Throughout Totem Acoustic’s 38 year storied history, the 2-way monitor loudspeaker has played a very significant role. Think highly musical, accurate, perfect phase coherency and three-dimensional expansiveness, all the while, yielding performance that defies their size. This company has been a world leader in embodying these attributes into a smaller chassis design as proven throughout their storied history. Enter the new KIN ONE, a completely redesigned entry level model residing in Totem’s KIN “companion-brand” lineup and representing a true “gateway” to High-Performance Audio.
Through the use of “trickle-down” technology with respect to (i) driver technology, (ii) cabinet design and (iii) crossover circuitry, the KIN ONE performs far beyond both its price point and physical stature. In essence, a great deal of technical know-how learned from Totem products, including the legendary “Model One” and “Element FIRE v2”, was applied to the KIN ONE design. Further, thanks to 5 different satin finishes and unprecedented flexibility of placement for a Totem loudspeaker, experiencing music on the KIN ONE is an absolutely fun endeavour.
On a more technical level, the KIN ONE uses specific custom proprietary drivers. The MHEX woofer (Multiple Strata Hex Cone) is stiffer than metal but reacts very fast and sounds like paper. The titanium infused soft dome tweeter is harmoniously matched to both this woofer and the cabinet, resulting in perfect phase response. Next, upon a first look at the KIN ONE you can’t help but notice they appear to be a much smaller version of the “Element Fire v2” (which has an MSRP that is 14 times more expensive). This specific cabinet geometry assists with the precise base tuning of the KIN ONE in conjunction with the crossover. Using just seven high quality precision components, the 2nd order crossover is minimalist but a remarkably effective design to achieve maximum performance from the two aforementioned drivers and the custom cabinet. Finally, there’s an “L shaped” port to achieve a much longer length in a small cabinet to virtually eliminate cabinet resonances. This port design allows information to exist below 65Hz (i.e. 40Hz @ -12dB).
KIN ONE Significant Facts and Features:
● Ported 2-way design.
● 1” Titanium Infused Soft Dome tweeter and 4” MHEX Cone Woofer.
● Nominal Impedance 6 ohms / Sensitivity 89dB @ 1watt /
● Crossover Frequency 2.5kHz (second order).
● Frequency Response 65 Hz to 22 kHz ± 3 dB and recommended power 20 – 100W.
● Dimensions (H x W x D): 5” x 9.5” x 6.25” (bottom) x 5.25”(top) / 12.7 x 24.3 x 15.9 (bottom) x 13.3cm (top).
● Weight: 6.25 lbs each.
● Available satin finishes: Pink, Blue, Orange, Black and White.
● Matching magnetic grills included.
● Recommended placement: 3” – 2’ from rear wall; 3’ – 12’ apart.
● Wallmount Thread: ¼”–20 allowing the speakers to be mounted directly on the wall.
Trickle-down technology has helped create the KIN ONE, which
represents a genuine introduction to High-Performance Audio.
What is it about experiencing music on a pair of KIN ONE’s that’s so inherently unique, especially when powered by Totem‘s integrated “KIN AMP” (with Bluetooth aptX™ HD, 100 wpc, analog & digital inputs), a cost-effective pairing and an excellent match for sonic performance? For starters, they are easy to listen to over extended periods of time as they effortlessly and gradually draw you into your music. There are a multitude of reasons for this. It becomes immediately apparent that the soundscape is full-bodied, non-fatiguing and uncongested, featuring lots of spatial cues, exceptional phase linearity and plenty of mid-bass authority.
All genres of music sound realistic and lifelike, thanks to a very open sound signature that creates good space with separation between instruments and voices. The KIN ONE has great voicing as the portrayal of instruments is highly accurate along with honest scaling, especially for vocals. Of equal importance, just like all other Totem loudspeakers, the transients across different frequencies are effortless, producing honest harmonic decay for a very realistic sound. Finally, they can play loud while remaining musically clear.
Ultimately, the Totem Acoustic KIN ONE exudes much of what High-Performance Audio brings to a musical experience.
The KIN ONE has an MSRP of $599.00 USD and is shipping now.
