Thiel 1.5 vs. 2.3

I've owned the 2.3's and auditioned the 1.5's in my house. I went for the 2.3's in a heartbeat: More natural and dynamic and a heftier bottom. They do sound better with a beefier amp (I moved from the Bryston 3B-ST to the 4B-ST and loved the improved imaging and ease). I absolutely agree with the MIT cable assessment shared by Glen.

At the end, it's all up to your acoustics, your ear, your budget and your significant other acceptance factor. I like more powerful base so moved up to the CS-6's but I'm sure the 3.6's that Glen suggests would also provide you more in that department (though the 2.3's are no slouches).

Thiel's demand increasingly more power as you move up (I ended up with Bryston 7B-ST's with the 6's). Given a choice between 1.5's and 2.3's, I'd go with the latter even if you can't swing more power right away (you may already have enough), since you can always move up in amps later and they sound better with any amp power level capable of driving the 1.5's. Good luck.

Hello I owned the Thiel 1.2, 2.2 and 2.3s. All are very good speakers, excellent build quality, but the 2.2s sounded the best with the 2.3s close behind. The problem with the 2.3s is they need quality power and they tend to sound extremely bright to the point that they do not sound very natural and fatiging. I tweaked all I could within reason, Krell, BAT, PASS amps, various tube preamps, MIT cables etc, endless placements, all helped but in the end they wore me out and I sold them in favor of Audio Physic Virgos. They just sound better. If you are insistant on the Thiel route the 2.2s and 3.6s are not quite as bright, if you go with the 2.3s make sure you give them a good long addition on your oun or similar equipment and that they are the sound you seek.

I used 1.5s for three years and just acquired 2.3s a few months ago. I'm very happy with the 2.3s; they offer a "taller" and somewhat deeper soundstage than the 1.5s, although not any broader. I currently drive my Thiels with a Bryston 9B-THX (rated 120w/ch, but delivers more like 170w), and have not felt shorted on power...but then again, i haven't tried a larger amp. I use Transparent Super, and have heard that Thiels perform best with a good networked cable (such as Transparent or the MIT Glen mentioned).

Thanks very much to everybody who replied. I have some space limitations, which make me lean more to the 2.3 rather than 3.6, but I will think about this again in light of what's been said. I do _not_ like bright/harsh sounding gear (but neutral is good, i.e., not syrupy, which Thiels certainly are not). I have a Modulus 3A preamp, a VPI HW-19 Mk IV turntable, and at the moment a set of Golden Tube SE-40 monoblocks (80 wpc). I am aware that I would probably need to upgrade the amps. I also appreciate the cable recommendations, particularly if this helps tame excessive brightness, as I have not used MIT or Transparent cables before (I have an older pair of Tara Labs at the moment).

I have auditioned both side by side, w/same system setup. The 1.5's lack any low freq resp. The 2.3's(I now own) are better balance and synergy all the way down to 32hz or so. Make sure you get the updated drivers, if you purchase an older pair of 2.3's.

I even like the 2.3's better than 3.5 or 3.6's. Remember Thiel speakers require great componets.

Good Luck
David