I heard thiel cs 3.7 driven by mcintosh mc601 600watts. Not heard of TAD before. For me, Thiel is not impressive at all. It has a flat neutral mid high. It sounded so plain. This speakers need high power solid state amp. I compared it to Tannoy Kensington driven by tube, Avantgarde G2 driven by ARC and even magico s5 driven by soulution and I like Kensington overall.
If you are willing to spend 21k, I would definitely try more speakers. |
The Thiel with a high powered SS amplifier and the Tannoy with a tube amp are so vastly different in presentation. I can't imagine someone truly preferring one would have any remote interest in the other, these are two unrelated camps of listeners.
Regards, |
"Specifically the $29,000 TAD Evolution 1, it is in the ball park of the $15,000 Thiel"
That's one heulluva ball park. Akin to saying a Hyundai is in the ballpark of a Lexus. I guess so, you can buy either of them for under 100K.
Shakey |
I’ve just upgraded from a pr of CS2.4s to CS3.7s, it’s a big jump in performance and I think and hope I am done upgrading my L&R speakers for a long time. I love the CS3.7s’ holographic image with a wide soundstage. Maybe it is my room, with the CS2.4s, the soundstage is somewhat limited to the space between the L&R speakers, with the Cs3.7s, I hear stuff 3-4ft outside of the L and R speakers. Even movies sound better and a lot more realistic, it’s scary sometimes. The boring sound might be due to the Mcintosh amp. I find that is one of the characteristics of Mcintosh amps, along with the natural sounding CS3.7s, it might sound boring to some. The TAD should have better bass extension according to the specs(28hz vs. 35hz) than CS3.7s, and might do something better than the Thiel, it should be as it’s in a different price point. Is it worth the extra $5-$10k more, that’s for you to decide? |
I recently bought a pair of TAD Evolution One and VERY VERY happy with the purchase. They are like horns without the bass issues but you have to drive them with high quality electronics. TAS review is deadon. Plan to keep them for a while.
I'm familiar with most Thiels but not the CS3.7. With proper electronics and high current amps, they can be very enjoyable. I heard 7.2 driven with all McIntosh and it was excellent.
In this price range, there are many choices. Rockport Avior, Magico Q3/S5, Vivid, Hansen ... just demo and buy the ones you like the best. |
Agree at that price level you should broaden your options, especially since you have some time. You're starting with two good ones, but sometimes it's the one off your radar screen that surprises you and ends up being "the one." Knghifi brought up some good ones, and I'll add Revel, Vandersteen, and Joseph Audio as others worth checking out. Best of luck. |
That price difference could add Thiel subs to the 3.7's. |
I have not heard the Evolution 1 but am very familiar with TAD CR1's which I have read are similar to the E1.
Taking cost out of the equation I could not imagine you being unhappy with the TAD's. Definitely worth a listen. I can't compare them with the Theil, but to my ear the TAD's are right up there with the best handful of speakers ever designed. |
In July Stereophile issue, Kalman Rubinson reviewed the TAD Evolution One. Review is very accurate from my experience and the measurements support it. |
@ Shakeydeal, Hi, your post from 6-17-13 you hit the penny on the head!,I got a good laugh out of the context you put things!, very hilarious and true!,, cheers! |
Sorry I did not reply back to this post. I did not see it listed until today.
My statement on the price being fairly close was for the used TAD E1 I see on A'Gon compared to the new Thiel CS 3.7. I have seen a few listing where TAD E1 owners have upgraded to the higher models in the TAD line and put the E1's for sale. The fact that they are not 1/2 price is kind of informative. Of course a Thiel CS 3.7 have also been listed on A'Gon for sale around 6-8k. |
Go listen to the beautiful, natural, dynamic, powerful JBL 1400 array and save some money. |
I have heard the JBL Array ($12,000).
I am really interested to hear a comparison between the Thiel and TAD since my limited technical knowledge leads me to believe they use similar designs.
I can of course go and listen to all the speakers listed in this thread. In fact I have listened to quite a few and owned The Revels Salons already listed on this thread. From a price/performance level I decided a few years ago that the Thiel would work best for me. That decision was made when Thiel was owned by different owners and long time staff were still working there.
Due to potential issues with the new owners I am exploring other speakers that may have the same technical designs as the Thiel. Just in case I get nervous buying from the new owners. Given my tastes in sound reproduction, I think Jim Thiel was on the right track with his designs.
The TAD, KEF, Vandersteen seem to be similar in design to the Thiel (I think). |
The JBL S4700s are better than the 1400 Arrays, and for not too much more money ($15000 retail)
But I will say, those TADs are better than either JBLs, imo.
You could do better than the Bryston amps, though. |
