Thiel Owners

02-11-2020 1:14amsolobone22

M.I.T. is a sonic match for Thiel loudspeakers. Models will depend upon budget and taste. The company offers an extensive catalog of cabling.

Happy Listening!

Actually MIT has downsized (if that's the right word) into 3 categories with variants in each.  The Reference uber expensive series, the 2CD3 series which is also very expensive, and the Heritage EVO line the new entry into the brand, still not cheap.

The two categories below the Reference line offer significant trickle down technology that makes them a great value if you have the funds.  I use the EVO line and it is significantly better than the older reference MIT's.

I've always been an MIT user/fan.   Started with them, tried many other cables, and came back.  Their business model became way too extensive and confusing for a while.   I think their new offerings make a lot of sense.  They are and always have been however price leaders in the industry.

I used these MIT cables many moons ago -  https://www.highperformancestereo.com/cables/speaker-cables/mit-mh-750-music-hose-8-foot-pair-spade-lugs.html    I think I had 2.3s back then.  Actually had two pair (an 8 ft. and a 12ft) and used one of the long ones on a Thiel SCS2 center channel.  I picked them up cheap as a guy painted his baseboard and they were covered in paint.  I ended up cleaning them and selling them for about the same as I paid for them about a year and a half later as I made a pair of speaker cables from (dual runs of) Belden 83030 that clearly bested them.  So I wasn't super impressed by them.  They were OK for the cheap used price I got them for (I think the 8 ft. pair listed for $450 and the 12 footer for $600 and I think I paid $200 for them way back when and after I cleaned them and shipped them I got my $200 back).

solobone22

I can remember reading this article by BD upon initial release. 
Upon re-visiting the content, yes, it appears that the 330 is preferred from pre to power amp. Another M.I.T. consideration is the Network box (and correct implementation into one's system).  Oddly, there are not many M.I.T. reviews out there? This company has been around for a very long time. 

Happy Listening!

@jafant this is the review that led me to try MIT.  Could it be that I need to try it with the 330 from preamp to amp in addition to the 750’s? Perhaps it is however I haven’t had the opportunity as of yet.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/mit-mi-330-proline-shotgun-interconnects-amp-mh-750-shotgun-spea...

pops

It would be an interesting shoot out for P.A.D. and Tara Labs on Thiel Audio speakers. Over the years, I have not read much about either brand sonic matching.

Happy Listening!

solobone22

M.I.T. is a sonic match for Thiel loudspeakers. Models will depend upon budget and taste.  The company offers an extensive catalog of cabling.

Happy Listening!

oblgny

Yes - I do remember that specific search function from Audiogon 1.0
I am still strongly considering an Integrated amp. AYRE is the front runner at this time. I would like to audition the Aesthetix and B.A.T for good measure. Hope that you are well and contemplating your next great purchase.

Happy Listening!

Thank you pops and solobone22

I had also tried 14 AWG solid core Neotech wire and they sounded flat 
or lifeless .

I guess I'll read past posts to see what others have found rewarding .

I have 2 pairs of Tara Labs cables. One set only states that they are the Space & Time model (they are in a smoke colored plastic jacket with a pair of solid core wires for each positive and negative).  The other set is called Astral Blue.  They didn’t mate well between the Bryston 7BST and the 2.7’s.

I tried Tara Labs The One and thought it was on the soft side.  I also tried some now discontinued PAD Provectus and it was better but was missing something.  I surmised that solid core speaker cables are not a good match with Thiel.

Since the post before this was about speaker cables 
I thought that I would join in .

I've been using Cardas Neutral Reference since I've had my 2.7s ,
yesterday a freind came over with Sunyata Black Mamba speaker cables 
and I have to say the sound was beautiful , interesting and different .
The speakers dissapeared but at the same time I don't think that the sound was a sharp or fast .
A big problem was that the cables were so stiff that the bending radius was over a foot and they would not fit behind my amp without removing one of my shelves just to be able to experience them .
So I am now thinking about new ( used ) speaker cables .
Have any Thiel owners experienced Tara Labs ?

Thanks
Rob

Had the opportunity to try MIT 750 shotgun speaker cables today.  
From Krell TAS to 3.6 and from Bryston 7BST’s to 2.7.

In my setups there was now a mid bass hump and a lack of deep bass.  The mids were a little sweeter and there was additional sparkle to the highs.

I was really excited and ended up being disappointed.  The reviews did mention that the MIT cable works well when using all of the same brand (I mean what marketing department would say otherwise!!!).

