D100
Vincent Brient has proven to be a universal audio designer in recent years. His constant efforts have resulted in a variety of products that now include DACs, amplifiers, buffer stages, cables, and speakers.
Totaldac d100 is an interesting concept that takes Brien’s comprehension from his earlier speaker designs and translates them into a high-end audio speaker that offers the most natural music reproduction possible without being overpriced, and a far easier synergy with the home listening environment.
The d100’s high sensitivity allows for a very controlled sound at all frequencies, with realistic and rich bass, making it suitable for all music genres, from classical to electronic.
A quick look at the Totaldac d100 might give the impression that it is a simple speaker design, but there is a lot of interesting technology behind the cabinets.
The constant directivity horn is implemented only above 3.5KHz. As you can read in the music section and the conclusion, the music is reproduced evenly from top to bottom.
Totaldac d100 is designed in such a way that most of the sound comes from the upper part of the speaker, which gives it a kind of shelf speaker coherence.
A custom-built ultra-fast neodymium woofer and 1-inch organic dome midrange driver allow d100 to move an impressive amount of air, filling the room with surprising amounts of sonic energy.
The crossover consists of air core coils and selected film capacitors with strict point-to-point wiring.
Totaldac d100 has an average impedance of 8 ohms with even fluctuations.
All drivers and crossover components are from Western Europe, guaranteeing availability and strict quality control.
OPERATIONAL
Installing and unpacking the Totaldac d100 speakers was a breeze. After the initial setup, all that was left was to connect the speaker cables to the Mundorf binding posts, which allow for easy connection of spade and banana plugs.
Under the d100’s bottom are three discreetly mounted feet that tilt the speakers just a touch.
Even low-powered amplifiers will have no problem driving the d100 with its 8-ohm impedance and 98 dB efficiency.
I’ve tried many of the speakers in a variety of room placements over the years with different types of loudspeakers. Since the d100s don’t have a rear vented port, they performed more than satisfactorily when placed closer to the rear wall or farther into the room.
My favorite location was about 6 feet into the room, which resulted in almost a golden triangle and instant, immersive music immersion without emphasizing the room modes.
THE MUSIC
Vincent Brient loves all kinds of music and all of his products, d100 included are designed to meander through all genres, from classical music to electronic.
As always, the review may not include all albums and tracks used during the review, but here are a few of the references.
The latest John Scofield – Swallow Tales is a fantastic journey into the world of Scofield and Swallow. In this album, Scofield pays tribute to his friend and mentor. Two of my favorite musicians have joined forces with Bill Stewart to present a remarkable, lyrical, and most captivating storytelling I’ve experienced in a while. The trio plays like a heartbeat from track to track and the album contains classics like “Radio”, “Hullo Bolinas”, “Falling Grace”, “Eiderdown” as well as an excellent slow pace “She Was Young” the opening track. There’s simply no filler and the album can be seamlessly enjoyed from the beginning to the end.
d-100 has given the Scofield tempi and Swallow rhythm the weight it deserves, and the syncopated narrative was easy to follow sounding as it should, as one, exuberantly rich harmonically dense structure with a more than a healthy dose of believability.
The Swallow tales call for continuity, sovereignty, and diversity and that’s where Totaldac d100s comes in with their bold, authoritative, and non-forensic style that makes it easy for the music to unfold and capture the essence of this phenomenal ECM release.
The sonic potency and subtitles of Totaldac D-100 speakers continued with the La Segunda “La Roca” album Sera Una Noche M062A, where the D-100 let the music freely and authoritatively inhabit the listening space with delightful calm and with a powerful vertical and horizontal continuation.
Not crushed under the dome of limitation, the submarine depth of “La Roca” expanded the thundering milieu with far more ease than it should, and without the dynamic limitations too often reduced by speakers limitations.
The faster tempos of “For Jaco” from John McLaughlin’s Industrial Zen aptly defined the energetic foundation needed. The d100 allowed a deeper immersion into McLaughlin’s poetic artistry without sounding disorienting, as is too often the case even with more expensive speakers.
Instead of clouding the sonic density, the d100 revealed “For Jaco” with unusual clarity and without restriction, making the encounter far more than a paradoxical sonic affair.
The d100’s unique ability to tune into the music without ever veering into the impassable was also evident in Diana Panton’s If The Moon Turns Green. Totaldac embraces Panton’s soulful vocals with higher-than-usual-order enjoyment and marveling at the unique ability to mesh everything needed. Something you certainly would not have expected at the given price.
Totaldac was designed from the ground up to avoid any sound pigmentation and easily appeal to the limbic system, acting as an unusually transportable sonic vessel that does not hinder the music. Panton’s voice unfolded with rare spirit and overall dynamism that was evenly distributed across the complete frequency spectrum and unimpeded the desired aural crux.
