Totem Mani2 - Signature ?
- Thread starter Paul
- Start date
Paul,
A few weeks ago I had a long talk with Vince at Totem Acoustic about the Mani2 and the Totem Forrest Signature. I have the Totem Hawk and I am driving them with the Mac MC601 and they sound great but there was something lacking in spaciousness and the soundstage not wide enough for me. So I wanted to try the Mani 2 or the Forrest Signature. Vince told me that the Mani 2 is a very tricky speaker when it comes to proper pacement, but it has deep bass more than the Forrest Signature. I went with the Forrest Signature because I wanted a floor standing speaker plus it is so beautiful. The Hawk has the right amount of bass for me for Jazz, pop, some reggae, soft rock; He said the bass is just a tad bit deeper on the Forrest Signature than the Hawk. So I think if you want bass the Mani2 will be great for you, with those MC601.
Welcome Almandog!
NorthStar
New member
Paul, can't really go wrong with Canadian Totem speakers. 
...Sound and look wise.
* Power them with Bryston amps.
...Sound and look wise. * Power them with Bryston amps.
The all Canadian system Bob? Add a Timmy's double double and he's all set for hours of great listening!
Is that the American X-Large? That's the size I need when I'm in Canada.
NorthStar
New member
the professor
Active member
I had the Mani2s for a while.
Man did they have amazing bass. I used my Naim 500 power amp on them.
They just always seemed to be a little disjointed and not as coherent as I like. Different sound than the Signature Ones. Might have been I just never got them placed properly.
Over the years, Vince has always been great to talk to.
Man did they have amazing bass. I used my Naim 500 power amp on them.
They just always seemed to be a little disjointed and not as coherent as I like. Different sound than the Signature Ones. Might have been I just never got them placed properly.
Over the years, Vince has always been great to talk to.
audio.bill
Active member
Paul, I used to own a pair of the original Totem Mani-2's so I may be able to provide you with some insight based upon my experience with them. They are quite incredible speakers, that when properly driven by a high power/high current amplifier provide a level of sound that doesn't seem possible to be coming from such a reasonably sized enclosure. They exhibit the boxless soundfield characteristic of the other top Totem monitors with superb imaging, but with added bass extension with exceptional power and control that is very rarely achieved in a monitor speaker. This level of bass extension and control is due to the uniquely loaded dual woofer design executed with Dynaudio drivers, the tradeoff being that it requires quite a bit of current and power to be properly driven. I haven't had Mc amps myself, but as long as they provide a few hundred watts per channel into the Totem's 4 ohm load you should be fine with them. Like with anything else in this hobby it would be best if you could arrange to audition them in your system, or at least in a similar setup at a dealer. Totem's recent Element line is also a superb choice worthy of your consideration, but I believe that they come in with a higher price of admission. Good luck and please keep us informed of your decision, and I hope that I have been of some help to you.
BruceLet
Active member
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2013
- Messages
- 1,119
I had a pair of the Mani 2 Sigs. They sounded great, were able to play very loudly and the bass was amazing….not at all difficult to place in a small to medium sized room……but they are the most difficult speaker to drive that I have ever owned. In fact, I blew out a driver, pushing my amp. I don't recall which amp I was using, but I do know that it had some power and high current.
Like my Dynaudio C1 Sigs, they are not a good low level speaker. They need juice to come alive. They were very nice, but ultimately I was not happy with them. I think the Forests are an excellent speaker for the money.
Like my Dynaudio C1 Sigs, they are not a good low level speaker. They need juice to come alive. They were very nice, but ultimately I was not happy with them. I think the Forests are an excellent speaker for the money.
Blue,
Your current crop of McIntosh gear will run the Mani-2's well. I say this because I once paired a set of Mani-2 Signatures to a MA6300, as well as the MCD 500 / MA7000 combo. Gleaning from that experience, I'm confident that power won't be much of an issue for you. Well... not unless you love to blast your music at 90db on da regular! Barring that situation, the real X factor will be your space. My advice to anybody stepping into a set of Mani-2's is to know that they are the antithesis of "Drop n' plop" loudspeakers. They like what they like. You'll need a decent amount of space to work with. You'll also need a bit of patience!
That said, there IS a worthwhile payoff to be had. When everything comes together, these speakers can be downright stunning! Clean. Clear. Dynamic. Tuneful. Coherent. Imaging for dayyyyz... All of the shtuff that tickles our audiophile heart strings will be there! The good news is that your McIntosh gear should be up to the task. In fact, those 275's should sound heavenly with the Mani-2's!! The question is. Do you have the room for em', and do you have the patience to work with the speakers?
Your current crop of McIntosh gear will run the Mani-2's well. I say this because I once paired a set of Mani-2 Signatures to a MA6300, as well as the MCD 500 / MA7000 combo. Gleaning from that experience, I'm confident that power won't be much of an issue for you. Well... not unless you love to blast your music at 90db on da regular! Barring that situation, the real X factor will be your space. My advice to anybody stepping into a set of Mani-2's is to know that they are the antithesis of "Drop n' plop" loudspeakers. They like what they like. You'll need a decent amount of space to work with. You'll also need a bit of patience!
That said, there IS a worthwhile payoff to be had. When everything comes together, these speakers can be downright stunning! Clean. Clear. Dynamic. Tuneful. Coherent. Imaging for dayyyyz... All of the shtuff that tickles our audiophile heart strings will be there! The good news is that your McIntosh gear should be up to the task. In fact, those 275's should sound heavenly with the Mani-2's!! The question is. Do you have the room for em', and do you have the patience to work with the speakers?
Paul
Senior Member
- Thread Author
- #15
Thank you so much guys for excellent opinions and your thoughts. I always wanted to try the Mani 2 sig but I guess even this time I have to postpone the Mani 2 purchase some time in the future.
Now the PMC speakers caught my attention. :audiophile: Oh.... I would like to say thank you to Jeff (a,k,a A/V solutions ) for your time on the phone and your honest opinion on PMC. That really helped .
Thanks again guys and will update with you on my final decision.
Now the PMC speakers caught my attention. :audiophile: Oh.... I would like to say thank you to Jeff (a,k,a A/V solutions ) for your time on the phone and your honest opinion on PMC. That really helped .
Thanks again guys and will update with you on my final decision.
audio.bill
Active member
I also suggested checking out Totem's Element series a few posts back, they are Totem's next evolutionary step forward in design.Blue,
Just curious - but have you ever considered Totem's 'Fire' monitors? They are farrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr easier to work with than the Mani-2, and sound pretty good to boot.
Paul
Senior Member
audio.bill
Active member
Paul, I would respectfully disagree with your assumption about the Element series. They are a significant step forward in sound quality and engineering concepts, utilizing Totem's latest thoughts on designing an "ultimate" range of speakers. They use in-house hand made woofers with under-hung voice coils, which also have a unique concentrated magnetic field and are being run essentially full range without any crossover components. These design elements help produce an extremely phase coherent design that really has to be heard to be appreciated. If you have the opportunity to hear a pair properly setup at a dealer I think it would be worth your time, but of course everyone has different listening priorities and preferences so they may or may not be the speaker you would ultimately choose to live with.
RLL1
New member
The Element series can be used for HT, as can any speaker system, but that was not necessarily the intention of its development. The difference between the Element series, and the rest of the Totem lineup, is the new Torrent driver. These drivers were developed by Totem, and are built in house by Totem. They may not be your cup of tea, but if you have not considered them because you have perceived them to be geared to HT, you should give them a listen.