Thiel 2.3 vs 2.4

I have always preferred the sound of Thiels with tube gear, albeit powerful tube gear. I'm not surprised that Thiel 2.3 with Meridian could produce sound that would fail to sell.

As for the cost of a Thiel speaker, bear in mind that once you have Thiels, even minute changes in gear are extremely audible. Owning Thiels is a slipperly slope, in that suddenly you will want better cables, better cd player, etc - because you can easily hear the differences.

So the price of owning Thiels is not merely the initial outlay, IMHO, but the subsequent tendency to make increasingly expensive audiophile purchases to feed the Thiels.

Both speakers need a LOT of breakin and complementary equipment (in the sense of high quality and also not being overly lean). The upgrade to the midrange driver of the 2.3 made a major difference to my ear, and eliminated my one serious concern with the speaker. I have heard many Thiels sound wonderful and awful, the same speaker, depending on degree of breakin and associated equipment. Also, they need current. If you underpower them they will provide the volume but it will be unpleasant. Finally, as to your question, to me the 2.4 is worth many times the value of the 2.3. It seems to have a more relaxed, natural sound, and overall seems to improve in many ways.
Art

I have not heard the Meridian piece in question so please don't take my comments as disparaging of the Meridian. I was referring in general to my experience that solid state amps don't fare as well with Thiels as powerful tube amps do. Also I was assuming that the Meridian was the amp, not cd/preamp.
Art

Rob raises a good point about the CS6. I have not heard this speaker in many years but my memory of it is that it captured that elusive relaxed musical quality, that Thiels often lack, while also preserving the great coherence, soundstage and nuance that Thiels offer. I also recall that it's heavy and needs a lot of space and power. The prices used for CS6's could make it a no-brainer if you have the space and power (and have been spending time at the gym : - o )
Art

I personally found the 2.3 a massive improvement over the 2.2, and the 2.4 a massive improvement over the 2.3 . All Thiels need a lot of power to really shine, and clean (not harsh) source and amplification. Without adequate power they seem harsh. The 1.6 being a 2-way seemed a bit more coherent than the 2.x, but overall coherency is a strength of Thiels. Thiels are incredibly transparent - a tool of a fussy audiophile.