Thiel Owners

After spending a good part of nine days with the new-to-me CS2.2 speakers, I can say they are a substantial upgrade in every way over my CS1.5 which I still think highly of. Detailed but not harsh, balanced, and good imaging despite still finding the best location for them. The highs are airy, mids are very good, and sometimes I think the bass is slightly lacking.... then the mood of the music changes or I change genres and suddenly all the bass in the music is there.

foamcutter - congratulations on your purchase.

The CS2.2 is dear to me, having served as my location recording monitor and small venue playback for 35 years. I have recently been developing performance upgrades, and the 2.2s have served as workhorses for much of that work. There will be user-installable performance enhancements available one of these days.

Note that Thiel developed this tweeter from the ground up for the CS5. Although its technology was later surpassed, it served brilliantly in the CS5, 3.6 and 2.2.

@77jovian ,

Thiel CS2 2 loudspeaker Measurements | Stereophile.com

Ayre Acoustics AX-5 integrated amplifier Measurements | Stereophile.com

Unlike some other Thiel models the CS 2.2's only have a somewhat small and fairly brief dip below 4 Ohms While the Ayre is not actually spec'd to deal with the Thiel CS 2.2's, and FWIW wouldn't be my choice to power them; depending of course on your room and desired volume levels I think you'll  find the AX- 20 adequate.

@tomthiel,

Thank you. I too think the CS2.2 and that tweeter are pretty special and will look forward to hearing more about the enhancements.

One more question about my 1.6's and adequately powering them...is the IOM Ultra enough or is the 500 better? Is the 500 too much? Thanks!!

IOM Ultra

• Amplifier Modules: Hypex NC252MP (250W).

• 125W stereo: Offers 125W per channel into 4 ohms.
• 250W stereo: Delivers 250W per channel into 4 ohms. 

• Trigger input: Allows for automatic power on/off with devices like the WiiM Ultra.
• RCA inputs: Standard unbalanced inputs.
• XLR inputs (optional): Provides balanced input connections. 

• High Efficiency: Minimizes power consumption and heat generation.
• Universal Mains Operation: Adapts to different power voltages.
• Flat, Load-Independent Frequency Response: Ensures consistent audio quality across various speaker loads.
• Low Output Impedance: Provides excellent control over speakers.
• Very Low Distortion (THD): Reproduces audio with minimal added noise or inaccuracies.

IOM NCore 500

• Amplifier Modules: It uses two Hypex NCx500 modules.
• Output Power:
• Maximum output power of 700W into 2 Ohm or 4 Ohm, at 1kHz with 0.01% THD.
• 380W into 8 Ohm, at 1kHz with 0.01% THD.
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 137 dB. This indicates very low background noise.
• Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise (THD+N): As low as 0.0002%.
• Frequency Response: 0 – 70k Hz +0/-3dB.
• Gain Settings: Selectable gain settings of 12.8, 20.5, 27.5, and 29 dB.
• Input Impedance: 50K.
• Inputs: Balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs.
• Trigger Input: 12V trigger input with passthrough.
• Other Features:
• Built-in soft-start and soft shut-down.
• Can be driven by a wide range of input voltages, making it compatible with various sources.
• Features a custom input buffer.