yyzzsantabarbara......I could deliver a nice pair of cherry 2.3 to you on my way South in October, just for grins....Mods don’t over rotate on this....
Showing 39 responses by tomic601
I worked at a Thiel dealer in 1978/1979, so right you are Tom...people hear it or they don’t and first order slopes are difficult and require a lot of innovation and work. I also eventually worked selling Vandersteen and Dunlavey and of course others, many others.... I own a minty pair of Thiel and a couple pair of Vandersteen today - last man standing but with a succession plan, my hope is it works - they are certainly a small family centered business. trade secret and move fast is a better strategy than patents for sure. wishing you all the best in 2020!!!! |
@beetlemania Certainly a valid question to ponder, for any small business reliant on the founders combination of drive, passion, technical and innovative chops needed to thrive... I can assure you that Richard Vandersteen and I have had that exact conversation in some detail / I consider him a friend, peer and also a mentor in many things. His is a family business with son and daughter playing important roles. Nathan was the innovator behind subtle but effective innovation in the model 7 mk2. While I enjoy them immensely, I don’t expect them to be the end of the line. i spent a career in high technology manufacturing and program management, always willing to help small firms in any way I can. All the best! jim c |
Several thoughts, will try to parse a bit... reminder I have a pair of 2.3+ Yes, Charlie at Ayre a brilliant designer and EE with ears, to wit his A to D converter ( and musical recordings) and DAC with listen and measure filters ( a fantastic poke in the eye to those obsessed with measuring the wrong things), yes his SS amps some of the best, TomT the old 100 watt amp very affordable used, getting long in tooth for sure but still quite musical |
@tomt one recent development I am quite excited about is a German laser scanning machine for evaluation of drivers pistonic behavior- excellent Vandersteen video of two drivers side by side test results.... lots of out of phase trash in the pass band on the comparison driver. I mention this because I believe this is a key key way to move the art forward- we need more pistonic AND affordable drivers!!!!! the scan costs $500 |
@big_greg Congrats !,,,,, A pair of the 02 is next ;-) |
Tom - I believe it was the only place that happened. i worked at Audio Connection a Thiel dealer and then at Progressive Audio a Vandy dealer, both in Ohio. I know Curtis after his split w Dick and move to Tacoma. I agree, Dick was both a gifted listener and erudite explainer of the complex. His writings ( Perfectionist Journal ) are archived and hosted on the Vandy site. Yes, unfortunately the good often die young… a deep loss. Grace and peace upon you. Jim |
@tomthiel I certainly appreciate your efforts here and in service of Thiel over the many years. Maybe you remember Jim’s trip with Dick Hardesty and Richard Vandersteen to Catalina Island ? RV remembers that trip w fondness. Best to you. I hope you regain a workspace soon. Jim |
wise words @roxy54 and my hope is Tom gains traction for his dreams :-) |
@beetlemania For sure ! Dont sell the amazing VX-R amplifier short. Mine was excellent, especially w Twenty modifications. I recently added a Sub3 with Kento grade teflon caps with DBS high pass filters to my Treo system. The high pass does amazing things for midrange clarity…more Thielists would imo greatly benefit from this approach and the filters are adjustable w built in DIP switches to hit < 80 hz if desired. another tip for others building or modifying crossovers, log cap leads and no conformal coating and or damping = ring…ring…ring… which some ( many ? ) confuse with air or extension… Wonder coat if available is a place to start… best to all Jim |
The Kento are low 40’s. You get powered subs built in w 11 bands of EQ and tge 7 midrange / tweeter matched to .5 db ( the 7 is matched to .25 db ) The 7 Extreme employs Kento bass driver arrangement. IF one were to apply some critical thinking to where Jim T would be today, you could forsee him making many of the same design and execution choices made by Vandersteen ( many people don’t have a clear understanding of the mutal respect, friendship, time spent together w Dick Hardesty ). I see Jim continuing to invest in bespoke drivers, awesome capacitors that earn way on to speaker w sonic virtue, pistonic motion, low diffraction, time and phase and tge heavy technology investment required to build an inert low coloration cabinet , add in built for the most part in USA, stir in how many years of inflation and a $50 k JT product in the market is hardy far fetched… Just my $1.50 I miss Charlie..RIP |