Fig.6 Totem Mani-2, horizontal response family at 50", normalized to response on tweeter axis, from back to front: differences in response 90 degrees-5 degrees off-axis; reference response; differences in response 5 degrees-90 degrees off-axis.
There were no surprises in the time domain, the speaker…
When I reviewed the $3995/pair Totem Mani-2 in February 1996 (Vol.19 No.2), I was very impressed by this modest-sized but expensive two-way. In particular, the speaker produces an astonishing amount of low frequencies, this due to its compound woofer alignment, which features two 7" Dynaudio drive-units, one mounted magnet-to-magnet behind the other, with a volume of air trapped between the two cones.
For a given bass extension, the compound configuration (patented in the UK by Linn Products as "Isobarik" in the 1970s…
Fig.1 Totem Mani…
The loudspeakers Vince Bruzzese designs for Canadian manufacturer Totem Acoustic are intended for the long haul. His Model One has been in continuous production since its introduction at the end of the 1980s, and I recently gave a listen to its current iteration, the Signature, to see if the Model One was worth continued inclusion in our "Recommended Components" listing. Similarly, I first reviewed Totem's second loudspeaker model, the stand-mounted Mani-2, in February 1996, with a Follow-Up in October 2001…
Digital Sources: Ayre C-5xeMP universal player; Meridian 808i.2 CD player; dCS Puccini SACD player; Benchmark DAC1, Ayre QB-9 D/A converters; Logitech (Slim Devices) Transporter WiFi music player with Apple Mac mini for media storage; dCS 972 D/D converter.
Preamplifier: Simaudio Moon Evolution P-8.
Power Amplifier Simaudio Moon Evolution W-7.
Loudspeakers: PSB Imagine B, Spendor SA1, Acoustic Energy AE1 Mk.3 Special Edition.
Cables: Digital: Kimber Illuminations Orchid AES/EBU, Stereovox CV2 electrical S/PDIF, AudioQuest OptiLink-5 S/PDIF.…
I performed my usual set of measurements using DRA Lab's MLSSA system. The 2009 sample of the Mani-2 offered an estimated sensitivity of 84.0dB(B)/2.83V/m, which is within experimental error of the 84.5dB I found eight years ago. Nevertheless, this is 3dB below average, implying that the Mani-2 needs to be used with an amplifier offering at least 50Wpc. Its impedance (fig.1) was very similar to that of the earlier samples and dropped to 3.5 ohms in the midbass and lower midrange, confirming that a good, 4 ohm–rated amplifier be used. The shape of the impedance curve…
Sonus Faber's big reference model is the extraordinary Extrema (footnote 1). Stereophile's writers voted the Extrema their 1992 "Loudspeaker of the Year," appropriately so, I feel, considering its amazing looks and equally remarkable performance. The $14,000/pair Extrema is built like a tank, and is capable of producing a seriously big sound, even in quite large…
Whether just sitting there or playing music, the Guarneri is never boring—it's fundamentally true to the spirit of the music it plays.
Musical instruments
The Guarneri is loosely based on the "larger-than-life" Sonus Faber Minima Amator (reviewed in December 1993, Vol.16 No.12, p.174), which costs…
In these abilities, the speaker that comes closest to the Guarneri is the Quad ESL-63. I admire the Guarneri's ability to conjure up a Quad-like, electrostatic sound from a pair of moving-coil drivers, even if they're encased in a truly remarkable…