Happy Friday! All.
Thiel Owners
Guys-
I just scored a sweet pair of CS 2.4SE loudspeakers. Anyone else currently or previously owned this model?
Owners of the CS 2.4 or CS 2.7 are free to chime in as well. Thiel are excellent w/ both tubed or solid-state gear!
Keep me posted & Happy Listening!
I just scored a sweet pair of CS 2.4SE loudspeakers. Anyone else currently or previously owned this model?
Owners of the CS 2.4 or CS 2.7 are free to chime in as well. Thiel are excellent w/ both tubed or solid-state gear!
Keep me posted & Happy Listening!
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Fellow Thiel’s enthusiasts, I would suggest here a conservative treatment that I already did for the woofers suspension of my CS 3.6 that are made of rubber (butyl). It’s well known that the rubber suspension last much more of foam one but our loved speakers start to be a bit old in some case (like mine) thus I was wondering how to preserve them from the aging and found a Parker product called Super O-Lube specially made for O-ring installation and general use with rubber stuff. It’s totally compatible with butyl rubber as reported in the data sheet and it’s also very effective against UV rays. I suggest to apply it on the rubber by finger with a very delicate touch and in very thin layer. ...you know, nothing is forever but we try get the most! |
I tried to get the TM3, stopped bidding at $ 550 , ouctionended at $650 700 for most of them now there a guy on the bay asking for $1850, just wondering if he is ever getting that much. They had to give voice to my pre and power amp Phase Linear 400 and 4000 series 2, my very old second room audio set.... |
Thanks for the input imhififan and tomthiel. I'm thinking I can probably get good results from any of the bookshelf, in-wall, on-wall, tv or other possible models that were produced in the early to mid 2000s. The viewpoints come up pretty regularly and I've wondered if they'd be comparable to the powerpoints. The stuff from the auction is hitting ebay. It's amusing to see what some people expect to be able to get for it. Some silly person is asking $750 for the raw subwoofer driver. Bids on Aurora Home start at $500. |
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jon_5912 I use PowerPlane for side surround and ViewPoint for back. IMO, the powerpoint, powerplane and viewpoint are comparable sonically. |
Speaking of Bryston, I used to own the 4B ST mostly to have a reference SS amp. It was a real work-horse and powered many speakers I had in my room, both when reviewing or otherwise. I have always felt I wanted to hear the general character of a speaker by using an SS amp - the speaker maximally under control as it were. But always, every time, I preferred the sound once I switched back to tubes, especially my CJ Premier 12s. Eventually I sold the Bryston because I didn't really need it anymore, the CJ seemed to control anything I put on them, and gave me that tube amp sound I seem to crave. |
Anybody have any experience with the PowerPlane 1.2? I want to set up some rear channels and I'm probably never going to have the space for rear floorstanders. I know the powerpoints got more press but I'm wondering if the in-walls are sonically comparable. They seem to be available more often and for better prices. |
hi Tom, i went into my archives and found this. not sure if he is still in biz or anything else about him at this point. he did service and update my unit. here is a copy of the invoice. this is from March 2006 Subject: Sony SCD-1/SCD-777ES Mod prices. From: Richard Kern Reply-To: RKern70055@aol.com Organization: Audiomod
All of the modifications I perform are designed to widen and deepen the sound stage and improve imaging. The clarity, detail and transparency are greatly improved. These changes effect both CD and SACD modes.
Note: All of the modifications listed below can be installed separately. Pick only one clock to use in your machine. Use 1 or 2, not both.
