Thiel 2.4 and 7.2 versus 5i



Hi folks.

Thiel has been my reference speaker for quite some time.
Have heard the 2.4 in 2 different systems and can concisely state that they are indeed the next evolutionary step at the mid-price point in the line. Both systems were solid state (Musical Fidelity and Rotel) Can't wait to hear them with tubes which I prefer.

The incredible top to bottom focus of the 2.3 has been sharpened even more and the bass reponse has increased to a point that's amazing and nearly too much for me on certain recordings. I'd still take them in a heartbeat if I could afford them becuase the rest of the presentation is so complete, musical, addictive and accurate as all Thiel speakers tend to be.

In all candor, it sometimes puzzles me that this company never receives the consistent "very best of" grouping votes by many professional reviewers. Thiel = truth of signal. Period. Yes, they are considered one of the best in the world, but even if Wilsons, Rockports, Pipedreams, Kharma and other such exotics are as good or better then Thiel, I still feel that Jim's designs stand shoulder to shoulder with them in signal and build quality. Just because a speaker costs $70K doesn't mean they are better than something costing as high as $14K as the 7.2's do. Ear of the beholder I'm sure. This isn't meant to insult those who prefer other types of speakers but I have been sitting on this view for a time and wanted to share to get a conversation started which, on this website, has always been informative and interesting.

My question to longtime Thiel owners is what are the biggest differences that exist between the 5i and the iterations of the 7? Always wondered about that.

Thanks for reading and sharing the views.

D.H.
danhirsh
I agree with you D.H. The first time I heard 3.6's it was a revelation. I had never heard more "realism" coming from a speaker, particularly a box speaker. I have owned these for about 3 years and have thrown some significant dough upstream and they just get better and better. I must admit, I've never heard a larger model. In fact, in my travels I can't recall a dealer who carries Thiel having a system set up for audition - maybe I've just been unlucky. I was in D.C. recently at Soundworks , they carry an enormous selection of speakers, and they had CS6's and 7.2's disconnected and up against a wall. I would love to hear larger models for comparison.
I haven't heard the 2.4's. If they are anything like other Thiels, and with out trying to offend anyone else's system, I think they deserve better than the particular solid state gear you have been auditioning with so far.
The last mile of performance always costs disproportionately more, but the end result is the difference between a reproduction and reality. This is true of many things from art to home theater an it greatly depends on the objective. It is unfair on the Thiels to define the objective as reality, which happens to be that of some of the other speakers mentioned. "Thiel = truth of signal Period" this statement is the equivalent of describing a poster to be more accurate and vivid in colors than the original painting.

Let me share my experience with the thiels and the contrasts between certain other speakers. In the world of reproduction indeed the thiels lead the pack with an extremely high quality reproduction and a solid company that backs and markets their products well. In a side-by-side comparison with a 30k speaker I found the thiels to have a much bigger soundstage, however upon closer examination it was too big. It was as though the recording was played back through some reverb instrument where the vocals and instruments seemed to appear from everywhere.....more specifically, all the vocalists seem to be sharing a single microphone and performing in a cave that had this glorious echo and one could not place anything in perspective. In other words whatever the thiels were doing in their crossover to create an artificial soundstage were doing so indiscriminately affecting everything. This takes away not only from reality but the effects distract from being able to engage emotionally with the music.

When I heard the same track on the other speaker with all things remaining the same, such as equipment and placement; I heard what the engineer intended but more importantly I was part of the performance as in being in the same room, not outside looking in. Instruments and Singers fell into their natural and believable positions not just front to back and left to right but everything sounded its appropriate height. The sad thing here is that one does not realize these virtues in a simple audition, at first glance many speakers can be very impressive. It is only when you have lived with them and then upgrade do you learn what you were missing.

In my books when it comes to a mere reproduction my standards are not very high. As a matter of fact I have really enjoyed several inexpensive speakers that were free of excessive distortion and sound effects and I appreciated them for what they were. But is you are talking about evoking the same passion that live music does, then anything that cannot do so, regardless of price is to expensive. And yes unfortunately many speakers that do get you to that state of exhilaration are ultra expensive and not necessarily justified in cost of materials.

Sam.
Sam, what was "the other speaker", and which model of Thiel were you comparing it to?
Yes, Sam what speaker or speakers are you referring to? That's an interesting opinion, I myself have never realized that phenomenon - I'm not defending Thiel because I own but would just like to know your comparison model.