Gotcha, as in it would be a bad idea. Thanks.
Showing 16 responses by dsper
jafant, Thanks for the clarification on what a loom means. I have not gotten into power cords and my speaker cable runs are only about ten feet so I not too concerned with that part of it. However, at the suggestion of Pat at McCormack Audio, I added a Synergistic fuse to the DNA-500 amp. Not sure if it really made a difference...... Dsper |
vair68robert and charles1dadIts good to know others can hear a difference with fuses. Hopefully, you are not pulling my leg:-)! I am a pretty analytical "my glass is half empty" kind of guy. My view was pretty negative that there could be a difference, but when Pat suggested changing out the mains fuse..... Still not quite sure I should believe what I am hearing.... Then again, I was pretty convinced my thicker than lamp cord speaker wire was fine until I tried a thicker gauge...and I could hear that. I assume that one's system has to be pretty resolving to hear any of this? Thanks for listening Dsper |
@beetlemaniaSome of you may recall my recent posts where I expressed a desire for a more live presence with my Thiel CS5i's. I also thought about beatlemania's post about the transparency of Thiels in general because I was starting to come to the opposite conclusion after having owned 3.6's and now 5i's. It was/is getting to the point of contemplating a change to a more efficient speaker and a tube amp. My experience with the CS5i's has been that better transports and DACs can provide more detail which gets one closer to better transparency/live presence. I had been researching DACs in the $5000 range as a possible improvement for quite some time but thought I would try what the $1000 price point was all about. The $899 Soekris was a step in the right direction as I have chronicled in an earlier post. Anyway, I had been reading about the Mojo Audio Mystique V3 DAC and noticed that they were starting to come up on the used market as folks with deeper pockets than mine have moved on to the new Mystique EVO. I acquired a V3 earlier this week and am astounded at the improvement I am hearing from the CS5i's. The bass is deeper, the dynamics are better, and soundstage and imaging have improved. I can look at a speaker and "see" an instrument in front of the speaker which has never happened before. I believe I am hearing background noises that I could not hear before. In general the sound is more fleshed out. To tie this all together, I think beetlemania may be right about transparency. My caveat would be that the old comment that Thiels require good (probably higher priced) amplification to sound their best also extends to requiring a higher quality source. Anyway, the move to a more efficient speaker is now on hold for a bit while I listen to the Mystique settle in. Thanks for listening, Dsper |
Hi All, Just wanted everyone to know that I keep learning by reading this thread. and I am not through all of it yet...! One thing I have learned, know, is that the CS5i's are not bright. Feed them right and you will be rewarded. Right now, I am listening at 53 on the CJ 17LS2 (80-85 dbls at my chair) when I normally listen at like 17 to 29. Everything is holding together with no harshness and the bass is pounding it along. The Mystique V3 DAC is adding to the speakers. Jafant, thanks for the thread, Dsper |
@Jefant ...Bass is certainly not bloated/flabby regarding Thiel Audio...I have CS5i's and certainly agree that their bass is tight and also nuanced...if you have a good source (and amp). My old thinking was that the source would impact the treble more than the bass. Not true. I run a PWT and recently acquired a Mystique V3 DAC, which improved sound across the board and things are fine at any volume - low and high. The bass is full without bloat and there is added detail that helps the sound seem more solid. The Mystique also helped expand the soundstage especially laterally. This has reaffirmed my faith in the Thiels and slowed down the new speaker search. Not to go off topic, but I also recently switched to silver interconnects, which brought more presence to the tweeters and improved the live sound. So far the CS5i's are not the weak link in my system. However, my experience is that I have had to spend some bucks and not try to go with the latest "giant killer" gear. Thanks for listening, Dsper |
@jafant Which brand of Silver IC did you purchase?Stager Silver Solids. Quote from Marc Stager: "...it is not how a cable makes music sound great. It's about how it allows music to sound great by not hindering its transmission in any way>>>" I do not know much about interconnects and was taught "when in doubt, do not buy". I never used silver interconnects before so i thought I would give these a try as they are not thousands of dollars. My old interconnects were Synergistic Research Alphas - again, not much money. Another Audiogoner (C6 owner) had suggested SR interconnects might tame the Thiel tweeters and this person was correct but that was with my Theta ProBasic III DAC. My Mystique DAC is at a higher level and I thought now is the time to see if my ears could handle the silver in the context of a much better DAC. The Mystique has given me a more fleshed out soundstage and solidness and better images while the silver interconnects have allowed more presence. And the tweeters are liking it. Not sure what is next. Based on reviews, the Mystique Evo is a better DAC. Not sure what to do about interconnects. Thanks for listening, Dsper |
