At the risk of appearing petty, when it comes to Thiel’s I think it best to think in terms of sensitivity rather than efficiency.
Scoring on Used Thiels here
Has anyone scored a great deal on used Thiels here lately? With Thiel going under, there appear to be a lot of good deals on used THiels here for takers. Anyone picked used Thiels up here recently and regretted it?
Just wondering. Some of the used prices look too good to pass up.
Just wondering. Some of the used prices look too good to pass up.
Showing 21 responses by unsound
uberwaltz, been eyeing those myself, even though I don't need another pair. Unfortunately, Mapman's current integrated amps doesn't have a tape loop to accommodate the 3.5's eq. Too bad, as his room seems up to carrying that down to 20 Hz small foot print, not dropping below 4 Ohms, sealed box bass. |
I suggest getting as much bass as you can. IMHO, Thiel's might sometimes sound a bit tilted up without lower octave support. With the various Thiel's models I think you'll find that the heights of the cabinets vary more than the actual footprints. IMHO, the sloping baffles tend make the cabinets less visually obtrusive. Something to keep in mind with Thiel's is that in order to appreciate all that Thiel's offer; one must be cognizant of placement and listening position. I'm firmly in the camp of amps for speakers, not speakers for amps, and perhaps even more so with Thiel's. |
Mapman, in the present marketplace CS 2’s Should be in mint shape to command $600. FYI, the CS 2’s have been Thiel’s most durable and reliable model. The impedance is one of the smoothest I’ve ever seen, 6 Ohms nominal, 5 Ohms minimal with a reasonable 87 dB sensitivity. Minimum suggested power was 40 Watts. Though technically easy to drive, sonically there’s a bit more to consider: the ported bass can be a bit soft if not driven with an amp with good damping, and the treble needs to be treated delicately. I haven’t heard your integrated, and I don’t typically like to over generalize like this, but Class D’s often are tight in the bass,so long as the impedance doesn’t drop too low ( no problem w/ CS 2’s) and the Class D’s often roll off the high’s a bit. Again way over generalizing Class D’s, but if it holds true, just might work very nicely indeed. FWIW, Jim Thiel thought Class D’s sonics should be limited to subwoofers. But a lot of time has transpired since then, and who knows perhaps he might have changed his mind, if he had the opportunity to hear the more recent offerings. |
Thiel recommended at least 1' from the rear wall, at least 3' from side walls, and at least 8' from the listening position. Thiel recommended ideally, 3' from the rear wall, 5' from the side walls and 10' (he measured at 3 meters) from listening position. The little SCS's with their single co-axial driver was the most forgiving in this regard. Listening height is more of an issue (like most dynamic time coherent designs) than with other designs. |
sandydennis11, https://www.stereophile.com/content/thiel-cs37-loudspeaker-measurements https://www.anthemav.com/products-current/model=str-power-amplifier/page=specs I don't see this as a good match. |
Schubert, could be. Check the drivers very carefully. Make sure they are from Thiel. Some buy beat up speakers, put different drivers in and dump them on unsuspecting buyers. The drivers might appear to be off the shelf parts, but Jim Thiel often had customized lots just for his individual designs. The cross-overs were adapted to these customized drivers. Note if the surrounds are similar and if the screw hole patterns are properly symmetrical. Use a photo of known samples as a base line. Lower the volume and listen to each driver up close and individually. The grills on the CS 2’s are particularly important on this model, as they are shaped to work with the baffles for the designed dispersion characteristics. If you notice paint removed from the baffles during inspection, don’t worry, Thiel used automotive tape to help keep the grills attach to the baffles. It’s only a hidden cosmetics issue and new tape will bring them right back. |