Thiel Owners
I thought this might be of some interest to followers of this thread, though this paper is nearly 10 years old, it just recently came to my attention: for those that want to take a deeper dive into the subject: https://www.keele-omholt-technologies.com/papers.php more discussion:
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@andy2 , I agree with @jafant in that often times it's with the recording. I can't comment on your hearing. But after the recording, I suspect it's more likely room and/or placement issues rather than your gear. |
@tomthiel, of course you would know better than me. But, aside from being able to make the under hung motors more available across the various models , which is somewhat negated by the lowered price point models using different woofers anyway, I think the sealed boxes were the better choice. Other manufacturers such as Dunlavy with similar performance goals were able to do it. Though to be fair the Dunlavy’s used more drivers in bigger boxes or used acoustic floor volume reinforcement. All of which created a different set of concerns. I’m not sure all would agree, but I for one think those, and the previous use of eq were worth it.
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As Tom said; ..."Consult Stereophile's review for details and considerations."... Thiel CS1.6 loudspeaker Measurements | Stereophile.com The high sensitivity might be misleading considering the below 4 Ohm impedance, and the somewhat recactive load. The NAD C375 BEEis is spec'd as >150 Watts 8 and 4 Ohms. As is is not spec'd to increase steady power with impedance drop suggests current limiting. It does suggest good dynamic power down to 2 Ohms, But as seen in the link above the CS 1.6's are below 4 Ohms a good deal of the time. I think the steady state power output into impedance is more relevant. User manual NAD C 375BEE (English - 18 pages) As 3 Ohm ratings are not typical (only the stereo version of the Benchmark jumps to mind), I think it prudent to consider the more typical 2 Ohm ratings when they can be found. A minimum of 200 Watts into 2 Ohms should be considered, and personally would use at least twice that. As @duramax747 wisely suggests YMMV.
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@johnnotkathi, Take this with a grain of salt. Jim Thiel thought Class D amps were only suitable for sub-woofer duty. But a lot of progress has been made with Class D since Jim's passing. I haven't experienced these for myself. Before considering those older amps that might need to refreshed with new caps, etc., which if you don't have the where with all to do yourself could end up costing as much as the current purchase prices.. FWIW, I would consider the offerings from: Though there is a 10% restocking fee for non-faulty returns, I think these might actually be better performing with less risk for less money. |
@johnnotkathi, Thank you for saving me from having to reply. For those who might eschew the objective, and might prefer the subjective; i suggest comparing the output with one’s ear in direct proximity of a loudspeakers drivers with source turned off: with most of the better new Class D amps compared to traditional Class A or AB amps. I think most will typically find these Class D amps to be quieter. I’m not suggesting the SINAD is the be all/ end all, but it is a measure of noise (and distortion) after all.
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Thiel CS2 2 loudspeaker Measurements | Stereophile.com Ayre Acoustics AX-5 integrated amplifier Measurements | Stereophile.com Unlike some other Thiel models the CS 2.2's only have a somewhat small and fairly brief dip below 4 Ohms While the Ayre is not actually spec'd to deal with the Thiel CS 2.2's, and FWIW wouldn't be my choice to power them; depending of course on your room and desired volume levels I think you'll find the AX- 20 adequate. |
