Total rebuild of the system, I've settled on the components listed above.
The Classe CP-35 with the Arcam Delta 120.2 produces a warm sound which really suits my musical taste (classical).
The Mark Levinson No.36s DAC was a surprising find on my local used market. An excellent DAC, both my PC and DVD player are hooked up to it. Since all my music is stored on the PC in FLAC lossless format, the Levinson enables my PC to act as a convenient transport.
I'm absolutely loving the Totem Hawks combined with the sealed Energy S12.3, even the most demanding orchestral pieces sounds detailed from top of the frequency range to bottom.
New pictures are coming, as soon as I move into my new place early January.
Totem Hawks, these sounded absolutely amazing when I auditioned them with a Simaudio I-7
Levinson No 36s
Awesome DAC despite its age.
Classe CP-35
This is an old preamp, but I really do enjoy its sound combined with the Arcam.
Arcam Delta 120.2
The warm sound of this little dual mono amp really won me over. Capable of pushing 150+wpc into 4ohms, more than enough power to make the hawks really sing.
Pioneer DV-45A
A decent DVD player and universal player (plays DVD-A and SACD). I occasionally use it to play some CD's.
Energy S12.3
Surprisingly good cheap 12" powered sub from Energy. I used a pair of foam plugs to seal the 2 bottom ports, really seems to help the quality of the bass.
My suggestion for you is in this order: 1 Sim Audio 2 Classe 3 NAD Master Series
Totem suggested their customers to go with Plinius but I suspect that they refer their products back and forth for each other.
I currently use a cheap NAD C372 to drive a pair of Dynaudio DM 2/10 at home. Even though I no longer have great stereo image as with my Totem, the overall sound is better to my ears and I get the lowest bottom octave that I have craved all the years. I am quite content now with my combo of NAD/Dynaudio:-))
The point is you have good speakers and you are 70% there. Just find a capable amp that is within the $2.5K or less price range and you are good to go for years.
You should stay away from that upgraditis thing. It is a nasty virus that could blow a big hole in your bank account:-))
If the I3.3 specs are indeed 100 watts at 8 ohms and 200 watts at 4 ohms, then the I3.3 has more than enough juice to drive your Hawk with large orchestra music. The only thing left to find out is whether the I3.3 sounds better than the NAD M-3 to your ears.
I think you should go with either the NAD M-3 or Sim I3.3 NAD has been known for their budget amps.
I have used NAD C352 for 5 years to drive the Rainmakers at my Mom's place and have no complaint so far. Both NAD and Sim are Canadian companies.
I have never listened to McIntosch so I cannot comment on that.
The general rule of thumb is you need to get an integrated with at least 80 watts per channel at 4 ohms to make the Hawk sing. Why 4 ohms? My exeperience with most Totem except the Sttaf is that the speaker loads tend to drop to 4 ohms when you play them.
I5.3 seems a decent and very capable choice. I 7 is a great amp but it is too expensive, at least in my view, unless you can find a used one with less than 1 year of usage around $2.5K then it is considered a good bargain.
Does the I3.3 have enough at least 80 watts? I think the NAD M-3 used you can get around $1.3K in a great condition if you can find one locally so that you can save some shipping charges (above $100 w/o insurance). The NAD M-3 may not sound as warm as the Sim but it is cheaper and has more juice (150-180 watts at 4 ohms I think)
I think you can always negotiate the price with the more expensive pieces like I5 I7 or NAD M3 (used pieces) in a slow market like this.
I am thinking about getting an IPOD classic as digital source and will connect the IPOD classic to my NAD C372 integrated. Do you know any good DAC for under $300 to recommend?
Good for you that you step up to Hawk. They are a great pair with extremely tight bass. Congratulations!!!
Sim is probably the best match for Totem Hawk if you got the dough:-)) Otherwise, audition the NAD Master Series M-3. Very capable amp and a great value for the money. I just sold a NAD M-15 preamp to a gentleman here and their Master Series components are quite decent.
You can email Vince or his son at Totem to ask for their recommendation regarding amplifier. Exposure is a good amp but I am not too sure if that amp can drive your Hawk (Most Totem speakers are notoriously finicky in terms of amplification)
I like Sim and NAD. NAD M-3 is a decent choice as well but if your budget allows a more expensive amplifier, you should step up to Sim.
