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Upgrading to Totem Mani 2's

I’m considering upgrading from the Model 1’s to Mani 2’s. I’ve read most of the forums here on A’gon regarding the Mani’s and the one thing that they all pretty much have in common is that you need a lot of power (and current) to drive them. I’m currently running a Plinius 9100 for my Model 1’s which is rated at 120 W per side (around 200 W @ 4ohms). I’m also running the Plinius on 220v which has opened it up considerably and gives the bass a lot more punch (something I know I'll need for the Mani's). My room size is approx. 15 x 22 and my listening position is about 16 feet from the speakers. I normally listen at a moderate volume (10 o’clock is loud for me and 12 o’clock pretty much drives me out of the room). I know the old adage that you can always get a bigger amp, but if I’m going to spend several thousand on a speaker upgrade I’d rather not turn around and spend several thousand more on upgrading the amplifier as well (at least not right away). In addition I'm very pleased with the 9100 and like the Plinius sound very much. So what do you think Mani 2 owners? Am I living in a bubble thinking that the 9100 has the juice or based on my room size and listening habits will the 9100 do the job for me?
jaffeassc
bdgregory
1,716 posts
 
congrat's Steve - did you have a chance to compare the Sig's to the standard Mani's? I've had my Mani's for over a year now. Every upgrade and tweak I do to my rig just shows how great these are. I bought mine used, and they are an earlier vintage, so I'm now thinking about upgrading to the Sig's.

Is anyone else out there familiar with the improvements the Sig's bring?
steveaudio
331 posts
 
Bdgregory, thanks. I've never heard the standard Mani's. I bought the Sigs because from reading about Totems it always seems like the newer versions are an improvement. I think there are archived threads about the standard Mani's vs the Sigs on one of the "other" audio sites.....

If you see a nice set of Sigs at a good price, to me, It would be tempting. Mine are in Maple, & with the Totem stands, they also look great, IMO. Altho, I did pay a lot for almost-new ones, I haven't regretted it.
raduray
14 posts
 
After reading this, and other threads here and elsewhere, I just picked up a pair of used Mani-2 Sigs off the A'gon classifieds. Should arrive next week.

I'll be driving them with a Rotel 1068 pre-pro and a B&K 200.7 amplifier. As I only have a 5.1 system, I'll be able to bi-amp by assigning 2 channels to each Mani, each channel having 385W into 4ohm. I shouldn't have any power problems.

I do have several questions.

Need stands. I've located Plateau V and Target MR24/60 at just under three hundred. Atlantis Reference 24 is a hundred more and the XL is another hundred. But I'm not crazy about the boxy appearance of the 4-pillar designs. Are there more esthetic versions available, or would I be sacrificing significant performance if I went to something like a Sanus MU-24?

I'd like grilles for protection, when I'm not into critical listening. How do you attach the optional grilles? I think I read somewhere that it'd done with velcro. Wouldn't the adhesive on the velcro pad damage the finish?

Gonna need a center. The Model 1 Signature Center seems to make most sense at first glance, but am wondering if there are any other suggestions.

Thanks!
jaffeassc OP
166 posts
 
I use the Plateau 4 pillar stands for my Mani’s. They’re actually carryovers from my Model 1’s so I can’t comment on the virtues of any other stands with the Mani’s. The Plateau stands did however make a big difference with the Model 1’s as compared to some other lighter weight single post stands. The Plateau’s are also close to the stands that Totem sold/recommends (or sells if you can still get them) for use with their speakers. Generally speaking I think a heavy 4 pillar stand filled with sand or shot will be much better sonically than the single post metal (or wood) stands that depending on your taste may be aesthetically more appealing. Regarding the Velcro for the speaker grills, I used grills for a while on my Model 1’s and then took them off. No problem at all removing the glue residue from the speaker cabinet and a little teak oil and they look as good as new. I think you’ll find that the speakers sound better with the grills off but you’ll have to be the judge of that.

Congrat’s on the Mani’s. They are really great speakers.
raduray
14 posts
 
Thanks Jaffeassc. I scored a pair of Osiri stands on A'gon last night. They may not be as heavy as some of the massive four pillar stands, but I'm hoping, based on what I've been reading, that they'll do fine. They certainly are better looking.
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