“Moon River” opened a novel portal to Panton’s rendition of this classic Mancini song and it can immediately enchant the listener with its spacious presentation, symphonic quality, and perhaps even more importantly, with a somnambulistic quality that allows the listener to be swept away by the music when hooked up to a balanced high-end audio system. Again, the d-100 “Moon River” reproduced far more exquisitely and intimately than it should at this price level.
Totaldac d-100 proves that properly designed speakers are far more than the sum of their parts. When there is no sonic loophole, but a conceptual follow-up and flow that ensues the original properly researched and executed idea, the result is a product without central contradictions. Not sure I can give a denser and praised compliment in this regard.
The d100 speakers come with a non-staggered projection that never lets the music become a chaotic kaleidoscope of tones, but rather presents it as a harmonious whole with surprising urgency to relisten the favorite tracks.
This was also evident in John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme.
It is difficult for any speaker not to adhere to the dogma of “A Love Supreme, Part 1: Acknowledgement,” but Totaldac d100 never contradicted the Coltrane quartet by imposing their own substance. On the contrary, they illuminated the A Love Supreme essentials in a quiet yet bold way, with multiplied tones freely springing out on the sonic canvas and with lively, highly articulated reproduction.
While many speakers can only present a morsel of A Love Supreme, Totaldac d100s’ fixation on the complex Coltrane compositions opens up a different kind of challenge, where the listener is thrown down a gauntlet that challenges them to both embrace and enjoy the ride. And to come back for more!
Totaldac d-100 speakers don’t come across as a kind of serendipity, but like a mature product that’s come along the way of experience. This resonates with every kind of music, allowing an unexpected dynamic readiness for sublime enjoyment that enlivens it with a unique gaiety.
CONCLUSION
Despite being an entry-level Totaldac speaker, the d100s are a potent and extremely well-tuned specimen of Vincent Brient’s creative potential.
D100 comes with a stalwart heritage and like the rest of the Totaldac products does not make a subjective lurk in the music, but treads boldly, on the stage!
With many high-end audio products and especially speakers, we too often struggle with the sensual’ unwillingness to engage with the music being played. On contrary, this is where the Totaldac D-100 speakers stand out from the crowd with their bracing ability to connect with the music by devoting themselves as a synergistic partner.
At no point did the d100 speakers forced themselves or sought to present themselves as the sole driver. Across various system permutations, they worked in a surprisingly well-tuned unison.
Totaldac d100s had no problem working in conjunction with the variety of amplifiers I use for my evaluations, but as expected they acted particularly well in synergy and synchronicity with Totaldac d-1 driver, d1-direct DAC, and Amp-1 amplifier.
The position of every speaker will always be bound to the listening room, yet even when I moved d100 far into my listening room they did not stutter the spatial imaging, nor hamper with the focus or lower-level extension.
When listening quietly, the d100 continued to surprise and contributed ample density and vigorous energetic kernel to enkindle the required vibrancy of the music with an abundance of detail and had duly meandering timbre, tone, and color.
The immediacy of the d100 allows the listener to interact with the magic of the music rather than observe sonic commodification, which is all too often the case with many speakers with much higher price tags.
When things are set up right from the ground up, music can be a fascinating affair, and the d100 is one of those products that let the music bloom and flourish, which is there, and not above unraveling artificial aural matters.
Across the wide variety of genres, Totaldac d100 allows the music to flow to its core and reach back the listener.
To cut it short. In a well-balanced system, the Totaldac d100 speakers let you enjoy the music with every fiber.
As I have often said when addressing Totaldac products; Vincent Brient is an avid music lover and his products are designed for the music lover.
Unlike many contemporary speakers, the Totadac d100 swings through the music with full speed and energy, emphasizing the music rather than on any particular sonic attribute. Totaldac d100 wins the 2021 Mono & Stereo Highly Recommended award not only for sounding different, acting far beyond stoic, but for being able to play the music without interruption, no matter what material is presented to them.
And continuing the Totaldac success story, the d100 proudly follows the usual hallmarks of quality and excellence, allowing you to enter the Totaldac universe in a far more affordable way than before.⧉
Matej Isak
PRICE
- a pair, excl shipping: 13.900 euros incl VAT in Europe, 12800euros excl VAT out of Europe
- chestnut speakers, 100% massive wood cabinet, a pair, excl shipping: 18500euros incl VAT in Europe, 17.000 euros excl VAT out of Europe
SPECIFICATIONS:
- 98dB @ 1m @ 2.83V even in bass thanks to two 12inch drivers
- 2.5way: both 12inch drivers are producing bass but only the top driver is producing midrange as well
- bass cut-off: 25Hz at -6dB in room
- 8ohm average impedance with smooth variations
- easy matching with any amplifier, including low power triodes
- inductor for the bass made of 5mm2 copper wire
- crossover isolated in its own wooden enclosure
- Mundorf binding posts for any kind of banana and spade cables
- cabinet made of Baltic Birch Plywood (grey other color on requestà), or 100% massive wood (chestnut) in option
- made in France
- width: 320mm
- depth: 470mm
- height: 1180mm
- weight: 45kg