Best possible separates for Thiel CS 3.7

@beetlemania yes i recognize it's a lot of coin for an only 15K speaker but my goal is to push the limits of the 3.7s since i cannot convince myselt to change speaker brand in the future, that's how much i like Thiel speakers.So the only way to upgrade is to get the best possible electronics out there to drive my 3.7s. and see how far they can go.By the way i can confirme you that the Aesthetix Atlas monos and callisto is awsome pairing the 3.7s, i've auditioned this set up.I have been told the Aries Cerat pre-powermonos combo driving the 3.7s is world class!

Ayre R-series is unfortunately to expensive in Europe at €67K.

A no preamp configuration that would be top notch is Ayre MX-R Twenty driven by Totaldac Seven + d1-server.

@beetlemania You can check this video where Vincent Brient drives directly 3 huge monoblocks with his 4 units Totaldac Twelve at the Munich show :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VxI3BVKiDI

Hi guys, here's the latest news regarding my quest for the ultimate Thiel CS 3.7 rig.On oct 24 i will be demoeing in Geneva at Dartzeel factory NHB-18NS + NHB-108 model 2 combo.The next day i will be in Zurich to demo Aries Cerat Impera ll preamp + Diana Forte stereo amp driving a pair of Thiel CS 3.7s.The AC Kassandra Ref DAC will also be in this rig.In the afternoon we will go listen 2 other rigs also with Aries Cerat pre-power and some KR Audio stereo amp driving nice horns.There is one last ultimate pre-power combo that i would like to demo on my Thiels : CH Precision L1+X1+M1 stereo.As you can see my budget has raised quite a bit but this will be for me a once in a life time system.My digital front end will be the brand new Totaldac d1-Twelve mk2 + d1-server.

Gryphon Antileon Evo would be a very good choice with the Pandora preamp.I have demoed this combo driving Rockport Atria V2.This amp has an impressive grip on just about any speakers.

As good as Bryston is it's not in the same league as Gryphon, CH Precision, Ypsilon and Aries Cerat to name a few.

Thanks for your suggestion but i'm only interested in reference level gear like CH Precision, Ypsilon, Aries Cerat, d'Agostino, VAC and others.

Guys I am in Switzerland right now to audition some pre-power combos for my speakers and yesterday I was at a dristributors to demo Aries Cerat Impera ll + Concero 65 monos on the 3.7s and I was totally blown away by the level of performance.
This gear is in a totally different league I can assure you.

Numbers are one thing, but trying the gear in real life is another thing.
That's why I say always try the gear before making assumptions.
The Aries Cerat monos are most likely the best tube amps to drive Thiels.
The synergy is phenomenal.

SET amps is the most musical route for Thiel speakers in my opinion.But to handle such loads, Aries Cerat big monos are the only ones on the market today capable of bringing them to another level.I'm aware that i might be the only one in the world who has tried this level of amps with Thiel speakers lol

jafant on the 16th i will audition Nagra classic preamp paired with Luxman M-900U amp.The next day i will attend the Paris Hifi show and meet Vincent Brient to finalise my decision on the purchase of the Totaldac Twelve mk2 + server.For the pre-power part there is only 2 brands left on my shortlist : Aries Cerat and CH Precision.Ypsilon is in third place on the podium.You guys can start guessing which brand will win for Thieliste's ultimate system.

Hi pgastone nice to meet another Thiel CS 3.7 enthusiast!I have been a Thiel fan for the past 22 years starting with the CS 1.5 and working my way up to the 3.7s in 2014.For the past 4 years i have been working and searching for my crazy project : building the most high end Thiel system that has ever been built.People might think i'm crazy but hey when you know you will have the budget why not try it, when you are an enthusiast you want to push things to the limits.If you want tube amps that can really drive the 3.7s to their max unfortunately you will not find anythink in the 5K price range.To max them out you need Aries Cerat Concero 65 monos, KR Audio Kronzilla DX monos or VAC Signature 200iq monos.But if you listen at moderate volume you should look at VAC Renaissance 30/30 or PureSound A30 both very musical with the 3.7s and within your budget.BHK 300, Aesthetix Atlas monos, Modwright KWA 150 Sig monos and Hegel H30 are all great choices for the 3.7s but more expensive.If you can find a used Hegel H30 paired with tube preamp you wouldn't be disappointed
Hope this helps.

@pgastone i forgot one other great combo to drive the CS 3.7s is Nagra Classic preamp paired with Luxman M-900u if ever you have the bugdet one day.

Charles thanks for supporting my findings.There was obviously a reason for me to drive all the way to Zürich, the only place in Europe where it was possible to demo the Aries Cerat separates with Thiel CS 3.7s just because the Swiss Aries Cerat distributor happened to own a pair of 3.7s.
This demo wouldn't have been possible in France.To answer your questions we have used many genres of music from pop rock to electronica, alternative, jazz and classical.We were amazed how the AC amps handled many genres of music and at prettry loud level.I was really shocked at how the AC amps had an iron hand grip on the Thiels just like a big V12 engine but with dynamics and speed.
The bass was uber stable, deep and highly resolving not to mention the unmatched musicality and richness of the mids and treble, just world class.At €46K for the AC separates i hardly think the €88K CH Precision combo will do much better.The CH amps are the most liquid sounding amps i have ever heard at any price even compared to d'Agostino M400 but it won't have the meat of Aries Cerat IMO.
The AC separates already beat the Ypsilon separates to my ears.IMO Stavros Danos is the real deal in tube amplification now days period!The last step for me would be to demo CH L1+X1+M1stereo on the 3.7s but that's going to be pretty difficult to arrange.One last word, tubes is so magical on Thiel speakers!

CH Precision is my absolute favorite SS pre-power combo at any price but i'm afraid if i decide to go this route my wife will kill me lol.It will be very difficult to convince her to go CH because she absolutlely loved the Aries Cerat combo with the Thiels.I have to take into account her taste, this is a 2 persons decision.I think she is right because that would leave me enough money to purchase a SOTA DAC + server like the Totaldac d1-Twelve mk2 and great cables.

Charles my wife is not an audiophile but since i dragued her to many Hifi shows, at dealers and many classical music festivals for the past few years she's starting to have pretty good ears.Yes she does preffer tube sound therefore Aries Cerat is her choice right now.She has listened to the CH I1 integrated.She does not like CH Precision as much as i do.

@pgastone VAC phi200 monos would be a great choice for the 3.7 very refined but are you going to find a pair within your budget ?

Ok guys i called the CH distributor and they confirmed me that they have all the gear available for audition.They are located very far from my place therefore i will have to take a flight.I will try to arrange a demo in december and this time i want my wife to come with me, it's important for me to have her opinion as she is not yet familiar with CH separates.