Thiel CS6

When you get the spikes on, be sure to level them carefully so as to ensure that the sides are parallel to one another and that they don't rock in any dimension. Obvious perhaps but you will find that mm adjustments matter with these babies. When all is well and dialed in, they will sonically disappear and the music will float in room disembodied from them.

As an absolute, against other current models, or personally? This is still my main speaker for the past 10 years and they seem to perform better each year. Local audio buddies of mine agree. They are of solid design, coherent, a bit difficult to drive, extended, smooth, dynamic, fussy about placement (they sound best in my room pointed straight ahead)and heavy. But, at today's prices on the preowned market, a true bargain. The only speaker I would prefer over the CS6 is the Vandersteen 5A.

The 5As have subterranean bass extension but do share the time and pahse coherence of the CS6. My experience is that they share a common cloth in fine detail and time arrival of microtransients. When set up properly, the focus with either model is immersive.

This somewhat depends on the size of the room and the level to which you typically listen. Before I traded up to a Krell 400cx, the Bryston 7BST monoblocks I was using could be taken to the limit with this speaker, but they did not double down into 4 Ohms as the Pass will. Be aware that the Thiels drop to a min 2.54 ohms at 8kHz and the Krell handles this just fine. Don't know how the Pass will react at that impedance, and it may not be too critical if you don't need to drive to crazy high levels. Thiel does recommend Pass amps though as complementary.

Alan, don't be afraid of pointing the CS6s straight ahead; they fill in the middle beautifully and my experience is that they sound their best aimed thusly; all of course in my room. And, it is extremely important to position them equally to the nearest cm from the front wall (the wall behind them). From the listening position this will "lock in" the image focus, even though off axis will sound great too.