Hello, all.
I am hoping to get some sage advice from fellow Thiel owners. Are Thiels more like an old Toyota Corolla or an air cooled Porsche? Are they outdated or classics?
I have a pair of CS 2.3s that I bought new from Ovation in Louisville, KY back in, I believe, 1997. I have enjoyed these speakers through the years but just recently got back into serious 2-channel listening. I moved my Denon AVR that was powering the Thiels to my home theater and acquired an entirely new front end over the past 2-3 years. My question is whether my speakers are now the weak link in my system, and I wonder if getting a modern speaker would be of benefit.
I would be comfortable getting speakers in the sub-$10k range. My room is 30' x 20' x 9'. I listen to 1960s-2000s rock (Beatles, Stones, Doors, Joe Walsh, etc)at 65-73 dB. No jazz. No classical. I like hearing detail, and I feel as though I am missing detail with my Thiels compared to my Apple Airpods when I listen to the same song using Qobuz. Vocals also seem thinly veiled compared to my earbuds coming through the Thiels.
My system consists of the following:
CAT 8 ethernet -> English Electric 8 switch -> CAT 6 -> NODE -> Denafrips Terminator II DAC -> Decware coaxial cable -> Schiit Freya+ -> Pangea XLR -> PS Audio M1200 monoblocks -> Audioquest William Tell -> Thiels
I have moved the Thiels all around and feel they are in their optimal locations. They are 5 or 6 feet from the back wall, 4-5 feet from the side walls, slightly toed in such that they cross a foot or so behind my head in the listening position. I also believe I have optimized the locations and settings on my dual SVS Ultra 16 subs.
Is the technology in new speakers likely to improve the sound quality from my system, or should I stay with my tried and true Thiels? Thoughts?