New Old Thiel CS6 Speakers--Too Harsh


Hi All,

New pair of Thiel CS6 Speakers. First true pair of 'audiophile' speakers (...still might go back to my Kappa 7's and 8's).

Imaging and that 'holographic' sound is pretty good on the Thiels but not as good as the JBL 4312a's.  But again I am plagued by harshness in my system. It seems detail and excellent spatial performance just equates to brittle, harsh and painful in my room. I like to listen at rather loud volumes.

Frequencies that appear to be the problem are between 2khz all the way up to 16khz. If I EQ the system is listenable. 

The other issue the Thiels seem to have is out of phase low bass due to the passive radiator. Can anyone confirm this?

Here is my setup right now:
Modwright Oppo 105d (physical media and streaming)
Sonic Frontiers Line 2 preamp
Conrad-Johnson Premier 350 
14x17 room, on concrete slab carpeted with additional thick throw rug, heavy velour drapes over windows, bare walls and cd/record shelves, nothing on the ceiling.

What is causing the tizzy sharpness in my system/room?

So far the Infinity Kappa Series with its ribbon tweeters has sounded best in my room. The 8's are very impactful and tonally very complete. The 7's are close, not quite as impactful but have better imaging due to lower tweeter height. 

....and I don't want truth. I want beauty.

:-)

Thanks!


128x128brettmcee
Your source is causing the sharpness period.  I just went though this with an owner of the 2.4s and the newer versions of the larger speakers. He was amazed when we swapped out the source with a better one.

Happy Listening.


bigkidz,

I can't make sense of your claim.

What could the Oppo 105d possibly be doing to the signal, either playing media or streaming, that could cause "sharpening" of the sound?

I had a similar experience after purchasing a pair of Thiel CS 3.6's.  I thought they'd be a good match for my CJ MF2300A.. Turns out the CJ wasn't capable in this matchup.  Replaced the CO with a Sunfire 300 and was instantly in business.
You'll find plenty posts on Thiels and amp capabilities.  Once you get it right you'll be smiling.  
Enjoy.

To test the room-acoustics hypothesis, you could hang quilts or blankets on the walls temporarily to see if tizziness is reduced. I would put them on the sidewalls 1/2 way between speakers and listener.

To test the "source is the problem" hypothesis, you could borrow a good CD player from a friend and see if that improves things.

Likewise with the "amp is the problem" hypothesis, though I doubt that a CJ Premier amp will be causing tizziness. The CJ stuff tends towards the mellow side, in my experience. And your SF Line 2 got a review from Tom Norton saying it doesn’t emphasize or hype things, which to me means it’s not likely the culprit, either.

To test the cables hypothesis, you could buy some returnable cables by mail order. (That would be my last thing to try, but it’s your choice.)

Years and years ago I had Thiel 3.6's driven by Muse 175 high-current monoblocks.  Eventually the hardness of the sound drove me into the arms of 300B SET amp + ProAcs.

Obviously, lots of people love Thiels, so YMMV.  BTW, I had 2.3's before, and while they weren't as hard, I found them lacking in bass.