Pass Lab XA30.5 with Totems

I've driven my Mani-2s using a tube amp set in Triode mode (~30 w/c) and they sounded wonderful. I didn't drive them hard with rock music, but the Jazz/classical/acoustic music I was playing was fantastic.

I think this amp is very "conservatively" rated. I still think you would want a bit more power for the Mani-2, but that doen't mean it wouldn't work fine under most listening conditions. I would as the folks at Pass, they should give you straight answer.

There are some past threads on the Mani-2's here that maybe you should look up. Mani-2's do like a lot of SS power IMO, like 200 wpc, I use a C-J 2500A.

Sometimes it pays to focus either on the speaker, or the amp, pick the one you want to base your system around, & go from there.....

There are many recent inquiries about the suitability of the Pass Labs XA-30.5 and XA-60.5 amplifiers for use on speakers that most agree require more power than these amps provide.

It seems like "hope against hope" that somehow the actual power delivered by these amps is going to exceed the manufacturer's power rating, thus allowing people to afford a lower powered Pass Labs amp than they actually require.

Owners of these speakers may find that if they listen at low to moderate levels in small rooms that these amps will provide sufficient power, however in many cases the amps won't be sufficient for realistic (translate to "live") listening levels in medium to large rooms.

Keep in mind that a VERY important factor in how much power you need is the dynamic range of the music you listen to (meaning the DIFFERENCE in volume between the loudest notes and the softest notes).

One of the most demanding kinds of music in that respect is classical symphony orchestra, if it is well recorded with minimal compression. If you set the volume control to produce modest volume levels at your listening position of say 70db on soft-to-medium passages, brief dynamic peaks on orchestral crescendos, bass drum beats, etc., can easily exceed 100db. 100db requires 1000 times as much power from the amplifier as 70db.

On the other hand, if you listen to typical highly compressed rock music, which may have a dynamic range of only a few db, and you listen at modest volume levels, you will need far less power. For instance, an 85db peak only requires 1/32th as much power as a 100db peak.

Regards,
-- Al