The Totem Acoustic Bison Monitor (US $2250/pair), from the pen of doyen Canadian loudspeaker designer Vince Bruzzese, is a ported 2-way monitor, 8-ohm speaker with a 1.3” laser-etched textile soft dome tweeter and a 5.25 “ long-throw woofer with a sensitivity of 87 dB.

The Bison is the replacement for the superb Sky loudspeaker we reviewed some time ago. They were a bargain at $1850/pair. The Bison has been redesigned, maintained its small stature, and has increased $400 as a result of time, development costs and a pandemic. Like the Sky, the Bison Monitors need a stand to sound their best. I used my excellent Custom Design UK stands ($400/pair).

The Bison’s drivers and crossover (2.5 kHz/first order) are designed in-house and the cabinetry fit and finish are typical Totem high quality. They are available in White Oak, Satin White and Black Ash and have magnetic grilles (unused for the review).

These monitors throw down to a reported 40 Hz.

Dimensions: Width: 6.732” Height: 13.11” Depth: 9.567”

According to our Advisory Council, every single aspect of the Sky was changed:

The new Bison looks only marginally larger yet its internal volume is 43% bigger. Both drivers were completely reworked. The crossover was also changed including a new circuit that seamlessly ties the two drivers together. They are not giving specific details on the circuit design. Totem did say it’s used in all three Bison models.

The Bison family includes the Monitor ($2250/pair), Tower ($3000/pair) and Twin Tower ($4000/pair).

My Use

Binding posts are mid-tier but effective (4-way bi-wire-able—we single-wired them). I used well-priced Audioquest cables, hooked up to the spectacular combo of Naim NSC 222 Streaming Preamplifier and NAP 250 power amplifier. Sure, 18K is overkill, but a brief listen with the much cheaper all-in-one Marantz 40n, while not matching the Rolls Royce performance of the Naim combo (which took the Bison to its greatest heights), yielded good results from the monitors.

So Naim streaming/pre/power/MM and a Dual CS 618Q Manual HiFi Turntable for vinyl. One of my fondest memories of the earlier Sky was its easy placement. The same now for the Bisons. A very rare firing straight out into the room, no toe in. I love the straight-firing look. The very large Rethm Maargas can also be fired straight out. A great look for speakers of any size.

Also used for the review was an AudioQuest Niagara 5000 Low-Z Power | Noise-Dissipation System. One of the very best power conditioners you can buy. Too much money? Try the entry-level AudioQuest Niagara 1200 Low-Z Power | Noise-Dissipation System we reviewed. Outstanding value and performance.

Sound

No matter the size, the Bisons pack a punch, much like the ProAc Tablette Signature and the even smaller Xavian Perla Esclusiva. But it’s not a punchy, effective design for sales’ sake. The Bison has all the qualities you’ll need from an audiophile speaker but in a smaller footprint. Even though firing straight into the room is best, the Bison is very easy to place. You like them toed in, no problem, nearfield listening, cool, a tight listening space, no sweat.

First up to test a speaker or component is “Dead Already” from Thomas Newman’s soundtrack to American Beauty. This whizz-bang digital masterpiece has everything you need for a good time and everything I need to test the component’s speed, range, depth and power handling. The Naim’s grasp on the HiRes Qobuz track is tight; nothing in the soundstage, where percussion and tabla confusion can reign, if not completely controlled, went unheard. And clearly. The Bisons get the fast stuff and go quite deep, but physics only allows the monitors to get to 40 Hz. Respectable, and impressive on the Newman track, but heard on special full-range speakers such as the Paradigm Persona 9H, spectacular.

The first LP was special—a spectacular recording (1971 OG EMI UK) of a not-often-heard concerto, Ravi Shankar’s Concerto for Sitar and Orchestra. I’ll leave it to others to comment on the merits of this piece, but Ravi Shankar’s playing of the difficult instrument is well known to be the very best. The sound of the (up to) 21 strings and the drone was clear on the Bisons. Quite an achievement for such a small, reasonable speaker from such a complex, unique instrument. The LSO, sleepwalking the simple accompaniment, sounds glorious in the acoustic (probably Kingsway). It’s a sleeper disc for interest and sound.

I streamed an underrated Le Sacre du Printemps, Abbado and the LSO on DG no less. It underscored why this recording was chosen by the Emil Berliner Studios for remastering and recutting on their new series The Original Source. I chose Le Sacre to remind myself of the wonderful power handling of the very small Xavian Perlas mentioned earlier. The Bisons handled Stravinsky’s onslaught with no problem. You won’t be getting a bird’s eye view from the Carnegie Hall Mezzanine, but the Bisons certainly give a good account of undiluted power. And no soundstage implosion.

The soundstage on both Shankar and Stravinsky was wide and deep and filled the medium-sized room. Monitor imaging was as expected. Precise.

The opening track of the Stockfisch collection LP (digitally sourced, but an immaculate, rich-sounding pressing from 2006) of Chris Jones singing '“No Sanctuary Here” was beautiful and impressive. Voices have a natural sound and are imaged well if the recording allows. The MM of the Naim 222 is far from perfect, but it did a nice job with the vinyl blackness and the impressive engineering on the LP. The Bisons ate up this excellence. The speaker does not cut corners on genres. As such, the Bisons will have it covered whatever you listen to.

Summary

As I was listening, I figured the Bisons played above their $2250/pair MSRP. The Bisons should be on your audition list if you’re looking for speakers under 3Gs. They look good, sound splendid, can take gobs of power, and have a natural, engaging sound in all genres. Recommended.

Further information: Totem Acoustic