Hyperion HPS 938 vs Thiel cs2.4


Hello,

Both are excellent value for money.
Did somebody have experience with both speakers?
Thanks.
ctchen
I still don't understand the hype around the Hyperions. I think the Thiels blow them away.
Ctchen, I know you have the 938s, and I think it would be a mistake switch to the Thiels. I have heard the CS2.4. I have heard almost every Thiel model starting from the late 80's. Although the 2.4s are very clean sounding speakers, I found it to be very clinical/sterile sounding. You won't get the same level of slam, delicacy, dimensionality,
imaging, coherence, smoothness, midrange magic of the 938s.

Personally, I think the best speaker the Thiel ever produced is the 3.6. It is more fuller sounding than the 2.4s and has great coherence that's lacking in most box designs. The draw back of the 3.6s is it's lack of realistic staging/imaging. Although the imaging is highly specific the entire soundstage to me appears miniature in comparison to the 938s. And Thiels can sometimes sound artificially too detailed to the point of fatigue, so I think electronics matching will be more of an issue. But some people like the Thiel sound. I almost bought the 3.6s in the early 90s, but stuck with planar speakers because the lack of realistic soundstage.

The only way to find out if Thiels are to your taste is to go to a dealer and hear a pair. If you are having second thoughts about the Hyperions, you may be a Thiel guy, like Fatcrider. Are you still using the DK integrated? I have upgraded to the Jungson 88D Class A integrated (it broke down so I'm waiting for a replacement), and I really started to enjoy the sound as it started to break in after 40 hours. Like all systems, it's just not the speakers. I had to put in lot of hours fine tuning the room acoustics, electronics, and wires to get sound I crave for. Good luck. Let me know how you do.
Hi Dracule1, thanks for your comments.
The Hyperions are really excellent speakers(I am still using the DK Design).
I heard the Thiel cs1.6 a few months ago and liked the tight bass and the sparkling highs and the sharp imaging.
Heard a lot about the cs2.4 and saw a good deal on Audiogon.
I was curious about them.
Ctchen, I have heard the 1.6s as well. I know what you mean by the tight bass and sparkling hights with sharp imaging. That was my first impression. But the longer I listened to it, more fatigue set in. It is very nice on superbly well recorded CDs, but on your average CD it can get irritating. It does have sharp imaging but not realistic IMHO because the soundstage appears squashed.
Another thing to consider, the Hyperions are much easier to drive. The Thiels can be quite a demanding load.