@scubabird
If I was looking for something that provided the essence of what I love about the Thiels, and was looking to get hold of something that was in current production, my starting point would be Maggies and Vandersteens. I had Magnepan speakers in my listening space from 1984 to 1996 and loved them. Moved onto Thiel when we needed something more practical to best co-exist with our then toddler. I started with the Thiel CS .5, and then in 2011 moved up to the 2.4. Much easier to work into my listening space than would be comparable Maggies. I have never owned Vandersteens, but in my space Vandersteens would be easier to work with. Also, Vandersteens would be easier to work with from an amp perspective relative to either Thiels or Maggies. Hope this helps. |
In case anyone is interested, TMR has listed a pair of CS 1.5 speakers in birdseye maple for $799 + $135 for shipping; serial# 7899, 7900; condition listed as 8 out of 10.
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In case anyone is interested TMR is listing an Amberwood pair of CS 3.6 speakers for $1399 + $399 shipping - serial# 1241; 1242 ... condition listed as 7 out of 10.
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From 1996 to 2004 I had CS .5 speakers paired with an ADS A2 integrated amp. It was a decent and highly enjoyable combination.
Then my ADS A2 gave up the ghost after some 20 years of faithful service. Simon, the owner of Audio Consultants suggested a used four year old Bryston 3BST as a replacement. Turns out I really didn't know what I had until the Bryston amp together with a Bryston preamp replaced the ADS A2. What I then heard from the CS .5 speakers was an absolute revelation. |
dsper +1 for the CS .5 - had a pair in my living room from 1996 to 2011 before upgrading to 2.4s. Absolutely fantastic little floor stander.
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Just to let everyone know that after a 2 month wait, took delivery of my new Coda CSiB integrated amp today. So far so good. My CS 2.4s seem very happy with it. And more importantly, the Mrs is happy with it. Also happy to report that I ordered it just in time to avoid a sizable price increase. My local dealer, Mike Kay of Audio Archon told me that prices on the Coda line have gone up 15% across the board. Will report more after this new baby has had more of a chance to break in.
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Coda CSiB integrated amp has been in my system for two weeks now, and I couldn't be happier; delivering the best sound I've ever heard from my CS 2.4s. A significant step up from my venerable Bryston 3Bst / BP20 combo.
Two word description of the sound - melifluous and holographic. Silky smooth with a huge soundstage, wide and deep, extending well beyond the speakers. The amp is very quiet. Presentation is relaxed, but with an abundance of detail and nuance.
If anyone is interested, I've posted updated pictures and info in the virtual systems area.
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@tomthiel
My Thiel CS 2.4s are serial# 2951 and 2952. Purchased pre-owned from Audio Consultants. Speakers were approximately 5 years old at time of puchase in April of 2011, with 5 years remaining on the warranty. So presumably manufactured some time in 2006. So with respect to the boards and parts, where does that leave me?
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Additional factoid: On my Thiel Warranty Registration, date of sale to original owner is listed as July 6, 2006.
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@audiofil123
Congrats. I had .5s in my room from 1993 to 2011 and they are a honey of a speaker, especially if they are fed a nice dose of high current power. Enjoy!
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Jafant, Tom Thiel, et al. Thought the following might be interesting. I purchased my CS 2.4 speakers from Audio Consultants in April of 2011. They were a pre-owned pair (serial# 2951, 2952) and at time of purchase there were 5 years left on the transferable 10 year warranty. Following are links to five Thiel CS 2.4 reviews (all rave reviews by the way) in more or less chronological order. Where discernable, I’ve listed the serial numbers related to each review. Soundstage Nov 2003 – Marc Mickelson … Serial Number N/A http://www.soundstagenetwork.com/revequip/thiel_cs24.htm#:~:text=The%20Thiel%20CS2.,all%20the%20while%20the%20CS2.&text=4%20is%20certainly%20one%20of,art%20offering%20(Thiel’s%20own%20CS7. 6 Moons Jan 2004 – John Potis … Serial Numbers 903, 904 https://6moons.com/audioreviews/thiel/2.4.html#:~:text=The%20CS%202.4%20is%20nominally,to%20400%20watts%20are%20recommended.&text=Thiel%20was%20kind%20enough%20to,already%20shipped%20with%20substantial%20spikes. Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity Jul 2004 – Jon E Johnson, Jr … Serial Numbers 413, 414 https://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_10_3/thiel-cs-24-speakers-7-2003.html Stereophile Nov 2005 – Wes Phillips … Serial Numbers 1991, 1992 https://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/1105thiel/index.html Audio Perfectionist Journal #13 2005 – Shane Buettner … Serial Number N/A https://www.vandersteen.com/media/files/APJ%20Files/APJ13_Proof.pdf (note that review begins on page 19)
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@tomthiel
With respect to services ... what I’d love to see is a barnstorming tour that would allow you, Rob, or your qualified representatives to service, repair and upgrade Thiel speakers in the field. Could be a potential win win for everybody. Would certainly save on shipping costs as well as wear and tear related to shipping. Those saves could then help cover the costs associated with taking the show on the road. Would certainly be much appreciated by folks like myself who are very circumspect by the prospect of packing up and shipping those speakers, let alone wielding a soldering iron myself. Tom ... your thoughts. |
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@tomthiel
Some considerations when looking to use a disc spinner as a SACD transport:
The PS Audio solution is pretty much limited to coupling their Perfectwave Transport to one of their own DACs via a fairly proprietary I2S connection. It’s an elegant solution, although rather expensive.
