Thiel 2.4

Kef direct is selling pairs of the R 900 for 28% off, delivered. I love mine. Some say expect a new model. I don’t care. 

Are the 2.4s at that price a good deal or would I be better looking elsewhere?

Well, I seriously doubt you will find anything new at that price point with equivalent SQ. I bought CS2.4SEs a few months ago and have been *very* happy. I was considering the Vandersteen Treo CT but it was just out of my budget after I bought an Ayre AX-5 last year. If you scour the loudspeaker measurements at Soundstage, you will see that the 2.4 has just about the very best measurements in their database in terms of flat frequency response and low distortion. And subjective reviews are glowing.

A caveat is that Thiel Audio folded but a longtime employee, Rob Gillum, bought the service department and parts inventory. This means you can get “factory-quality” service even if some parts are no longer available. Rob told me that 2.4 drivers are not available but that he can refurbish damaged ones. His company is Coherent Source Service.

On another note, Tom Thiel is engineering crossover upgrades for “legacy” models and the 2.4 is among the first to get attention. These will include substantially improved quality of capacitors, resistors, and, in some cases, inductors. I expect a modified CS2.4 will compete sonically with anything up to $20-30K. Look for kits from CSS around the end of the year. For more info, see the Thiel Owners Thread.