Not the speakers to get if you're picky about cosmetics, but they are good and that's a good price. You won't get Forte dynamics though.
Thiel 3.5 vs Klipsch Forte IV Speaker choice
I am weighing the choice between the Thiel CS 3.5 and the newer Klipsch Forte IV. My budget for this is $3600. If I get the Thiels, I would need to upgrade my amp to accommodate them. Some possible choices would be a new LKV Power 3 Purifi amp or a used Jeff Rowland 525 amp or a Mark Levinson 23.5.
If I opt for the Klipsch, I do not need to upgrade from my tube amp based system. The two choices are pretty equivalent in price.
I have never heard the larger Thiels but had the smaller Thiel CS 1s for many years and still use them to compare with other speakers. They sound good in my music room until I compare them to others. So far I have cycled through Spatial M3 triode masters and Vandersteen 3a. Both sounded good but needed a larger room to truly shine. Currently, I am using Kef 105 speakers and really enjoy the base they produce but think they are lacking in clarity and imaging. I have only heard the Klipsch in a large showroom, but they sounded very good. I understand these are very different choices and am hoping the wise Audiogoners can help me with this considering my room constraints and budget.
My room is 14 x 17 x 8ft., with speakers on Long wall due to constraints. Floor is carpeted and room has some sound treatments. The rest of the system is Don Sachs preamp with Bob Latino modified ST 120 push pull tube amp. Source will be streaming with Bluesound Node 2i and Schiit Modi Multibit DAC. Next upgrade after speakers will be a better DAC.