The Mani MK2 is a three-way floorstanding speaker in the DMAX range of Davis Acoustics, the French loudspeaker and driver maker founded by Michel Visan in 1986 and based in Troyes since 1994. Davis presents it as the smaller sister of the Dhavani MK2, keeping the same approach for a smaller listening space, and the DMAX range around it also includes the Stentaure C MK2 center, the Basson 777 subwoofer, the Atmosphere MK2 and the On Wall XL model. French pricing was EUR 799 per pair.
Key specs that matter
A 17 cm woofer with a paper cone, a 17 cm fibreglass midrange and a 25 mm tweeter mounted inside a compression chamber make up the driver set. The published crossover points are 400 Hz and 4,000 Hz. Frequency response is 40 Hz to 20,000 Hz within 3 dB and sensitivity is 92 dB. Nominal impedance is 8 ohm with a minimum of 4 ohm, and the speaker takes 100 W nominal and 150 W maximum. Each cabinet is 90 cm high, 20.6 cm wide and 28 cm deep and weighs 15 kg.
Engineering and use context
The compression chamber design places the tweeter dome at the bottom of a small chamber that loads it mechanically. Davis states that this raises output, reduces distortion and controls directivity, and it is one reason the sensitivity reaches 92 dB even though the box is only 20.6 cm wide. Its reflex port is a round opening on the front baffle, so the speaker can be pushed nearer to the rear wall without blocking the vent. The woofer cone is made of cellulose pulp, and the fibreglass midrange works between the two filter points. The range was conceived with home cinema in mind, and French product data describes coverage of a room of about 30 m2. The terminals are metal binding posts rather than plastic clips. The finish is black ash veneer with a satin grey top panel, and black is the only colour listed by the maker.
Pairing
With 92 dB sensitivity the Mani MK2 reaches home cinema levels from an ordinary AV receiver, and a modest stereo integrated amplifier is enough for music, since the speaker was designed for hi-fi use as well as film. Because impedance dips to 4 ohm, the amplifier should be specified for that load. In a surround layout the Stentaure C MK2 center and the Basson 777 subwoofer come from the same DMAX line.
Alternatives
The Davis Dhavani MK2 is the larger DMAX tower, using a 21 cm cellulose woofer and a compression tweeter for 94 dB sensitivity in a 108 cm tall cabinet.