Thiel 3.6 vs. Spendor SP100 vs. PSB GOLD

I own the Thiels and have never heard the other two in question but would add one comment blind. I love my Thiels but had to pay more then their price to get an amp to make them sound good (wonderful -Krell KSA-200s) So you might get better sound from the other two speakers if you don't plan on putting down over $2500 for a good used high current amp.

Excellent post Artmaltman. I would like to add that I have been an owner of Spendor SP100 Speakers for two plus years now. I am not sure where Kevziek has read, and or perceived that the Spendors have so-so imaging or loose bass. On the contrary, I have read and experienced that the Spendors are extremely good performers in the imaging department (The midrange and tweeter is to die for with the Spendors, and they have been very well praised for this).

However, I have always felt that the SP100's needed a bit more bottom end in the bass department (Certainly not loose bass though). I added a second identical amplifier to bi-amp (Bass for one amp, and midrange/tweeter for the other amp), and this did raise the grade to drive the large 12" woofer independantly. The Spendors are not as efficient as claimed but they are quite good for efficiency (They do need a moderate amount of power to bloom).

As Artmaltman noted above the Spendors are a Music Lovers Speaker.

I finally decided to add a REL Subwoofer to my Spendors, and what a difference. Of the many reviews that I have read on the REL there was always a reference to a Spendor speaker. They were not kidding, and it is very unlikely that I will ever desire another speaker with this combo.

I have not tried the Thiel 3.6 since I do not have the power to drive them. They need a lot of power, and this would have been an extremely expensive road to travel down.

Lusted over other speakers but I was never inclined to sell my Spendor's.

David

Kevziek: I am hesitant to respond after the post by Artmaltman, since he has listened to, and/or owned, all of the speakers you mention. So, his response should easily trump mine. However, I wanted to mention that my brother and I spent a long afternoon comparing Vandersteen V (check me on the model, but it was stated to be their flagship) to Magneplanar 3.6. Maybe it was room placement, but the Vandersteens were boomy and sound coming from different points. Must have needed more break in (although the dealer claimed they had been). Next stop was to compare the PSB Stratus Gold to the Soliloquy 6.3. At least in our humble opinions, the 6.3 was the easy winner, even besting the impressive Maggie 3.6, again in our humble opinions. In addition, The Soliloquy is a nominal 8 ohms, with 92db sensitivity. I.e., easy to drive. Just thought you might want to know 2 people's opinion. BTW, my brother bought the 6.3s, and is driving them with a McCormack DNA 225. However, at my urging, he just bought an Antique Sound Labs MG DT15-S (15 watt single ended pentode), and hasn't put the solid state amp back in line yet!

3.6 are severely revealing and inefficient. They require LOTS Of CLEAN power but can reward you nicely. Spendors are very forgiving and will sound beautiful. I think Thiel is best for your audiophile periods, where you want to clearly hear the difference testing between cables, and want to hear your best recorded audiophile recordings at their best. Spendor is "music lover" speaker, even though it definitely sounds better as you provide better electronics and source material. BTW, the box Spendors are a little bit klunky in the home, the newer FL series looks more elegant. I purchased the FL-9 which is the least expensive FL series to offer the much loved tweeter of the Classic and Master series. I have owned 7 pairs of Thiels in the past but I kind of decided to give myself a break and just enjoy the music. No regrets.

Proac is a great middle ground, but the way; they are more linear and revealing than Spendor, maybe halfway to Thiel, but they are naturally musical. Not as efficient as most Spendors but not as demanding as Thiel. I owned Proac 2.5's and loved them.

Art