Falling for Totem Arro speakers

Before recommending speakers to a friend, I thought I should actually hear them. So, in an effort to hear for myself what $500-$750 would buy in a pair of (used) speakers these days, I bought two examples off Audiogon from highly-regarded companies. I decided to start by focusing on floor standing speakers (i.e., no stands required). Here's what I bought:

Theil .5 in black (orig retail, $1400, $550 used)
Totem Arro in mahogany (orig retail $1350, $750 used).

The Theils were very good, listenable, revealing. Not a good match for bright solid state electronics, but sounded great with my Outlaw RR2150. Overall, a great speaker, especially at the used price. You couldn't get anything at this level for the same money at retail.

But the Totems... oh, the Totems. First, they are gorgeous looking, especially in mahogany. And so small! But they sounded divine. Sure, they weren't perfect, but they were a joy to listen to. A truly shocking amount of bass for a 4.5" woofer (a little underdamped, but that can apparently be ameliorated if you want to pour 15 lbs of lead shot into the bottoms - they even give you instructions), and such exquisite balance overall. And they sound great close to a wall (audiophiles like pulling speakers out into the middle of the room, where "civilians" probably wouldn't want them).

If I were just a regular music lover, rather than a neurotic audiophile, I would buy a pair of these and be happy forever. If you can get them used for <$800, you should pounce. Don't get me wrong, my Quad 988s (black speakers in the background) are better, but are way too expensive and tweaky for sane music lovers.