Regarding amplification, either I don’t listen as loudly as others or your Thiel models are especially difficult loads. When I had CS1.6s, i drove them with an Ayre AX-7; 60 W into 8 ohms, doubling into 4 ohms. That amp had plenty of balls to drive the 1.6 to any SPL I cared for. Sounded terrific other than a distortion in the upper midrange or low treble with certain recordings of female vocalists. Pretty sure this was from the Thiels and not the Ayre. My room is 18x19 with a vaulted ceiling and two large openings on the rear wall.
I’ve now moved up the chain to CS2.4SE driven by an Ayre AX-5: 125 W into 8 ohms, doubling into 4. Again, this “modest” amp has plenty of guts to drive the Thiels as loud as I care for without any sense of clipping or distress. YMMV.
That said, the impedance curve for the 5 certainly looks like a challenging load and I would pair that with something capable of delivering more current.
I’ve now moved up the chain to CS2.4SE driven by an Ayre AX-5: 125 W into 8 ohms, doubling into 4. Again, this “modest” amp has plenty of guts to drive the Thiels as loud as I care for without any sense of clipping or distress. YMMV.
That said, the impedance curve for the 5 certainly looks like a challenging load and I would pair that with something capable of delivering more current.