@john_5912 I'm currently between amps and now am trying to find reasonably priced, high powered, and high performing amps that will last.The 3.7's, similar to my 5is, need an amp that can double down to 2 ohms. It took me a couple of years to find an amp. I have the good fortune to live near an audio store whose owner let me take used stuff home to try. Large Levison (blah to me), Krell (too shouty), Classe (too soft), among others, did not do it for me. I had a Coda at 300wpc into 8 ohms that sounded good until I cranked it up and then the sound became strained and harsh. I liked a Pass X350 but the more recent models were too much for my pocket book. I stumbled across a McCormack DNA-500 out of Pennsylvania and am very happy with it. To my hearing, the only thing it lacks compared to the Pass is that last bit of black, so silent background. Thanks for listening, Dsper |
@brettmcee Quality Ranking’ of all available Thiel speaker modelsI owned both CS3.6 and CS5i at the same time. The 3.6 is a good speaker but the 5i is at a whole higher level. More refined and cleaner. To my ears, its like a veil is removed when listening to the 5i after the 3.6. One thing I did enjoy with the the 3.6 was the bass. That ten inch woofer just produces bass differently than two or three smaller woofers and is very attractive... Just my two cents; have not owned any other Thiel. |
@thoft ...How was the levinson blah...I dug up this old thread regarding my amp search: "Parasound Halo JC-1 for Thiel CS 5i". Hopefully, it is not too boring and my ignorance not too laughable. I guess my memory must be going as I seemed to like the Levison more than I recall. The interesting thing is that I have updated my digital front end and I wonder how these amps might sound now. My DNA-500 can effortlessly drive the CS5i's to any volume level that I can bear to hear. My listening position is ten feet from the speakers and everything is sounding good to me at 85 decibels with no degradation of treble peaks or bass line. I typically listen at 65 to 70 decibels so a lot of the time its like I am bringing a shot gun to a balloon popping contest, except when I need the oomph for a dynamic peak. Thanks for listening, Dsper |
Sorry about coming in from left field; back on July 23, I wrote: Stager Silver Solids. Quote from Marc Stager:Anyway, for me, in my system, the honeymoon is over with Stager silver solids. My wife is out of town, so without adult supervision, I reinserted my old Synergistic Research Alpha Sterling interconnects and I am glad I did. Better bass and more texture throughout the audio range with the Alpha Sterlings. I guess I mistook the treble edge of the silver as providing more resolution. Not true. Anyway, still want to try more interconnects. Anybody out there who has can suggest a step forward from Alpha Sterlings? Trying to mate with PS PMT, Mystique DAC, CJ 17LS2 , DNA-500, and Thiel CS5i's. Thanks for listening, Dsper |
@duramax or anyone elseI am intrigued by the idea of outriggers for my CS5i's. What I do not understand is, with a nearly 200 pound speaker, how can one expect the outriggers to sound superior to the original Thiel spikes? This is not intended to offend but to understand the value of outriggers. I would assume the floor contact points being further from the actual base of the speakers provides a noticeable sonic effect? Or...? Thanks for listening, Dsper |
@sdl4The sound of the Vovox Sonorus was markedly different!Hi Sdl4, could you share the details of your system - DAC, preamp, amp, etc.? I apologize if I missed it in an earlier post. jafant has done a great job with this thread and I do not always keep up! I run Thiel CS5i's and am searching for that last bit of live sparkle and found your post to be interesting for that reason. Thanks for listening, Dsper |
@tomthiel dsper - "I'll chime in regarding spikes and outriggers.... I appreciate the response. Even with their weight, the CS5i's can almost seem a bit tipsy so I could understand outriggers providing more geometric support. How the sound could improve because of a wider base is harder for me to conceptualize from an analytical, logical perspective. As with anything else in this hobby, I guess I need to try outriggers and determine if I can hear a difference. I suspect that there might be a sound difference but is it necessarily better versus simply being different. Sort of similar to enjoying my CJ preamp but also like listening to my Axiom II passive. Different strokes but is one better than the other..... In the meantime, I will stick to playing with interconnects as I "know" that those can improve/worsen the sound. On the other hand, what if the outriggers could be an "aha" moment?! Thanks for listening! Dsper |
For sure! |