This is my first go at a quality System. At some point I will update my amp to seperates but at this point I am totally happy. Amber seems to drive Mani's well except Rock & Roll at excessive volume's get's a bit muddy and clipping can occur. Only at more than 95% of amp output. I mostly listen to Blues and world so plenty of volume for that. The Amp upgrades in mind are Plinius SA 250 MK 4 or 300 , Sim audio W-5, Music Fidelity KW 500 . Haven't looked into Pre yet. Speakers are moved into marked spots on floor when listening. Speaker placement has been tricky as the room is open on one side and large sliding glass doors on the other.
Not too shabby for a first go! Not to shabby at all! The Totem Mani 2 (Manitou) is a legendary speaker. Your intentions to upgrade your already pretty good power are understandable, as the Manis reportedly are finicky about their electronics, but good matching is said to pay off handsomely.
It's clear that you've done your homework, and I'd LOVE to hear your system some time. I've heard the Tabus with a Classe integrated, but not the Manis. The Tabus were QUITE impressive, and the Manis are said to be even better.
Thanks for sharing your excellent system.
FOOTNOTE-->OPTIONAL READING: Another amp/preamp line to POSSIBLY consider (in addition to the excellent choices you've already listed) might be the Odyssey Extreme Monoblocks and Tempest Extreme Preamp. Lots of power at 200 to 300 wpc and tons of current with 180,000 microfarads of capacitance per channel (total 360,000). It's just a thought, nothing more. You may disagree.
The Line filters made a huge difference. Not only did they bring my platform noise level down to nil but also.... I run my mani's 10.5 feet apart, the filters really filled out the soundstage but the most noticible difference was how much more Bass I got out of my speakers. The bass seemed to tighten up and grow and the difference was easily ditinguishable. You did not have to listen hard to notice it.
Telemarc, have you found the LF-S/A line filters to bring a noticble enhancement to the presentation? I am curious to try these myself, but have never heard them.
I'm not sure there would be much change from my Amber to the I-7 as the Amber is made by Sim Audio and modeled after the I-5 with a little more power and more stable at heavy load. The I-7 is only 25 Watts more per channel while the W-5 is 50 watts more. If I get the chance I will Demo one anyway.
The Simaudio I7 may be able to power your Mani 2s properly. You may want to audition it when it arrives in showrooms before deciding to go to separates.
Just a thought to keep your system relatively simple.
