Do a search here for the Thiel owners thread, lots of helpful folks there. I almost pulled the trigger on those speakers back in the mid-80s, but got CS3s instead because of the additional bass (and I couldn't afford the 3.5s at the time). The CS2s won't go much below 40 Hz, but they image beautifully and are very coherent speakers. In a mid-size room they will sound very good. I have heard them with NAD amplification and more expensive amplification, they will benefit from better sources, but they can sound good without them as well.
Thiel CS2
I just recieved a pair of Thiel CS2 speakers for a VERY good price and was looking for information, opinions, and comments on these speakers as I am not familiar with Thiel at all. Anyone with experience that would like to share would be appreciated.
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The VERY good price you mention is something that you'll find unbelievable soon enough. Thiels are truly excellent speakers, especially on the used market where the fraction of their original cost lets us mortals enjoy them. Your model is easy to drive, meaning you don't need an uber amp to see what they can do. I'm up to 3.6 now. I hasten to to add that these speakers are remarkably "colorless", musical in the sense that they don't impart much to the sonics. They just sound right. If you're into bass response they might first strike you as a bit lean in that respect, but after additional listening you'll find that the bass is more "true" than emphasized. I started with your model. I've had 3 pairs of 3.5's, one each of 2.2 and 2.3, most recently, currently 3.6. They're all fine. |
Amongst the most reliable and easy to drive of all Thiels. They do best with the typical Thiel recommended spacing. Though techincally amongst the easiest of all Thiels to drive, in practice it's a bit more challanging. Anything bright before them will be exposed, on the other hand the ported bass, though overall quite respectable, can be a bit soft. With their 6 Ohm nominal / 5 Ohm mimimum 88 dB sensitivity they are not as current/power hungry as most other Thiels. They work best with amps with tight bass and soft highs and IMHO with mid hall perspective. That's not as easily found as might be expected, especially on the cheap. Still high quality amps can be found reasonably. Though they can work with modestly powered 50-100 Watt p/c amps, they will demonstrate the benefits of added power up towards 250-300 Watts p/c. This might have been the Thiel speakers that had the most tube amp users. Despite many auditions I never felt that tubes did the bass right with them.YMMV! |
I owned the CS2 from 1988-2014. Honestly, never heard anything else, at any price, that made me want to "upgrade" until another Thiel model came through the door. You can read more about my impression at https://coherentsource.wordpress.com/2016/11/05/thiel-audio-truth/ Anyway, the combo I used with them was an Audio Research SP9 Mk. II hybrid tube preamp and a Mark Levinson No.27 power amp. There seemed to be a lot of synergy with plenty of clean power. Never blew a single driver. Really enjoyed these speakers. Warren |
If I am hijacking please let me know and I can start a separate thread. I currently own Vandy 2ce Sig IIs but have heard great things about the Thiel 2.4s and 3.6s, 3.7s. Being that Thiel and Vandersteen are both time and phase coherent speakers; can anyone describe the similarities/ differences between the two?
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dlcockrum is right. In the 80s, the differences could have been described as the Thiel sound was tilted to the higher frequencies (Jim Thiel argued that the response was flat), the Vandersteen as a darker sound. I think the two brands evolved so that they are closer in their tonal presentation now, but each has its own sound that you may or may not prefer. |
Thiel loudspeakers will give you richer timbre and detail than Vandersteen. Thanks for the replies and again sorry for the hijack. This pretty much sums up my experience with Vandersteen as well. Nice sound but not very detailed or engaging. I may have to pick up a pair of 2.4s. |
I had to remove them, Jafant, for construction of the listening room. However, I was quite impressed with them,especially for the age, and they have me hankering to try a better model. I have the monitor and sub set up going now, wich is why I asked if they make a monitor, but am open to floor standers to swap out on occcasion. any recomendations? These will most likely go in a second (downstair) system. The WAF isn't there for the living room. (1980's) : ) |
Hello I have a question for Teil owners that may be monitoring this old thread. I recently came into possession of a set of Teil CS3a's along with Conrad Johnson amplifiers. So far I'm pleased with the sound, but in the mix of equipment I brought home was a small black box marked 'Teil Bass Equalizer' Does anyone have any experience with this gizmo or know exactly what it's supposed to do? I hook it up and I can't tell if it does anything. |
@sjbellers, the "Thiel Bass Equalizer" is intended to compensate for the natural bass roll off of the speaker enclosure by boosting the those frequencies affected by such roll off via equalized amplification to restore the bass extension that would otherwise be there. If you are not appreciating a difference there is a good chance that this old device, due to age might need some restoration. The difference with and without is not insignificant. You might be able to send your unit to: Coherent Source Service – Specializing in repair and restoration of THIEL Loudspeakers for restoration. FYI, there is promising rumor of upgraded new units that might be available in the future. |