Thiel and tubes

Yes, the Rogues with the Thiels were at John McAlpin's home. Most excellent sound, John! I am always more impressed at people who achieve such sound via system synergy and spending time and effort as opposed to those who simply throw tens of thousands (or more) of dollars at the whole thing.

Have been looking forward to hearing your system in the new home whenever you get settled in. That presumes you'll have us over again (BIG if there).

Apologies for not remembering which Thiels you owned...

One of the most involving systems I heard in the past year was a pair of Thiel 3.6 (I think) driven by a Rogue Zeus power amp/Rogue Magnum 99 preamp. Front end was an Electrocompaniet CD player.

Over the past few years, I have kind of walked away from both brands, but the synergy was most surprisingly spectacular. I didn't think it could work either...

Zaikesman, if I didn't hear it myself, I would have read a post about this combination with a jaundiced eye.

After what I have heard over the past few years using Rogues, including some past NYC HE Shows (using Audio Physic, Meadowlark, and Vandersteen speakers), and my local dealer who carries Rogue, I have not been happy with their sound. I myself have had a Rogue 88 amp in my system, and the results were not good. They also seem to sound quite nice with Osborn speakers, but most people have never come across them.

Regarding Thiel, about a year and a half ago, I heard the 1.6 driven by a Plinius, and the combination worked nicely, as long as the volumes didn't go too high. After that, the sound became compressed and distorted. The lack of port noise slop from Thiel's slot shaped port impressed me a great deal. Obviously, it isn't the kind of speaker that can go very low, but within the speed limits, it was a more than satisfying sound.