thiel 3.7 owners

Nice story Jon - I have had 3.6’s for 16 years and CS6’s for another 3 but my favorites are the 3.6.  I spent alot of time with the 3.7 when it came out but I could not justify 12 to 14K price tag when the 3.6’s were so good.

I have had other speakers in my room and they have come and gone and the Thiels remain.  Are they perfect - no, all speakers have tradeoffs but the 3.6 does so many things right any flaws are easily overlooked.

I went from the N802s directly to Thiel 3.7s back in 2012.  I thought the Thiels were better across the board.  They have less bass but the quality is unquestionably superior.  The midrange was clearer.  I definitely heard/understood things through the Thiels that I never had through the B&Ws.  The highs were better too.  The B&W tweeter, while very good, had an unmistakable peak that made them hard to listen to in certain recordings and covered up some detail.  The Thiels were much less colored.  Really an open window.  Every time I listen to them I can't imagine ever being dissatisfied and wanting more. 

I was surprised by this experience.  I had the B&Ws for 6 years and I had the 804s for a couple of years before that.  I figured since it was such a big company they'd be able to build better stuff than a company that was basically one guy.  I was wrong.  Speaker building is a black art I guess and the instincts and skills Jim Thiel built up over decades allowed him to build better products than a huge company with a far greater research budget, better facilities, etc. 

Corvette;

I had same problem with subs integrating......
Room Issues
one note bass--due to one node overwriting all other 3 major bass nodes

I tried Amarra with Dirac room correction for free
I bought USB mic from mini DSP ($89) and did room scan and setup

Perfect integration.........I now knew what was good bass now
40 hz crossover 

The Dirac and REW room scan software is " eye opening" on room issues.   Move stuff around and do a scan.......unbelievable differences
even high end sibalance can be changed by moving stuff a little bit
its worth a $89 mic & trial for free( Dirac)
the REW is free ( room software)

bty;  Velodyne F-1500 sub    
         It's not to slow!.......maybe at 250 hz, but not with well setup room nodes

anyway, ended up with sub in between speakers and 10 ft apart speakers.... great blend with & without Dirac

my opinion

jeff

lucky guy........3.7!!!
im jealous 

One thing I noticed is that I got a little better bass with old 10 gauge monster cable speaker wire?Switched to Aq type 4 and highs where better but bass was a little less?Type 4 was all around better with my passive sub?I would like to try some different speaker wire in time.Maybe I'll try something used to offset the cost because I'm already in deep💰.I have had a lot of fun along the way though!

Thanks! for the update- corvette01

whenever I auditioned Thiel speakers before  found my pair, they were always in a system that featured Audioquest cabling all around.

As luck would have it, Audioquest, is just one of many sonic matches.
There are other Cable manufacturers that will mate very nicely with Thiel loudspeakers.

Happy Listening!

I'm using xpa 1 monos,Intergra 80.3 preamp,Audioquest Columbia xlrs,Type 4 wires,B&W ctsw 12 passive sub with a Xpa 2 amp bridged for sub power.Xpa 5 for B&W center 2 and Magnepan rear channel speakers.For 2 channel is pretty good but really excells for movies.I would like to upgrade speaker wire next,but ok for now.

Very sweet owning the 3.7 in Les Paul edition- corvette01
I would never sell those speakers!

Yes, you would have to step up to a Magico or Verity Audio speaker at a considerable cost to better your Thiel model.

What other gear, including cabling, is in your system?

Happy Listening!

Thanks!I think the 2.4 se is really nice looking in that deep finish!Almost bought a pair of those also.My 3.7 are Les Paul edition, they look like Jimmy Pages Les Paul.I almost bought a rel for my 805s,but settled on a Golden Ear xxl.The B&Ws are great for every day listening,but when I really want to unwind and de- stress I'll pick my Thiels every time!I do believe to get better than 3.7 I would have to spend more than double of what I paid for them.

I was going to buy the Thiel 3.7's but never had the space. The 3.7's are amazing speakers. I just love the details and liveliness of the sound. Congrats that you never sold them.

Maybe a pair of 2.4 or 2.7 might help?I really enjoyed the 2.4s!Sounded much bigger than the are!I have a pair of B&W 805 Diamonds in the basement that I really like,until I come back upstairs to listen to the Thiels👍

I've been looking for a slightly smaller speaker to replace my Thiel 3.7s (due only to ergonomic issues of a small room).
I have auditioned quite a list of speakers and I can't find better.  The 3.7s are just ridiculously good.  I was going to say "for the price" but they are still possibly the least coloured sounding speakers I've heard.  They make the inadequacies and coloration off other speakers stick out like a sore thumb.

I will hang on to them a while longer as my quest continues.