active crossover freqncy for Totem Mani2


For people who has experience with using an active crossover for the Totem Mani-2 Signature. What crossover frequencies would be ideal?

The website seems to indicate it's 4Khz and so would a 3.5Khz work better or 5Khz (like the option board for the Accuphase F-25)
metronet

Showing 7 responses by timlub

I would talk to Totem. I don't have experience with the Totems,but the Dyn woofer has a peak and dip that has been taken care of in compensation circuitry. My guess is that Totem crossed this around 2k or even lower. Without compensation circuitry, I believe if you just put this system active without educating yourself on the drivers, you might be upset with the results.
Anyone familiar with these speakers to chime in?
If you can find out the crossover frequency of the Mani-2's you can come close, i'm not sure how good it would be. you would need to put your F25 behind your preamp, find the crossover frequency of the Mani-2's run your F-25 out to your amps, probably around 2K (you will need this frequency).
I looked at a frequency chart online for the Mani-2's, they appear to be using LR4 slopes. The Accuphase uses Gaussian, so right off the bat, you will have a passive network using one type crossover slope and an electronic using another. If you really want to do this, I recommend that you just get the drivers, make your own boxes without crossover units and use the Accuphase equipment. The Forest Drivers are available, I have impedence curves for them, you would need to put a compensation network inline with no filters, then you can use the Accuphase stuff, the results would be outstanding. Really what you are trying to do is possible, but impractical.
Duh, I looked at the frequency chart online??.. I went back, it is higher than I expected, the chart is small, somewhere between 3K & 3.2K.
Do you presently own 2 amps? If not, have you thought about bi wiring? Cables do matter and you could slightly change the character of the top or bottom end independently that way.
Ok, are you ready, You can make this work... Get yourself another amp. Use your y connectors...or another preamp. Run one amp full range to the woofer. Use your electronic crossover and run it lower than the crossover point in your mani 2's. Say 2.5k. Run your second amp through the crossover and back into the tweeter tap of your mani's. You now have the benefits of biamping without destroying the integrity of your Totems.
The Totem crossovers are in tact and working as designed. One amp runs the woofers full range, the second runs the tweeters, electronicly crossed through your Accuphase.
This will work with good results.
The Electronic is crossed slightly below the tweeter, so the Mani's own passive will still work as designed.
As far as benefits, it is for the tweeter only. The bass requires a huge percentage of the amplifiers power, so that amp will do its job as normal. The tweeter's amp will have the benefit of playing no bass, it will have all the normal benefits of Bi amping.
I agree that the improvements will be marginal at best. If you have the hardware already, I'd try it. If you don't I would not. I was only trying to come up with a solution to get it done. I have not seen a really high quality Y adapter either. That would add a very weak link.
Good Luck, Tim