All of the above parts take one week to obtain from my parts suppliers. Check out the reviews of my modifications on the web at www.AudioAsylum.com www.audiogon.com & www.positive-feedback.com
Audiomod Richard Kern 4390 SE Mark Kelly CT. Oak Grove, OR. 97267 503 659-6599 503 490-8602 |
The bankruptcy auction got a lot of participation. In addition to Jon's observations, I noted no single big buyer for all those under-priced drivers. It seems that most finished goods sold at pretty significant prices compared to actual cost. I dropped out of Jim's big Krell amp at $2500 - it sold for $2700 compared to around $3500 on ebay and 'Gon. I bought the Sony SCD-1, so I can play SACDs and CDs in higher style than my Philips CD80. I'll be interested to compare sound quality. Jon - that stuff is only lost 'till it's found. Still working . . . |
I bought a pair of 3.6's in 1993 and have been enjoying them ever since. They make reproduced music sound like live music, and that's all you can ask of an audio system. I've driven them with a variety of power amps over the years. For many years, I used a Nelson Pass era Threshold SA/4e, a pure class A, 97 pound amp rated at 100 watts per channel at 8 ohm of pure class A power. They deliver far more at 4 ohm. I sometimes switch to a pair of Emotiva XPA-1 gen 1 monoblocs rated at 1,000 watts each at 4 ohm. |
The auction is over. As far as I know this is the only auction of its type in the last 20 years. The TT1 prototypes went for $3,800. That surprises me. The raw drivers went for really cheap. The big Krell went for $2,700. I thought about bidding on a couple of things but I don't need anything so I didn't. As far as I know nobody ever found Jim Thiel's decades of notes and that's probably the biggest bummer of the whole situation. |
@brayeagle Last time I heard Bryston was a demo Gary Dayton was giving with Vandersteen in Southern Cal.. I asked him to compare the 26 vs the 17 cubed and he said the 17 cubed was the way to go. He claimed the new electronics were much better in the 17 cubed over the older 26 (which I owned for a few years) |
tom, 28Bs are one heck of a pair of monoblocs! 1000 watts into 8 ohms, and 1800 watts into 4 ohms. Inordinately low distortion . I've noticed a change (for the better) in the power amplifiers, from 4B to 4BSST to 4BSST2 to 4B cubed. My 4B cubed has a clarity, smoothness and bass control clearly beyond the SST2. Most noticeable in alto and soprano voices. IMO, their 17 cubed preamp is a step up from the 26. eagle |
Eagle - I think the Bryston speakers had been development a long time, but Gary may have been in on final tweaking. He has a good ear and did lots of listening with Jim during development over the years. BTW: Gary set Rob up with a pair of 28Bs. If they are Gen 3, I think that's Bryston's top of the line. Their amps have gotten more and more refined over the years. I'm planning to hear Rob's this summer. |
When New Thiel took the reins, Gary held out for Phase Coherence in the new products. He was over-ridden by the New Team, including Steve DeFuria and Bob Brown who had been long-term Thiel supporters and associates. They said that Gary had "drunk the kool-aid". Gary left New Thiel when Mark Mason decided to pursue Canadian-type, non-coherent designs.I've written this before but it's a cryin' shame that New Thiel completely abandoned Jim Thiel's design principles. At that point, why even keep the name? Meanwhile, I'm still happily drunk on the kool-aid of my upgraded 2.4s. Last night, I yet again found myself locking into the music (16/44 Mary Gauthier via Qobuz) despite having my attention elsewhere. |
tom, Did Gary have anything to do with the development of the Bryston speakers? I wondered when I saw him in that September 2013 video, as he mentioned Jim Tanner's desire to develop a speaker line for Bryston. It's nice to know Gary was in on the development of the 2.7s (my primary speakers!) BTW: My call sign, brayeagle, was meant to be grayeagle (Air Force career) but somehow was entered as brayeagle. My son often asks me if someone in the head shed thought I was a cross between a donkey and a buzzard,. George |
There were knowledgeable insiders and observers who collectively judged the new ownership's approach to be built on "appalling arrogance and ignorance". In times of change, some people go where the wind blows to keep their jobs and carry on how best they might. Thiel employees were unusually principled. Most stated their principles and committments and parted ways. Rob found a way through the maze to carry on well by remaining conscientious without addressing policy. Most of the Real Deal Thiel Team evaporated before the Lexington factory went in the dumpster. None made the move to Nashville. The Thiel Audio we knew was over within the first year - 2013 - which is getting to be a long time ago. |
Gary had been Jim's lab assistant and audiophile interface for at least a decade. He was part of Home Team Thiel for the 2.7 development. When New Thiel took the reins, Gary held out for Phase Coherence in the new products. He was over-ridden by the New Team, including Steve DeFuria and Bob Brown who had been long-term Thiel supporters and associates. They said that Gary had "drunk the kool-aid". Gary left New Thiel when Mark Mason decided to pursue Canadian-type, non-coherent designs. Bryston and Thiel had collaborated for decades, sharing and trading equipment for the lab and for shows. Good fit for Gary. |
ronkent Thanks for the URL to the Copper article. Very interesting reading, and filled in quite a few gaps. Unfortunately, the follow-on to Jim Thiel's company was doomed from the start. I guess failure was inevitable when bean counters and the cost-effective minions attempted to run an artistic enterprise. The article also gave me an additional insight into Tom's place in the company. |
here is a link to the article in the newest issue of Copper magazine which is a free magazine produced by PS Audio. Great stuff. This article is a summary about the demise of Thiel over the past few years. Many here already know this but it is quick review. https://www.psaudio.com/article/thiel-the-final-chapter/ |
@bighempin - was glad to see that you finally have your 3.7’s. As you may know I gave up on the pair of 3.7s that "might" come back to ATL and presently have Magnapan 20.7s that I’m extremely pleased with. I’m presently continuing to use the my 2.4’s, two pairs of power point 1.2’s and a pair of powerplanes in a video system with a 4K JVC projector. Enjoy your new speakers! |