It is supposed to work the same way mine is supposed to work!
Using a single carburettor on multiple cylinders usually results in uneven mixture distribution. Having a header style manifold with collector allows each cylinder to draw mixture from a common point before being directed away to the port on the head. All distribution takes place while the air/fuel is still moving in a straight line.
This concept seemed to work for me. When I switched from the Toyota 3TC manifold to the SR20 turbo header I was able to increase boost past 30psi without tipping plugs 1 or 4.
Cheers,
Jason