2. amps-preamps
  3. 119709-456

Plinus 8200 MkII vs. Unico Nuovo with Totem

SO, I am in the midst of the big scale down and now have a pair of Totem Model One Signatures.  Some time in the future I hope to get a pair of Mani 2's.

I have the opportunity to buy a Plinius 8200 MkII or Unico Nuovo to power the Model One Sigs.  They both seem to be good matches and have phono stages to boot.

Will the Nuovo be underpowered (esp. with the Mani's to be) or too bass shy?  Will the Plinius not be musical enough? 

Thanks for you help.
budburma

Showing 2 responses by akg_ca

akg_ca's avatar
akg_ca
2,178 posts
 
between these two choices  ... PLINIUS ... Full stop 

this has been one a TOTEM preferred pairing (along with SIMAUDIO and AYRE) at the AUDIO expos.

TOTEM's own discontinued heavyweight integrated amp ... The AMBER .... Was a joint effort with SIM based in SIMAUDIO's platform.

ive heard them all with TOTEMS ( I owned the ARROS and FORESTS simultaneously in a prior rig ) ... All three amp brands are very good with a  favouritism towards the  SIMAUDIO

IMO your takeaway:

- the more grunt you can get for TOTEMS ..., the better (WPC in isolation to a high current are meaningless ). All TOTEMS are grunt hungry gear and the MANI-2s and FORESTS especially are prominent offenders.

- NA brands easier to trade-in or sell privately IMO if you want an easy change later 

- NA brands are easier to fix if problems arise .

-SIM and AYRE have nice supporting source gear - synergy matters 

FWIW....
akg_ca's avatar
akg_ca
2,178 posts
 
if you avoid their lowest-rung output models, SIMAUDIO  will serve you just fine , even with the MANI-2s. the Mani-2’s 85 dB sensitivity is way below that of nearly all contemporary speakers -- They are not kit to be driven loud.

When I last remember seeing them, an upgrade to a full  SIM preamp / power combo ... (P8 / W7 ?) was the associated kit... More expensive but well worth it.

The integrated model number escapes me, but the SIM integrated mated to the Totem Model Ones sounded lovely each and every time I heard them.

If you go the SIMAUDIO  route, then adding in the SIM cdp and/or DAC is a good synergy step. You won't go wrong with an all-SIM system.... FWIW, because SIM and TOTEM are both in Montreal, they use each other's kit to voice their kit.
More to discover