Thiel CS 2.2 Speakers... What you all think?

" 25 years with the same speaker? That's remarkable. What are you even doing on a site like this? ;-) "

Good question! Had to laugh because I've had my Mirage M3si speakers for 23 years and I'm in no hurry to upgrade. I also have had my Krell gear (KRC 2, KSA 300S) for the same amount of time. I've been to two audio shows in the last two years (AXPONA, Tampa) and I've been pleasantly surprised that my system compares very well to much of the new gear I heard. Granted, I have upgraded my analogue and digital front ends several times but my core system stands the test of time.

As for the OP, when I bought my speakers I had narrowed it down to 2 models, the Mirages and the Thiel 2 2. IMO the Thiel is perfect for a mid size SF condo and buying a nice pair for $800 is a low risk purchase. They sound beautiful, they aren't too big, they have a nice sculpted appearance, and they are fairly forgiving of placement. If you hate them you can probably resell them for the same price. I agree with the advice to get good quality SS amplification because those speakers are quite inefficient (about the same as my Mirages).

I am not surprised that all of the Thiel lovers are here, as the title of the thread does not mention Klipsch Heresy. As the largest Klipsch Heritage junkie ( there are another 1 or 2 here ), on the 'Gon, I will say this. A few simple mods to the Heresy, with a warm ss amp, and / or of course, tubes, can, and will, get you a lot of real nice, fun, " lifelike " music reproduction, that for the price ( free in this case ), and size, should not be taken lightly. Almost 70 years of manufacture, and the Heresy continues to be popular, many going over seas. Parts are available, upgrades are available, and folks like me are available...…………..so, without getting into a debate as to which I prefer, I simply wish the op success and happiness with his audiophile endeavors, and will only comment, from here on in, if I am asked. Enjoy ! MrD.

Mrdecibel, I appreciate you writing me and I'd love to hear more on how to make my Heresy 2 sound great. I played them recently through my old Onkyo receiver and a cheap turntable I inherited and the sound was a bit muddy. 

I really think I need to buy a integrated amp or pre-amp at this point to go along with my Outlaw Amp. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should get to go along with my power amp and Klipsch speakers? I'm also still considering buying the Thiels but I'd really like to hear exactly what they Heresy 2's can do before I do that.

So you will love the cs 22. The components to drive them must be well matched as well as the music you play on them. Not to say all music isn't played well. It's just that these speakers have a preference on what music they play best.

Coming to this discussion a bit late (is it better late than never?) I offer up an opinion and another question.

The setup: I have a pair of the Thiel CS 2 2s attached to my Krell KAV 300i. Both are 23 years old and still sound fabulous. After much research, I just purchased a used Krell Vanguard to replace the 300i. (I haven’t received it yet.) In addition, I recently replaced my Theta Miles CD player with a Bluesound Vault 2i and have loaded all of my CDs onto it (over 1000.) Note that I demoed the Vault against my CD player for several weeks before I purchased it, in addition to having many friends and family do blind testing between the Vault and the Miles CD player. The bottom line was that there was no discernible difference in sound quality. The advantage of having all types of access to all of my music at the touch of a finger is simply superb!

My opinion on the Thiels: I love their sound. They are killer when it comes to jazz, my favorite genre to listen to. They do fabulous with Baroque music, rock ‘n’ roll, blues, pop and easy listening. Classical music, large orchestral pieces, seem to be a step down in sound quality. (I am hoping it’s my amp and not the speakers; hence my buying the Vanguard. We shall see...)

My question: Has anyone out there paired the Thiel 2 2s speakers with the Krell Vanguard?