I have had both in my system. I was interested in the Mani 2, however my local Totem dealer does not stock this model. They were kind enough to obtain, through their distributer, a pair of 1998 vintage Mani 2 demos for me to audition. These were obviously broken in. I liked the speaker well enough but figured I would need to do some room tuning to get them right as there were a few issues that bugged me a fair bit. After some soul searching I ordered a new pair of Mani 2 Signatures as well as the matching stands. The demo originals and the Signatures that I bought were very different. The issues that made me question a purchase of this speaker are not present in the Signatures. The originals tended to have a forward, in your face presentation in the upper mids and tended to be a bit "shouty". I have had the Signatures for four weeks and they are still breaking in but the in-your-face aspect of the originals is totally absent in the Sig's (so far). The Signatures are much more coherent and do not draw attention to themselves by being as forward. Their presentation is such that they better pull me in to the musical experience unlike the originals. No fatigue. My daughter, who has a pretty darned good pair of ears, hated the originals and told me to keep the B&W's. She cannot believe the difference in the demos and the Signatures that I purchased. She loves the Signatures. I suspect I will be keeping these for quite some time.
As to the mechanical and electrical difference between the two, to be honest, I have read and heard things but am not certain that they are true so I won't repeat them here. I can tell you that sonically they are worlds apart and the Signature is certainly the better of the two. Prior to my purchase, I made a couple of inquirys to Totem and found them to be extremely forthcoming and helpful. I would guess that you could contact them through their website and they will tell you specifically the changes/improvements made in the Signature version.
Hope this helps.
Woodrow
As to the mechanical and electrical difference between the two, to be honest, I have read and heard things but am not certain that they are true so I won't repeat them here. I can tell you that sonically they are worlds apart and the Signature is certainly the better of the two. Prior to my purchase, I made a couple of inquirys to Totem and found them to be extremely forthcoming and helpful. I would guess that you could contact them through their website and they will tell you specifically the changes/improvements made in the Signature version.
Hope this helps.
Woodrow