Anyone else have experience with MIT and Thiels?

Currently running DH Labs Q-10 and Kimber 8VS respectively.

jafant...

Yup.  As reluctant as I am to classify myself as a "business" selling or buying here,  A'gon stands alone as the site best suited toward doing so.  US Audiomart is fair at best,  and although a lot of the equipment advertised here appears there as well,  it is far simpler to communicate with people here.  What I do like about that site is the ability to sort searches by state,  something which A'gon should implement toot-suite.  [sp?]  ( A while back you COULD search within a geographical define by typing in a zip code,  but that disappeared with nary a word to the unwise. )

By the way, have you purchased any amplification yet?

Just got the other one screwed back together and they're sitting on the floor playing.  What an absolute joy.  The plastic plate on the back is very cheap and flimsy, somebody deserves to get kicked in the scro for that.  I'm gonna get some hardware to glue to that to keep it from vibrating so much.  The overall sound is glorious and I'm enjoying it immensely.  

Just screwed my most broken ViewPoint back together and it sounds awesome. The woofer sounds great, no rubbing or distortion. I plan on using these as computer speakers so no need for high volume. I’m feeling rather proud of myself as I now have what are probably about the best computer speakers on earth that I paid about as much for as you’d pay for something from audio engine. Take that establishment.

@sdecker 

Indeed, thats, um, a bit over the top description of what is mostly cosmetic differences. All the more given that the SE boards were sourced from FST (at least mine was). Those cabinets do appear to be in better condition that mine.

The seller is taking quite a few rhetorical / marketing liberties to differentiate the SE from the 'regular' 2.4!

Nice pair of Thiel CS2.4SE in Northvale, New Jersey w/boxes.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/143527583716

bluetone...
Are you they guy who drove here and picked them up???
Jeeze....

Rob @ Coherent repaired my first paid of mids years ago when I drove a phillips head screwdriver through the cone trying to find out why the sound was intermiitent.  That pair of speakers was gifted to  my nephew not long afterward.  He still has them.

Viva la 3.5 !

oblgny,
mine did come with the eq, I have it plumbed between my preamp and amplifier.  The preamp has two sets of pre-out, so I run one pair to eq to amp, the other pair to active subwoofer.  I keep the eq button on 40 since I have the sub, I don't know if that matters but the less stress on the woofers the better (??).  Honestly I think I could take the eq out of the chain and not hear much of a difference.  The Scanspeak mids are 12W/8524G00 models, so once I get my mids back (and didn't they come from you on Long Island?), I'll be able to compare.

bluetone...

Your post did not mention if your pair of 3.5's came complete with the bass equalizer - IMHO the most important component of the model.  I have had six pairs of Thiels - starting with the 2,2,  2.3,  three pairs of 3.5 (don't ask),  3.6, and currently with a pair of 2.4's, which I am currently selling here on A'gon because I am returning to a monitor/subwoofer setup.  This will buy me the time I am willing to endure to find yet ANOTHER pair of 3.5's to purchase - regardless,  almost,  of price.  I am genuinely excited by the possibilities mentioned in this forum of updating 3.5's.


Like yourself, I began this epic journey returning to hifi with some fairly low-to-mid-fi equipment.  To recount all of the associated equipment I have thrown at these speakers since finding this site,  and this forum,  would bore the ears off even the most phile of audiophiles,  so I won't.  Suffice it to say that it's been a LOT.

I ask whether or not your pair came complete with the bass equalizer because,  IMHO,  the 3.5 doesn't necessarily benefit from employing one since,  with the bass eq employed in the chain,  the frequency response is 20HZ - 20KHZ.  The one issue with being able to employ the bass eq in the chain is that it required separates to do so.  An integrated amplifier or a receiver - which is just another,  busier integrated amplifier - required looping the eq through a tape monitor which,  again IMHO,  kind of negated the benefits the bass eq provided by adding another thing in the chain.  ( I apologize for getting so technical here. )


I absolutely concur with your statement that more power improves the sonics at low to moderate listening levels.  Eventually I was able to settle upon various amps that provided 150 watts @ 8ohms,  300 @ 4 ohms - the latter representing the load of "most" Thiel models and way more power than I would ever throw at them.  To my humble ears the 3.5's bested any other model I have owned in reproducing music at low to moderate volume levels.  I jumped off of the first two models mentioned too quickly to recall how well they managed to perform at my listening levels,  but I hasten to add that it was not because they were deficient in any way,  more so because they were so damn good and I wanted to move up the Thiel foodchain.

