 5.) As a nearfield monitor on my computer, while playing Call of Duty it's almost like cheating with all the extra detail, haha. You can hear people sneaking up on you no problem, and just a stereo pair soundstages so well, you can tell exactly where they're coming from. 6.) Totem uses those connectors to avoid more solder joints. They think solder is degrading the sound, so they use mechanical crimping methods instead. Weather that helps or hinders the sound I don't know, but I know they do it on purpose. 7.) Totem tends to go simpler on crossovers with fewer components, favoring purity of the signal path rather than the flattest most "corrected" response. I'm not doubting you aren't taking them to another level, and have faith in your design, I just wanted to point out a few things about the Rainmaker. I was sad to see them discontinued, but still own a mint pair myself, which I keep in much more expensive company.
The damping material is a multi-coat borosillicate glass paste hand-painted inside the cabinet. This paste is also used on the tube of the reflex port, which is made of damped acrylic and affixed with an anti-resonant glue. The borosilicate is a more lasting and stable damping material than foam, which tends to oxidize and degenerate over time, changing a cabinet's Quality Factor (Q).
Hmmm... I think this is a good example of the difference between theory and reality. A friend has these Rainmakers and my goodness is that they sound better than any other speaker we have compared, none of the limiting parameters he mentions stand out when listening. Is it because Totem is a Canadian company and this guy is American? Not sure. But what is certain is that Americans always say that they are the best. So, it would be a bit in this logic, without obviously mentioning that he wants to sell his own speakers, because they are so much better...
They are rated 47Hz min. So you need a subwoofer to cover the bottom end. The 20-40HZ test is true but really not applicable. Set you amp to cross over to the sub at about 40HZ.
Let's see how cheesy Totem crossovers are. I'm a fan of their element line and their in-house drivers, but maybe even those fairly expensive speakers are smuggling iron and sand-cast without my knowledge.
I love my Rainmakers and enjoyed your remarks. They are in my office (nearfield). I have a pair of Forest Signatures upstairs as my main surround system. Love those, too. Clean and clear. Thanks, Danny!
I have a pair of Totem Hawk and by far a favorite but it won't play loud like bigger speakers. It's surprisingly full range in my measurements from my MLP using REW.
Interesting. I have Totom Tribe In Wala speakers for my rear channels in my theater. They sound amazing, I'm curious how they would stand up to the G-R test. Thanks!
