i purchased totem mites and return them because there was a scratch on it. there getting a new one for me but ive been great things about totem rainmakers. now im thinking of possibly getting them instead. ill be using them for 90 percent movies. do you think its worth getting them over mites when theyll be used basically for surround sound and not fronts?
Not really. The Rainmakers are excellent speakers and using them for rears seems like a bit of a waste. However, this does depend ont he quality of the rest of the surround sound system. If, for example, you've got a top of the range processor/power amp and are using something like Totem Hawks, Forests or Mani-2s at the front with the Model 1 centre, then yes, by all means put Rainmakers or even Model-1s at the back. This way you'll maintain the same level of quality in the soundfield from front to back.
If you've got Sttafs or Arros at the front, then Mites or Dreamcatchers would suffice at the back.
Incidentally, you don't mention subs. The Totem subs integrate very well into the Totem packages. And the Thunder really is thunderous...(groan)
I'd have to agree with Frank. I've got a pair of Rainmakers myself, and they are definately better than the Mites... albeit a bit of a waste for Rear use only.
I would stick to Mites then, partly because the Sttaf is closer to the Mite in terms of presentation. It uses roughly the same drive units (they look exactly the same). Also, the centre you should use would be the Mite-T, again because of the drive units.