Simplicity graces
Contents
Next to a pair of speakers we see some nice things in the box. Multiple cables (optical, rca, speaker) to start immediately, a power cord and a remote control.
Surprisingly, the latter is made of metal and not plastic as we usually see in this price range. This creates a feeling of luxury and, as far as we are concerned, completes the picture. Because the speakers themselves are beautiful in matt black. The only disadvantage is that this version is very sensitive to fingerprints. A white version is now also available.
As the Totem Signature One had left a very good impression, expectations were high. The Kin Play is of course a completely different animal and is in a completely different price range. He also has a completely different approach. The Kin Play is more like a product to which you connect a nice source and ready to go. Nothing more and nothing less. Just listen to CDs, non-stop streaming or a fine vinyl record. No audiophile nonsense, no fuss.
The Kin Play is a simple solution to play your favourite music after a long working day and still enjoy good stereo sound. It’s a way to listen to the album that smiles at you that day in the record cabinet, CD rack or digital library without filling up your living room. That’s the raison d’être of the Kin Play.
By the way, the Totem Kin Play is the newest addition to the Totem Kin family. Other family members are the Kin Mini, the Kin Sub and a whole row of built-in speakers.
Setup
We optically connect our budget-friendly Mitchell and Johnson CD player and from Joenit we get a Rega Planar 2 to test the phono input. In this way we use sources that belong in the same price range. No reference set this time because it’s out of place here. We soon tended to throw in another loose dac or a separate food but we didn’t do it. We’re deliberately keeping it simple this time.
We do disconnect the speakers at our IsoAcoustic Aperta stands because they replace the regular stand. Small feet are included (everything has been thought of) to disconnect the loudspeaker from the furniture. That really makes a difference. This speaker can also be very close to the rear wall because the small bass port at the back has little influence on the low. So you can put them anywhere and that was probably the intention of the designer.
Competition
With this Kin Play Totem responds to the trend of recent years to make hi-fi more compact and fun. Unfortunately the competition in this price range has become fierce in recent years. Just think of the KEF LSX or the Acoustic Energy AE1 Active to name a few. They each have their own qualities and both are very good.
However, the two biggest assets of the Totem Kin Play are the spacious stereo image and the very good phonostage. With this they try to distinguish themselves from the competition and in our opinion they have succeeded.
Listen
Characteristic for all Totem speakers is that spacious soundstage. The stereo image is very wide so we can listen relaxed after a stressful day. No danger of a stiff neck at the Kin Play because the sweet spot can be shared with friend and foe. Off-axis is still a lot of fun to be had. The sound is nicely separated from the speakers by the built-in amplifier that provides sufficient power. Striking is that this speaker only comes on steam from an average volume.
At low volume not enough information comes through and the intelligibility is not so good. At normal volume, the sound is completely balanced. Although we usually don’t use tone control, this concept does invite us to tweak the sound a bit in function of the space. Adding an extra portion of low or high tempering is possible. With the remote control the settings can be reset to neutral with a single push of a button. Particularly convenient.
