Mdooty- I went through five amp auditions before I found the W4S, and then the Rogue M-180s. My only advice is do not (and you can underline that or put it in bold caps) skimp on power. Chayro is 100% correct, the Mani's will leave lower power amps wheezing. I was assured that every other amp I auditioned before the W4S would pair well with my Mani-2s. So not true. It was a long, albeit sometimes fun, process to find a good match while staying in budget. Don't waste your time on any lower powered amps no matter what the seller claims. I have the paid freight bills to prove it. About the looks of the STI-500? Can't disagree, but I found its performance and features more than made up for it. Happy hunting. Jerry
Mdooty-If you like the hybrid option consider a 2nd hand Valve Audio-Predator. I own one and trust me it has plenty of watts/current. The Predator is very neutral, tube rolling can help dial it in with your speakers. The only major weakness(have not tried 7308 tubes) with the Predator is it's not the most "open" sounding amp but that's a minor issue when considering cost. FWIW i've heard several of the amps mentioned and the Predator is superior.
The ROgue specs I've read indicate doubling power output from 100 watts into 8 ohm to 200 into 4 ohms. That's not a guarantee but a good omen for getting good performance out of the Manis.
Class D amps require less beefy power supplies in order to do that than most amps which makes ones that do good candidates on paper for demanding loads on a budget.
But the Manis are only 85 db efficient, so yes, ability to go louder and clear could be limited.
You would probably have to go used to do better/go louder. The more powerful MF would be a good choice for that.
Frankly, I think you might be better off going with a used power amp and separate pre-amp with hard to drive speakers like the Manis. Integrateds, especially less expensive ones, tend to not have the beefy power supplies needed for high power and current delivery. Class D integrateds, like those from Wyred maybe, might have the best chance and might be had used.
For separates, you might for example try a d-sonic class D amp used or new and match that to an affordable separate pre-amp within your price range.
I'd shoot for whatever you can find in your budget that features a 250w/ch power amp or more if possible, plus good current delivery ability. That's the main and most straightforward thing to get right first.
Before I settled into my Rogue M-180's I was driving my Mani-2's with a Wyred4Sound STI-500 (550W into 4 ohms). It had great, tight bass control which, if your environment is anything like mine, the Manis will love. The upper end was razor sharp in detail. No onboard phono stage, but that's not a very difficult problem to solve. I really liked it a lot, but I got a case of upgrade fever when I found the Rogues at a price I couldn't refuse. The W4S is currently in my second system, but I've been thinking of selling it since it doesn't get much use. I'll be listing it sooner or later, but if you have an interest let me know and I'll get off my butt and do it sooner. Jerry
I was also thinking about the Rogue Sphinx. Would seem to be a very good fit at the price point. I have not heard that unit specifically yet but am a fan of the tube/Class D hybrid approach and Rogue's amps that I have heard in general. Rogue tends to offer top notch value for tube amp gear.
Lots of good suggestions here. I'll add the Rogue Sphinx with tube input stage and Class D output that puts out 100WPC and doubles that into 4 Ohms. It comes in a couple hundred bucks under your price point new. There was a review recently in Absolute Sound if you haven't seen it. Just another option among a bunch of good ones. Best of luck.
Ive personally had both the ARROs and FORESTs and have seen and heard the MANI-2s among others.
Nice speakers but they all share two common threads - (I) they all need high current and watts cuz Totems are power pigs -- There is a plethora of posts in A-Gon discussing this.
and
(ii) high-end quality kit to drive them. Take a look at what TOTEM usually uses to drive them at shows: SIMAUDIO, AYRE, PLINIUS among similar others - all high current and lotsa grunt,
to perform at their best. I bi-amped the FORESTS to get the most of them , before I sold them off.
I agree with Jburidan -- SIMAUDIO I7 is a preferred choice for two reasons:
(a) Both are in Montreal and voiced with each other's kit to get that synergy (but then you also probably have to migrate to other matched SIM gear - DAC CDP etc); and (b) TOTEM had its own AMBER integrated amp built for them by SIM AUDIO and was essentially a modded SIM
I really like the Mani2, but their low impedence and low efficiency will drain the sh!t out of a power amp, especially if you want to crank it up. If you listen at moderate levels, I would check out the Bada Purer 3.3. It's about 150 WPC, which I think is the minimum, unless you're playing them really soft. If you want to play loud, I would look for something with about 250 wpc and a heavy duty power supply. They are great speakers, capable of excellent sound, so don't cheap out on the amp. They're worth it, IMO.
Make sure that amp you select is comfortable with impedances of under 4 Ohms or even 2 Ohms. That is a requirement for those speakers according to Totem.
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