Don't be an idiot like me - hang onto your 3.5's forever.  Like every Thiel model they're an investment,  not a purchase.  Enjoy 'em!

Jon - Rob @ CSS can give you advice if needed.

Bluestone, I'm curious about your experiences with different mid range drivers and also with these vintage amplifiers. Keep sharing. Thanks

I think I'm going to be able to fix these.  When the magnet broke loose it caught the voice coil in the gap which is why the woofer was dead.  I finally got the voice coil loose and it doesn't look damaged.  I realigned it and it seems to be working fine.  I just need to glue it back together and reconnect the tweeter and I think I'm good.  Fingers crossed.

I just took apart the ViewPoints that FedEx destroyed.  One works aside from the shattered back plate.  On the other one the back silver part of the woofer is loose and the woofer cone itself is stuck.  I tried to get it loose but no luck so far.  Both coils broke off of the crossover circuit board and are floating around, though still connected.  The tweeter still works.  It's a real bummer, I've been wanting a pair of these or PowerPoints for ages.  

Greetings all, I thought I would take a moment to reintroduce myself to this thread and share my Thiel journey.  I bought my 3.5s about a year ago, my third pair of Thiels, starting with the 1.2 then 1.5.  Literally a week after I 'upgraded' to the 1.5's, a pair of 3.5's popped up locally and I had to do it.  The original mids had been replaced at some point with Scanspeak mids, but thru this forum I found an original pair (as well as tweets, woofers and crossover's).  Rob rebuilt the mids (he told me that was the last pair he could rebuild due to lack of original components), then they were off to Tom Thiel to aid in his quest for finding / confirming a suitable mid replacement for the 3.5s.  I'm still rocking the aftermarket Scanspeaks until Tom is finished, and very curious as to any mods he finds for the 3.5s.  
I'm mostly a vintage guy, by choice and budget.  Originally I was powering the 3.5s with a Kenwood KA-9800 integrated, approx. 125 wpc/4 ohms.  I knew that wasn't enough power to drive the 3.5s sufficiently, I just told myself that at the volume I listen it didn't matter much.  Then I had two vintage amps pop up locally, a Yamaha M85 (@325 wpc/4 ohms) and a Denon POA1500 (@225 wpc/4 ohms).  Now I've concluded I should have been flogged with 8 ga. speaker wire for muffling the 3.5s with a relatively low-powered amp.  The Denon and Yamaha (especially  the Yammy) really opened up the 3.5s at all volume levels.  So currently I'm running the Yamaha (or Denon) amplifier, Denon PRA 1000 preamp, Thiel 3.5's with eq, Revel Concerta subwoofer, Bluesound Vault and a Kenwood KD-5100 turntable.  I have the Revel dialed in so that you wouldn't know it was there, just makes the 3.5s sound like they drop down below their capabilities.  I'm pretty happy with the sound, my room is odd-shaped 22 x 15 with an angled wall that houses my setup, speakers being 7 feet apart, 1 ft off the wall.  Really curious to see what the original mids will bring to the party once I get them back.
On a side note, really interesting to hear Tom Thiel's involvement with Peavey, I've been building guitars for a few years now, check out my website. http://www.bluetoneguitars.com/

Happy Friday! All

jon_5912

Hope you are able to obtain an agreeable claim/settlement  against FedEx.

solobone22

Thank You for the citation.

Happy Listening!

@jafant 2.7 (255 & 256)

@jafant, I'm pretty sure it was shipping damage.  I think Fedex rolled the box down a mountain.  

jon_5912

Do you suspect shipping damage? Keep us posted on this development.

Happy Listening!

jonandfamily

Good to see you again. Hope that you are well and enjoying the music this new decade/year.

Happy Listening!

daaaaaaaang.  Whoever didn't buy the viewpoints off ebay made a good decision.  I just got them and the backplate that holds the binding posts on one is shattered and the woofer on the other is completely seized up and clearly not connected.  Something is rattling around in that box.  

Guys-

A nice piece over on Stereophile.com -
"Isn't Our Hobby The Greatest?"

Happy Listening!

tomthiel

Thank You for sharing your history w/ Peavey. Equally, a very cool story involving Eddie Van Halen. I know that fans of the brothers Van Halen are grateful for your hard work. A world traveler indeed.