I have a friend who has this setup.
Otherwise, the approach I would consider would be to employ the Geerfab D.BOB (Digital Breakout Box) which is a $1000 item that sits between an SACD spinner with HDMI out (like an OPPO) and a DAC supporting DOP (DSD over PCM) via its COAX or Toslink input. The Benchmark DAC3B is a compatible DAC.
Note if connecting a spinner directly to a DAC via COAX or Toslink, you will not be able to access an SACD’s DSD layer (only the CD layer of a hybrid SACD).
An alternative solution, and the one that I employ, is to rip SACDs to my music server, and then use Roon to play them (you could do this with JRiver or some such as well) using a DAC that supports DOP (in my case a Chord Qutest). The ripping process is somewhat involved, so won’t get into that here ... but if interested, can provide guidance.
Hope this helps. Feel free to PM me directly.
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With respect to DACs: my advice is to not get hung up on the chip set. In my opinion, much more important than the particular chip that has been utilized is its implementation, the op amps employed, etc ... Two different manufacturers DACs using the same chip set can very easily present with very different personalities. It's not all about the chip. Just my 2 cents. |
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Wish to thank all the folks on this forum who have assisted me in my long search for a new amp to pair with my CS 2.4s. Special shout outs to jafant, jimob, tomthiel and yyzsantabarbara.
After much deliberation, made my choice for a new amp, and put in an order for a new Coda CSiB V1 integrated amp (150 watts into 8 ohms, 300 into 4, with first 18 watts in class A). This will be replacing my venerable Bryston 3BST and BP20 combo. Something of a guilty pleasure (but one in which I have my wife's blessing) and easily the most expensive purchase made in the many decades I've been involved in this wonderful hobby.
Now comes the hard part ... waiting for delivery, which due to part shortages/supply chain issues most likely won't be before the middle of December and could be longer.
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@tomthiel
the Benchmark gear, both the AHB2 together with their LA4 preamp were given serious consideration.
Loved its diminutive size and weight. It was a semi finalist based on it’s form factor alone. It is the one notable class AB amp that I am aware of that like my 3Bst I could stash away under my antique ice chest.
(You can see pictures of my system and living room here: https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8156 )
But, given that I didn’t want to go the monoblock route, one AHB2 in stereo rated at 100 watts into 8 and 190 into 4 on paper is actually less than my 3Bst
at 125 watts into 8 and 200 into 4. Very much wish that Benchmark had a more powerful amp in their lineup (or that Bryston would shrink their 4B3 down to a size that I could handle). Sure that a single AHB2 would be an improvement,
just not as big a step up as I desire. My happy place is with spl peaking at around 80 db from my listening position sitting ~12 feet away from my speakers.
I have no problem at all getting there with my current Bryston kit (with BP20 volume knob at around 9 o’clock). Just desire something with more cojones that could provide the grip, control, and ease that only a more powerful amp would
be likely to provide. Taken together, an AHB2 / LA4 combo comes in at a price that is comparable to the deal that I got on the CODA CSiB,
and the CSiB I believe has the juice to get me to where I’m looking to go. Liked that the CSiB continues to double down as you halve the impedance. And coming from owning Bryston kit, appreciated the 10 year warranty, and thought the piece was particularly good value for the money.
