Totem Mani2 Sigs vs Tyler Linbrook Sig monitors

This should be interesting. Both have great reputations and would definitely be in my crosshairs if I wasn't already happy with my ProAc Response 2.5s. Even then I still think about these two speakers.

Many components have passed through my listening rooms, but only one set remains, the Totem Mani-2s. I have opeated them with an Audio Research VT-100, a McIntosh MC-252, a McIntosh MHT-100, a pair of Cary 300B monoblocks, and a restored/upgraded Dynaco ST-35. No matter what, they are steller performers. And organ pedal notes reproduced through these speakers have to be heard to be believed!

Man, you got the right person with this question. I used to own a pair of Mani-2. I now own a pair of Tylers 7Us. The 7Us are a SMALL floor standing model that is very simular to the Tyler Linbrook Sig monitors. In my option no comparison. The Tylers take it. First of all they do not need a large powerfull amp to sound good. Buy a good 150 watt amp and a tube pre-amp and you are all set. The Totems need a really $ amp to sound good. Secondly the the Mani-s are way over priced. $4,000 dollars for a pair of small speakers that contains at the most $600 dollars worth of parts. Give me a break! I have built a few pairs of speakers so I know what I am talking about. The biggest think I have against the Totems is that they have a small sweet spot. Move around the room and they sound very different, and I do not mean for the better. Both speakers have Seas tweeters, but the Tylers have the better Millennium tweeter. Do yourself a favor, and buy the Tylers and get a better speaker and save yourself some money.

Teikinas,

The mani-2’s need a larger amp due to the engineering of the speaker design, payable to the laws of physic, presupposing you are familiar with the laws of physics (being you have built…a few speakers) when you cram an iso-barik configuration into a small cabinet and still maintain a flat FC, you are obviously going to sacrifice efficiency, that’s twice the moving mass (not to mention you are comparing them to a floor-standers). Considering the drivers used, the cabinet structure complexity, and the overall quality of the speaker the $4,000 price tag is applicable.

Keep in mind Vince designed these speakers as a statement. You are getting all the benefits of a mini-monitor while achieving the low end response (surpassing it in most cases) of a floor-stander. The parts utilized exceed $600, the engineering that goes into the cabinet, high quality WBT parts, no-compromise crossover, and dynaudio/seas drivers plus the man hours HAND-ASSEMBLING these speakers (not to mention the beautiful finish) far exceed your dim guesstimate of $600.

And even if the parts cost is $600, a $4,000 MSRP is not unreasonable. Some of you folks need to take a business class. OTOH, Tyler sells direct, so the consumer realizes a price advantage.

I cannot believe that you guys REALLY think that Mani2s are to good value at $4,000. In I agree with you, that they need a really powerful and expensive amp to make these speakers sound good. By the time you add $4,000 + $500 for stands + $4,000 for a really good amp, yikes that is a lot of money to make a pair of mini monitors sound good. I read the reviews from others. “They sounded great, once I hooked them up to a Jeff Roland amp.” “They do most things quite well however a high powered high quality amplifier is a must: such Sim Audio Moon, Levinson, Krell, Pass Labs, etc.” If that is the only way you can make a speaker sound magical, I guess these are not the speakers for me. I would rather, and did, buy a really good small floor standing speaker. They have the same foot print, and I did not need to spend another $2,000 on an amp to make them sound magical!! Tylers are efficient. Now I have a pair of speakers that I think are better performers, and saved over $2,000 not needing to upgrading my amp. In my book, that’s a good value.

I forgot to include that I sold the stands for $250. I love and appreciate good music and high end audio as much as anyone. I am not going to spend my money foolishly just so I can say I have best sounding mini monitors.

One last thing, the subject name is Totem Mani2 Sigs vs Tyler Linbrook Sig monitors. He did not ask how you purchase these speakers. To the answer the man's question. The Tyler Linbrooks are a better sounding speaker and a much better value. No contest!