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Sigberg Audio Manta (12" wideband cardioid active speakers) development thread
- Thread starter sigbergaudio
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OP
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- #582
This has been in the works for a while, they've actually had the Manta and SBS systems for around 6 months now, but today we're finally sharing a partnership with Sweetspot studios / Rhubarb park, a large studio south of Gothenburg in Sweden. Big artists like Meshuggah, Arch Enemy, Opeth, Roxette etc have recorded here!
They have the Manta + dual 10Ds in their huge recording studio, and SBS + Inkognito in a smaller mixing/mastering studio.
They will function as a showroom for anyone seriously considering the systems (by appointment only).We will be doing a interview article with them soon as well, but for now I'm sharing their announcement:
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digitalfrost
Major Contributor
Damn, that's a nice place.
OP
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- #584
I know! Their website has some pretty awesome video as well, not super optimized for mobile, but looks great on a laptop/computer.
Sweetspot Studio Sweden - Home -
Recording and mixstudio in Halmstad, Sweden Arch Enemy Grand Magus Opeth Chthonic Per Gessle Roxette Mono Mind Shining Fourplay Stevie Wonder Nathan East Morris Pleasure
sweetspotsweden.com
OP
- Thread Starter
- #585
Remember to check out the Mantas being showcased by DreamScapes A/V at the Florida International Audio Expo this upcoming weekend for those who plan to visit! Room 261!
https://www.floridaaudioexpo.com/
https://www.floridaaudioexpo.com/
Remember to check out the Mantas being showcased by DreamScapes A/V at the Florida International Audio Expo this upcoming weekend for those who plan to visit! Room 261!
https://www.floridaaudioexpo.com/
I visited the room twice, and the Mantas were in play the second time.
They were life-like and dynamic and conveyed the impression of being in the presence of live music. I heard no resonances. It seemed like I could hear every detail and nuance of the instrumental textures (which is probably not true given the age of my ears). When I closed my eyes they disappeared as the apparent sound source, and we were in a small and (IIRC correctly) untreated room.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say something I did not see coming: I think the Mantas plus their pair of matching subs had the most natural-sounding bass of any of the rooms. There was zero distracting resonance, only naturalness, in the midbass (in constrast with the vast majority of systems), presumably largely attributable to the cardioid loading. Here is the unexpected part: That characteristic held up all the way down; there was zero indication of a transition from one enclosure type in the upper bass to another in the lower bass; it was all "cut from the same cloth" to my ears. And the very lowest bass was rock-solid, neither overstated nor understated. I can only think of two other rooms where that was the case and the Mantas + subs were the most rock-solid at the very bottm end. Kudos to both the designer and the room setter-upper!
OP
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- #587
Thank you, since I wasn't there to assist with the setup myself, I was a bit anxious about how they were able to get the room to sound. It's actually the first time they've been presented without me to set them up. In March the Sarannas will be playing at a German show without me present, which will be equally scary.
That being said, both the Mantas and Sarannas are quite room friendly, so they're not the most difficult to set up. They sound very good in less than optimal conditions, and incredibly good in a proper room.With regards to the bass and the transition - yes, that is one of the inherent qualities you get when it's all designed as a system. And both the speakers and subs are quite free of resonances, and all drivers are also well behaved in their pass band. The subwoofer drivers play in a quite linear fashion up to 1000hz, and the midbass driver in the Manta is also completely linear in the range it is playing.
I repeatedly get "Are the subs playing?" at shows, not because people feel bass is lacking, but rather that they can't perceive them as separate units, so it feels like it's all coming from the speakers.
I was looking forward to hearing your impressions, and I am very happy to hear that you liked them! Thank you for taking the time to stop by, and even a second time to ensure you got to hear them!
OP
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- #588
Gene from Audioholics and Matthew Poes both found the Sigberg Audio Manta to be one of the best listening experiences that day at the Florida International Expo last weekend! 
OP
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- #589
Gene from Audioholics interviewed our US Dealer (John from DreamScapes) at FLAX - Gene also listened to the speakers and shared his impressions! Check it out here
Mister.Mole
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Nice!
Nit picking:
"It's time-aligned, coherent, point-source, cardioid, fully active speaker"
I have a different understanding of point source. To me point source is not true due to the mid-bass. Maybe "nearly point source"?
Nit picking:
"It's time-aligned, coherent, point-source, cardioid, fully active speaker"
I have a different understanding of point source. To me point source is not true due to the mid-bass. Maybe "nearly point source"?
OP
- Thread Starter
- #591
The Sigberg Audio Saranna takes this further of course, where the coax works all the way down to 130hz.
A more precise description is perhaps "perceived point source". The midbass driver in the Manta is crossed at 600hz (wavelength of 57 cm) with an asymmetric / parabolic 1.order filter, which means the frequency band of the blend is pretty wide. So the practical experience is still one of a true point source.
Tell
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Hey, I take it you will be at Oslo Hifi Show this year? I'm tempted to go there, but since it's ironically not in Oslo it's a bit more of a journey to come there. And generally most stuff there is just same old boring audiophile stuff and not actually interesting speakers so I'm not sure yet!
I'm tempted to go there, but since it's ironically not in Oslo it's a bit more of a journey to come there. And generally most stuff there is just same old boring audiophile stuff and not actually interesting speakers so I'm not sure yet!
OP
- Thread Starter
- #593
Hey, I take it you will be at Oslo Hifi Show this year?
Yes, we will be playing on the Sigberg Audio Saranna and also exhibiting the new SBS G2.
The show is essentially in Oslo, it's a 15 minute train ride from Oslo Central station. And if you are coming from the airport, you can stay on the airport train, it continues to the station closest to the show. So I would say it is a very tiny bit more of a journey than if it was in the middle of Oslo.
I was surprised myself to be in a local shop where the guy was very much a “point-source” enthusiast. His definition seemed to match Gene’s in that a 2-way coax with additional woofers meets the requirement. *shrugs
Perhaps just a matter of a liberal vs conservative interpretation?
OP
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- #595
Some more chatter about Manta (and Grimm) from the Florida Audio Show.
Well, given the wavelength of 150Hz is 2.3 meters, if we use the often assumed "effective same location" defined as being within 1/4 wavelength, then I imagine the Sigberg's woofer is probably within a half meter?
OP
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- #597
Manta @ EXPONA 2026.
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- #598
For those following the Manta, might be interesting to follow the new development thread for a new subwoofer:
www.audiosciencereview.com
The reason that it's relevant is that this is not primarily development of a new stand-alone subwoofer, but an upgrade / update of the Manta system with an even higher end and higher capacity subwoofer. This will give the system full range headroom typical of huge main monitor systems, but designed to work in real rooms.
This new configuration will have 1x12" and 2x15" on each side.
New Sigberg Audio development thread: The Sentinel - A music oriented reference subwoofer developed for the Manta system.
I have contemplated for a while to start this thread, but held off since it still early days - so this will bring you guys on board with the product development journey at the earliest stage so far (compared to the other development threads). :) Quick background: I've been thinking about a...
www.audiosciencereview.com
The reason that it's relevant is that this is not primarily development of a new stand-alone subwoofer, but an upgrade / update of the Manta system with an even higher end and higher capacity subwoofer. This will give the system full range headroom typical of huge main monitor systems, but designed to work in real rooms.
This new configuration will have 1x12" and 2x15" on each side.
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