Totem Acoustic is a Montreal-based manufacturer of high performance loudspeakers, powered speakers, subwoofers, amplifiers, in-wall speakers and more. Created in 1987 by sound sage Vince Bruzzese, Totem’s mission is to develop loudspeakers capable of reproducing a truly musical and moving performance. The goal is to constantly provide designs that are both affordable and real “soul movers” for all music lovers.

Each Totem speaker unit is assembled with the outmost precision, using meticulously selected components of the highest quality. Every speaker model features its own distinct scientifically selected internal wiring. Totem’s determined foray into the realm of musical transducers has been a path to which we have strictly adhered. Uncompromising design, engineering, attention to detail and extensive critical listening tests — attributes long associated with all our products — have resulted in speaker systems that can be part of your life for a very long time.

At Totem Acoustic, minute attention to every detail is our guiding principle. We believe a speaker should exhibit the liveliness and spaciousness of sound, with all the qualities that make live music truly soul moving. Dynamics, transients, decay, harmonics, timbre and rhythm must all be realistically portrayed. The human ear is extremely sensitive to frequencies, amplitude and waves — it is not yet fully understood by biophysical science. That’s why for the prototype and finalization stages, we do extensive “by ear” testing. It comes down to a feeling.

A good speaker will stay in your life for quite a while. Often, it will be part of your life in a seamless but deeply appreciable way. With its timeless design, Totem speakers reflect our commitment to both long-term value and continuity. Aesthetically, Totem speakers are literally made for long-lasting use. By designing ageless loudspeakers, we want to join you on your musical journey.

From the outset, bringing excellence and great soulful sound to every model and application has been our goal. You need only listen to a Totem to be convinced of this achievement. We absolutely don’t want to be the biggest — we simply want to be the best.

We honestly believe what we say — when it comes to our goals, you (our fans) and, most of all, music.

“The design has to be different. You can’t just show people the same design every year and every introduction, without it having its own particularity.” Vince Bruzzese, Totem Acoustics

We’re fortunate to partner with such iconic Canadian hifi brands as Totem Acoustics plus have dedicated time with their designer and founder, Vince Bruzzese. From the early days of their Model One to the subsequent successes of the Mani-2, Vince talks a little about how he approaches speaker design and how they’re still driven to achieve a great speaker in an affordable package.