Thiel Owners

I sent an email to Gary at Coherent Source Service inquiring if the tweeter ferrofluid will eventually need replacing as my CS1.2s age (similar to replacing the crankcase oil in a car). If so, at how many years of use.

He responded, "I don't have a complete understanding of how ferrofluid breaks down. Some old tweeters come in and the ferrofluid looks great. Other times it comes in and looks sludgy. I don't think time alone is a determinant in the breakdown of fluid, so I'm exploring whether heat or exposure to adhesives in the driver are the primary factors." Based on my serial numbers, he thinks my 1.2s were built in 1989-1990 putting my speakers to >35 years old.

I'm pretty good at DIY electronic projects. I have ordered new ferrofluid and plan on replacing it in the tweeters. If there is anyone here who has done this, I'd appreciate any advice. I'll post results of any difference in sound quality afterwards.

jonandfamily

Thank You for sharing your CSS experience with Gary. I am looking forward in reading more about the DIY ferrofluid replacement project.

Happy Listening!

Greetings from Prague — longtime passive lurker here. I’ve found lots of useful information and many interesting stories (thank you, tomthiel!) here .

I’m a big fan of Thiel loudspeakers. It all started with the CS2.4 a few years ago. Currently, I own the CS3.7 and CS2.3 in a secondary system.

Now I’m contemplating the CS7.2, CS5i, CS7 or CS2.7. They’re currently all for sale relatively close by and at roughly the same price — $4,500. Are any of them worth it compared to the CS3.7? Can any of them deliver fuller mids and the same smoothness as the CS3.7?

Or are the CS3.7 truly the "final" Thiels and I should invest elsewhere — electronics, room treatment and so on?

My amps are Threshold SA/2 Class A monoblocks. I believe they have plenty of current delivery. My current listening room is small, but I plan for a bigger one in a new house.

I sold the CS2.4 after I got the 3.7s. The CS2.4s were always a little edgy, but had more midbass — which I think is slightly lacking in the CS3.7.

Overall, for me, the CS2.4 perform better in technical aspects than the CS2.3, but they lack the refinement of the CS3.7. I would prefer a slightly more relaxed frequency response.

The CS2.3 has a nicely relaxed frequency response, but lacks the detail, separation, and refinement of the CS3.7. But they’re still Thiels, and to me, they’re great for casual listening and movies, as they’re slightly more forgiving. And with good amplification, you can still enjoy well-recorded music.

I mainly listen to acoustic music and have a strong bias toward smooth vocals and instrument separation. The CS3.7s are fabulous at this task, given proper amplification and a good DAC. But I would appreciate slightly more dynamics and more midbass energy.

Thank you all in advance!

Some of my reference recordings:

https://tidal.com/browse/album/315756254?u

https://tidal.com/browse/album/1099334?u

https://tidal.com/browse/album/16991276?u

https://tidal.com/browse/album/70197763?u

https://tidal.com/browse/album/142845359?u

https://tidal.com/browse/album/114542267?u

https://tidal.com/browse/album/214198636?u 

@brunner007, While perhaps not addressing you immediate question; the Threshold SA/2’s while very lovely amps with good current delivery into impedance, I think the Threshold SA/ 2’s have about the bare minimum power output needed for some of the Thiel’s you’re considering. Perhaps you might consider more powerful amps, especially if you’re considering a larger room.

Speaking of Smart Subs, does anyone know the difference between the SS2 and the SS2.2?

I imagine it’s maybe an upgraded amp or room correction circuit?