Wow!!! Mani 2 speakers

Hi James, I've just looked up Mani 2 on the internet and I see they are a pretty old design. Reviewed in a couple of Mags in 1995.

John,

If they are anything like the "Sara 9's" then the Mani 2's will be a fine pair of speakers.

I had a pair of Sara 9's for many years and they were one of the best speakers I have ever heard. I still have my old pair in the garage and may give them a dusting off and give them another play


Regards

NB

quote:

---

Originally posted by Tom Alves:
I've heard the Mani2 in a CDS2/252/300 setup. Yes they are good. Very good in fact. Good tight bass, fast, spacious & detailed. I would like a pair. I'd like a pair of the Wind or Shaman more.

Tom

---

It is a "current hungry" design. I guess the 300 would be suited for it but not lower models. It can goes down to 3 ohm and other Naim amps would have real problem (it all depens how loud you want to play... My setting is around 8:30 to 9). Famous deign and sound really good I heard it quite a while ago in Bay & Bloor Radio in Toronto Canada.

I thought that Totems were Taboo (pardon the pun) with NAIM systems.

Before I got into NAIM and was told the Model ones work horribly with it, I used to love them.

I wonder if I should try a pair again as a second speaker if the TABU and Mani 2's are supposed to work well.

Why NOT the model one?

quote:

---

Originally posted by Tuan:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Tom Alves:
I've heard the Mani2 in a CDS2/252/300 setup. Yes they are good. Very good in fact. Good tight bass, fast, spacious & detailed. I would like a pair. I'd like a pair of the Wind or Shaman more.

Tom

---

It is a "current hungry" design. I guess the 300 would be suited for it but not lower models. It can goes down to 3 ohm and other Naim amps would have real problem (it all depens how loud you want to play... My setting is around 8:30 to 9). Famous deign and sound really good I heard it quite a while ago in Bay & Bloor Radio in Toronto Canada.

---

Canadians are great hockey players but making speakers.....come on my fellow Canadians open your ears.....boom tiss,boom tiss,boom tiss...we make a great Canada Arm for a the space suttle....maybe in space is were best to hear Canadian speakers.....

Mr. FUM--
while the highs on the model ones were certainly a bit tss, they were overall very pleasant and present in the mids I thought, with a good solid low end for such a small speaker.

Dont recall the lows being boomy per se, but there was a bit of a bass hump. Convincing though, I thought (as humps go).

Like the Mani 2s, I too am made in Canada, where Totems are considered, well totemic. I have heard virtually evey Totem speaker. They are impressive but over the long term, IMO, not satisfying. And why buy a massive current-sucker when there are so many fine efficient speakers around?
Don

Believe us (canadians), Totem speakers are well known here, we have experience with them. They don't work with Naim gears.

Emmanuel

All opinions are my own, and reflect those of the organisation i work for, even if not stipulated.

Quote from Manu:
They don't work with Naim gear.

Exactement

Don

However, I did own a pair of the original Model Ones and liked them, although I wasn't using them with Naim gear. There are a lot of things I liked then than I don't like now, except for my wife.
Don

Canadians are great hockey players but making speakers.....come on my fellow Canadians open your ears.....boom tiss,boom tiss,boom tiss...we make a great Canada Arm for a the space suttle....maybe in space is were best to hear Canadian speakers.....[/QUOTE]

Steve.... Steve...

Laugh... I can't handle this (...boom tiss, boom tiss,boom tiss...) anymore. Tuan.

quote:

---

Believe us (canadians), Totem speakers are well known here, we have experience with them. They don't work with Naim gears.

Emmanuel

---

quote:

---

Quote from Manu:
They don't work with Naim gear.

Exactement

Don

quote:

---

---

You'd be surprised how many people would disagree with you, Manu. Certainly I know several Naim sistems with Sttafs, Arros & Hawks on the end. Yes the Mani2s need a lot of power (minimum 300s? or Dynavector HX1.2) but the others do seem to work very nicely.

Tom

---

You canadians may know Totem but you don't know MANI 2's unless something has changed!!

I have a pair which I am driving with a 112/HiCap/150 no problem. They are plenty loud enough by the time the volume control reaches 10 -11 oçlock. I will admit to a fairly small room but it's not a closet.
All this stuff about being current hungry is not just reserved for Totem, check out what happens on quite a few of the B&W range in the low frequencies.

Tom's comments about the sound are correct as well. They have a great range and the "boom tiss" is about placement. You just have to experiment a bit to get it right, and I am not talking about strange locations, just a reasonable distance out from surrounding walls.

Maybe the 5 series is less touchy and since it has a more rounded sound than earlier kit perhaps that helps as well. Also I did read that later in their design life the MANI 2's had better sensitivity which could be helping as well.

Any way for the music I listen to (Acoustic and west coast jazz thru female vocals to the likes of Ryan Adams and on to light classical) I am very happy with the MANI 2's.

I agrre with what JohnMak said:

quote:

---

What a sound! All the speed and tight-bass "slam" of SARA 9's plus wonderful "imaging"

---

GEOFFP

Yup, tight bass slam but they can't fallow a tune, no rythum ,and lack timing.....Canadian speaker designers think all CD players sound the same and tend to us Bryston amps...that site on empty 24 of beer....this is why canadians connot make great sounding speakers..oh yes the reason they use Bryston amps is so when they short out the amp due to too many beer they don't blow the amp...that said back to the point...Canadian speakers suck..

But Bryston stuff is pretty damn good-- how do you explain that!?

And I still vote the model ones a good speaker.

Bryston gear sounds good ? sorry man, no way ,hey it is not my fault you can't hear...Canada has a very small army so what we are doing is selling Bryston to you guys in the states so in time your heads will blow up and we then take over the U.S.A. and get our Canadian dollar out of the pits .
People don't play music on a Bryston for a demo, have you not seen the "Bryston Demo " the guy hops in a Ford F 150 pickup and gets her going 90 mph and kicks the Bryston Amp off the bed of the truck ...the sparks fly till the amp stop sliding down the road and then they plug a toaster into the binding post and make toast...after that they give it a mild work out as a arc welder...but it can't play a tune.

quote:

---

From hi fi fo fum:
Yup, tight bass slam but they can't fallow a tune, no rythum ,and lack timing.....Canadian speaker designers think all CD players sound the same and tend to us Bryston amps...that site on empty 24 of beer....this is why canadians connot make great sounding speakers..oh yes the reason they use Bryston amps is so when they short out the amp due to too many beer they don't blow the amp...that said back to the point...Canadian speakers suck..

---

We have different ears!!
In my system I hear the tune, my feet tap and the various timing threads of the music are there.
I have never been anywhere near a Bryston and don't intend to but things are changing at Naim too with the introduction of the series 5. Reviewers are commenting that there IS a new sound to the 5 series seen in multiple products including the new 300.

Let's not be too "narrow" in assessing equipment merits across such an enormous range of variable electronics and environments

Anyway I am happy with the MANI's which is all that matters in the end.

GEOFFP

I had Hawks at home for three weeks and could not tame the "Tizzz". Having heard the Sttafs and the Forrests at my dealers for several hours, the Hawks seem the worst offenders of the three in this regard.

The Sttafs would be too small for my room (the Hawks couldn't handle our room) - the Forrests would probably work well. But for considerably less dosh, the Kestrel 2's show them a clean pair of heels.

I've heard great things about Totem's stand mounters but did not audition due to the size of our room.

- GregB

Insert Witty Signature Line Here