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In case anyone is interested, TMR has listed CS 2 pair in teak for $799 + $299 for shipping; serial# 3335,3336 condition listed as 6/10.
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In case anyone is interested, TMR has posted an amberwood pair of CS 1.6 for $899 + $149 for shipping with condition listed as 7 out of 10. Serial# 3053; 3054
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Coda amps are also a good sonic match for Thiels. And I’m sure it’s no coincidence that this may have something to do with the fact that the folks behind Coda Technologies, Doug Dale and Eric Lauchi, worked with Nelson Pass when all three were together at Threshold. And very much like Pass designed amps, Coda amps do much of their heavy lifting in Class A along with the type of high current that make Thiel speakers sing.
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@amscott
Recommend contacting Rob Gillum, former long time Thiel employee, at https://www.coherentsourceservice.com/. He specializes in the servicing, maintenance and repair of Thiel speakers.
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@prof
Nice setup!
Looking at your pictures, are you doing most, if not all of your listening, in the near field?
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@tomthiel
Playback of SACD disks via a disk player using an external DAC is a special use case. To my knowledge, there are essentially 2 ways to turn this trick aside from the PS Audio solution, both require that the disk player have an HDMI output (such as a SACD capable Blu Ray player like the Oppo’s).
To use the HDMI output directly requires a DAC with an HDMI input, such as a Bryston BDA3 or a NAD M51 (which like the Oppo is discontinued).
The second is to use something like the Geerfab D.BOB (digital breakout box), which is a $1000 item, and sits between your SACD player with HDMI output and a DSD capable DAC which supports DOP (DSD over PCM). There are modestly priced SACD capable Blu Ray players which can serve as your transport.
A totally different approach, and the one I utilize myself, is to rip the DSD layer from the SACD, and then stream to a DSD capable DAC. If interested in this later approach, PM me, and I’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.
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@halifax
I have a Coda CSIB v1 integrated amp driving my CS 2.4 speakers, and I can vouch that it is an excellent match.
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Hey @Halifax
Just curious - which Coda Amp do you have?
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@tomthiel
I'm guessing that your 2.4s (#s 2093, 2094) were built around 2005.
My guess is based on the fact that when I purchased my pre-owned 2.4s (#s 2951, 2952) in April of 2011 from Audio Consultants, based on the provenance (they had been originally sold by Audio Consultants, and then taken back in trade for 3.7s) they had 5 years remaining on their original 10 year warranty). So that dates production of my pair to most likely 2006.
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In case anyone is interested,
bmorill listed a pair of CS 7 speakers on Audiogon yesterday.
Asking $2000 - located in Grand Rapids, Michigan
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Just in case anyone is interested.
TMR has listed a pair of oak CS 3.6 speakers for $1149 + $399 for shipping.
Serial numbers were not listed.
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@lars888888
I've been very happy driving my CS 2.4 speakers with a Coda CSiB v1 integrated amp. The Coda doubles down as you halve the impedance. The CSiB is for all intents and purposes a CODA 8 basic amp with an integrated line stage. Prior to the Coda I had a Bryston 3Bst. The 3Bst together with a Bryston preamp did a nice job of it, but the Coda was a big step up. As per my handle, I'm a jazz guy, but an audiophile buddy who is into Classical gave my rig a test run and was very impressed with it.
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In case anyone is interested, Saturday Audio Exchange in Chicago has lilsted a pair of Thiel CS6 for $1999 - local pickup only.
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@cowhorn
Not a knock on your Bluesound Node (I have 4 pieces of Bluesound kit strewn about the house), but relative to your other kit, I would pick it as the weak link in your system, not your speakers. I think upgrading your source into your Denafrips Terminator II DAC could work wonders. Just my opinion.
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In case anyone is interested.
TMR has listed a pair of Black CS 2.4 speakers - serial# 1523, 1524.
Asking $1199 + $399 for shipping within continental US
tmraudio.com/speakers/floorstanding-speakers/thiel-cs2-4-floorstanding-speakers-black-pair/
TMR lists the age as 11 years. This I would take with a grain of salt. When I purchased My own pair of Thiel CS 2.4 serial# 2951, 2952 in 2011 they had 5 years left on their 10 year warranty. Therefore, based on the serial#s, I’d say that the date of manufacture for the pair just listed by TMR dates to somewhere between 2003 (the year of introduction) and 2006 (the year of manufacture for my pair).
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