The Thiel CS 2's were rated as being 6 Ohms nominal, 5 Ohms minimum. Steady impedance characteristics are one of the Thiel hallmarks. The CS 2's might be the easiest of all Thiels to drive. I used them for 18 years. On the other hand the, the ported low end can be a be a bit soft and the upper end can be unforgiving. These speakers beneift from the proverbial "iron fist in a velvet glove" amplifier. Thiel recommended 50-250 Watts per channel into an 8 Ohm load that could double down into 4 Ohms. I'd suggest a minimum of 200 Watts into 4 Ohms and double that to get the most out of them.Just make sure they're high quality Watts. In as much I usually subscribe to the idea that ones speakers should usually cost more than ones amp, the Thiels (especially used) offer such value that coupled with their transparency the argument to spend more on the amp can be easily justified. I'd suggest amps such as the; Krell KSA 250, Threshold S 500 II and the conrad-johnson MF 2500A. A tube pre, isn't a bad idea either.
Ohms, my - help me understand
Apologies if following questions are dumb but some of this stuff is befuddling to me:
Just bought a pair of used Thiel CS2s, after auditioning with my Arcam Alpha 8 integrated. At home I had paired it with an Arcam Alpha 8 power amp to bi-amp B&W DM601 S2s.
Both amps are 50 watt amps at 8 ohms for two channels, 100 watts at 4 ohms single channel.
The Thiels, according to online reviews, are 6 ohm speakers that can handle 40 to 250 watts.
I had read Thiels were hard to drive so I was worred. But Larry at Hollywood Sounds said my amp would work fine and it did. They sounded terrific in his shop with just the integrated and even better at home, much richer and more detailed than the little B&Ws. It is true that expose bad recordings, particularly on CD, but the upside is spectacular). The Thiels have single binding posts so at home, I am now using the intergrated as a pre-amp, with the power amp running the speakers.
So here are the questions:
* How many watts are my amps producing with these Thiels. Is is as simple as splitting the difference between 8 and 4 ohm output, meaning 75 watts?
* The power amp can be turned into a monobloc, but the integrated can't so am I correct in presuming with single speaker posts that running one amp to each speaker is out?
* If I picked up a matching power amp, could I use the integrated as a pre-amp for both or would I need to buy a whole new preamp? The integrated has only on set of pre-amp input jacks.
* If I had matching Alpha 8 power amps to run each speaker, how many watts would be going to Thiels? 125?
As you can see, this is all about increasing power. I am thrilled with results in new set-up but from all I have read about Thiels, it makes me wonder what they would sound like with more juice. I don't have the budget to simply swap out whole system but wondering if a second power amp would be worth the bang for the buck.
Just bought a pair of used Thiel CS2s, after auditioning with my Arcam Alpha 8 integrated. At home I had paired it with an Arcam Alpha 8 power amp to bi-amp B&W DM601 S2s.
Both amps are 50 watt amps at 8 ohms for two channels, 100 watts at 4 ohms single channel.
The Thiels, according to online reviews, are 6 ohm speakers that can handle 40 to 250 watts.
I had read Thiels were hard to drive so I was worred. But Larry at Hollywood Sounds said my amp would work fine and it did. They sounded terrific in his shop with just the integrated and even better at home, much richer and more detailed than the little B&Ws. It is true that expose bad recordings, particularly on CD, but the upside is spectacular). The Thiels have single binding posts so at home, I am now using the intergrated as a pre-amp, with the power amp running the speakers.
So here are the questions:
* How many watts are my amps producing with these Thiels. Is is as simple as splitting the difference between 8 and 4 ohm output, meaning 75 watts?
* The power amp can be turned into a monobloc, but the integrated can't so am I correct in presuming with single speaker posts that running one amp to each speaker is out?
* If I picked up a matching power amp, could I use the integrated as a pre-amp for both or would I need to buy a whole new preamp? The integrated has only on set of pre-amp input jacks.
* If I had matching Alpha 8 power amps to run each speaker, how many watts would be going to Thiels? 125?
As you can see, this is all about increasing power. I am thrilled with results in new set-up but from all I have read about Thiels, it makes me wonder what they would sound like with more juice. I don't have the budget to simply swap out whole system but wondering if a second power amp would be worth the bang for the buck.