Happy Listening!

tomthiel
I think shipping the speakers isn't a great option given the cost and risk of damage; Rob already told me he wouldn't recommend it for the larger speakers. 
The crossover board swap seems a good option-provided that detailed instructions are included on how to disconnect them, hopefully without having to desolder connections on the boards (perhaps cutting the wires and then using a quick connect for the new boards?). I anxiously read your updates on progress in the hot-rod garage!

jonandfamily
Not being able to listen to the 3.7s in my room is the primary reason I've not purchased them. While their high cost is a consideration, I'm more concerned with how the load they present compares to my 3.6s and my amp's ability to drive them. Also, I have concerns about the upper-mid-range of the 3.7s - regarding compatibility with my updated Nam amp which now requires careful matching. All this points to the need to audition the 3.7s in my room, and as you already state--that's unlikely. 
I'm actually not as concerned with the low end of the 3.7s compared to the 3.6s. I actually had the opportunity to audition the 3.7s against the 3.6s in my former house (I knew Thiel's PR guy, who bought the 3.7s to my house for audition) and really liked  the increased tightness and definition of the 3.7s bass/mid-bass and overall superior resolution compared to the 3.6s. I decided to pass them up because the midrange was somewhat thin and sterile in my old room and old system. I sometimes regret that decision but still think the 3.6s are very good. 

Guys - when hot-rod mods become available, we intend to offer various levels of service, such as parts kits for the vigorous DIYs, pre-assembled crossovers to swap for your old ones, physical brace and baffle kits for the DIY, or send your speakers to Rob for him to do, and so forth and so on. There will be plenty of options.
Tom

rosami

I'm in the same boat as you...very happy with my 3.6s. I have nearly pulled the trigger on a 3.7 purchase 2 times over the past few years but backed out at the last moment. I would love to hear them in my system before a purchase, but that will likely never happen. My hesitation is due to both the significant price jump (I purchased my 3.6s in mint condition from the original owner who lived 90 miles from me in 2012 for $1200 on Audiogon) and the reported attenuated deep bass response. It seems like more 3.7 owners have subs compared to 3.6 owners. I'm also very interested in the future hot rod mods, but also concerned about my ability to install once available.

Jon

Peavey made their mark beginning in the 1960s with their high-powered, bulletproof amps and stage speaker cabinets at affordable prices. Hartley Peavey did it well. He saw opportunities and went for them. He kept his prices reasonable when big money bought Fender and other big stage players, quality went down and prices skyrocketed. Sound familiar?

One of my formative jobs after developing the production capacity for Thiel Audio, was Peavey’s development of Eddie VanHalen’s Wolfgang Guitar. I helped crack the code to reliably get the sound that Eddie wanted, based on wood particulars. I moved to New Hampshire to supply (over 5 years' time) 17,000 Birdseye Maple neck/fingerboard sets and Basswood bodies from wood that I personally selected in Northeast US and Canada, milled in New Hampshire, specially dried in Massachusetts, and sent on to Jeremy Kling (my godson) in Lexington to turn into matched sets for Peavey. Big job - got me into the high-end tonewood production business, traveling the world selecting wood from sustainable sources, including a sunken ship, typhoon and hurricane cleanups, Amazonian replant projects, deconstruction of a railroad trestle and old buildings, among others. What a trip.

I think that Peavey is chugging along nicely as an all-american innovative manufacturer with a good reputation and world-wide distribution.

tomthiel

Thank You for the history lesson on Bill and Ed Long.  Peavey was a major player in the Pro-Audio world. Currently, I do not know if this company has the same reputation?

Happy Listening!

rosami

Thank You for the suggestion on Billie Eilish. Hope that you are well and enjoying your 3.6 loudspeakers.

Happy Listening!

Those 3.7s on ebay are gorgeous. Every time a nice pair comes along I drive myself crazy. My 3.6s are sounding really excellent-with a caveat or two-and i wonder about the logic of spending so much given how good the 3.6s are. I also wonder weather Tom T's upcoming mods will be too much for non-techies and how much effort will be involved. Yup - first-world problems are a bitch. 

For something different -- i waited until after the SB to post :) -- based on a comment i read from Paul McGowan, i purchased Billie Eilish's new CD "when we all fall asleep, where do we go?" I listened to it earlier today and Wow! While not exactly the type of music i generally listen to, it's really well recorded (reportedly on a cheap system in her bedroom) and really shows how good our Thiels are--bass, imaging,depth, resolution--are all there! Highly Recommended.