Thiel Owners

samgupta101

Good to see your return here. There are a few fans and owners of PCS on the Panel. What other gear is in your system?

Happy Listening!

jumping back on this thread as an original owner of Amberwood PCSs...they never cease to amaze me and I'm currently running them in a nearfield setup.  

I look forward to hanging out with everyone here :)

Happy Friday! All

thoft - about drivers. I'll prepare a more detailed list but here's a general arc.

Early (0 series) were all essentially stock drivers with small choices such as dust cap, surround type, etc.

The 1983 CS3 had a customized Vifa woofer. Very interactive development, but stock parts. Through the 80s that process became more and more custom. The 1990 CS2.2 had all custom drivers, co-developed with and made by Vifa.

Early 90s we developed our own capability which was used for rapid prototyping. Vifa made them from parts and technologies we developed. Those Vifa catalog numbers can be bought and/or easily cross-referenced.

Our needs outgrew Vifa's (and anybody else's) willingness to produce our eccentric designs. 1995 onward we began making our own drivers in-house. CS6 woofer was (I think) the first all-thiel designed and manufactured driver. All the coaxes (after the 1990 SCS) were in-house Thiel design and manufacturing.

In the 2000s, some of those in-house coaxes were made by FST / China. Same Thiel design, off-shore source. (SCS, MCS and PowerPoint coaxes). The '.7' star plane and radial wave drivers were designed and prototyped in Lexington, but (as far as I know) all made by FST.

That's the broad-brush overview. I'll compile and follow up with a list if you wish.

All

there is a sweet Sony ES SCD-1 player w/ VSE mods over on U.S. Audiomart.

Farmington, CT area. I hope this classic finds the next good home.

Happy Listening!

Happy Friday! All

thieliste

Nice catch! I hope these CS 3.7 speakers find the next good home.

Happy Listening!

What drivers were outsourced for production vs produced in bourse?

Nice pair of Walnut CS 3.7s, they have the lastest COAXES like the ones i have :

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisb6j32-thiel-cs3-7-full-range

rc1985

Thank You for the Simply Speakers product. Good to read that your CS 1.2 driver is operational.

Happy Listening!

Update - I used MI-3035 adhesive from Simply Speakers to reattach the surround and cone on my CS 1.2 driver and it worked great 😎

Friday the 13th - All

Happy Friday! ALL

The 7.2’s have finally arrived at home! Really impressive great looking, Morado finish, perfectly maintained, no a single dent or scratch, beautiful! The sound is beyond my expectations given my current listening room. I have tried some amplifiers to drive them, my loved McCormack DNA-2, wich is my long time reference, very good result , no dubt, and my recent discover, a real pro amplifier, the Crown I-Tech 9000HD, (1500Wrms/ch at 8 ohm, 3000Wrms/ch at 4 ohm and 2500Wrms/ch at 2 ohm)....do not laugh about this before you listen to it, it’s a I class amplifier (similar to D but with improved efficiency, patented by Crown) that push the bass depth, speed and dynamic beyond your imagination but without harshness or lack of refinement in mid high region. After a big delay for many reasons, finally I started since few days to realize a dedicated large room wich will be ready hopefully within the end of year to let my systems to sound at their best, a relaxing and comfortable room separated from my house in Tuscany countryside. It’s a pity that I could spent only two days with them, due to my job I had to leave to Indonesia for two weeks, anyway my short so far listening session has been enough to state that these artwork are definitely a decent step up above my 3,6’s. Can’t wait to get home back to enjoy again such fantastic sound experience!

Amberwood is my second favorite. Rosewood is my #1 but can inly be found in earlier model as it is near impossible to source enough certified rosewood from Brazil/Boliva.

Love the Amberwood.

@duramax , Amberwood, very pretty, wish I knew how to post a picture here

@rc1985 to follow up on what @duramax747 has posted; Jim Thiel sometimes ordered customized variations for his specific applications of what appeared to be off the shelf drivers. Using a stock replacement driver could be different from the originals used and might also create a mismatch. You might want to reach out to Coherent Source for more information, rebuild or replacement.

@thoft A given room will accentuate or diminish the volume of specific bass frequencies, but not extend the depth of bass output limitations. 

rc1985

if you repair/replace one speaker I'd encourage you to do the same with the other speaker. With the painstaking process Thiel had to match components and drivers, in turn the end user should do the same. 

What finish are your speakers?

The bass was deep in my room idk what to say to ya bud. @unsound 

I'm the original owner of a pair of CS 1.2's I'm putting back into service after years in storage. One speaker seems fine. but the other has the rubber surround separated from the cone. The rubber is in great shape, no deterioration like often found with foam, so is the fix as simple as glueing the two together again? If so any specific glue that should be used? I've also read Madisound has the original woofer available for $86, is this the smarter way to go? Thanks!

@thoft , ..."Very deep bass..." Really?

Thiel PCS loudspeaker | Stereophile.com

thoft

Welcome! back.   Happy Listening!

Happy Friday! All

@gman56

The Thiel PCS with proper power are fantastic. Very deep bass and very clean, they were mostly very good at medium range. 

I'm back alive guys, currently going back to college and getting my hands on a more capable threshold amp but unfortunately no thiel speakers near me for sale

@jafant 

Thanks!

g-man56

Welcome! Good to see you here today. The Panel has 1 or 2 PCS fans/owners.

Stay tuned until one of our PCS experts chimes in to address your query. What other gear is in your System?

Happy Listening!

trickeydude

Welcome! The 3.6 speaker is worth around $1500. 

Happy Listening!

Hello All! A long time lurker chiming in for the first time.
I’m wondering if anyone here has experience tweaking the PCSs. Ever since one of my 3.5s lost a mid, I’ve been listening to a pair of PCSs that I inherited from my father at his death a few years ago. The set was pretty badly damaged in the mails, (original shipping boxes were long gone) and I lovingly restored the distressed boxes while our friend Rob Gillum reviewed the drivers and replaced the shot tweeters. I wanted to restore them in honor of my dad. Although they obviously can’t and don’t stand in for 3.5s, I live in an NYC apartment and I was rarely able to make use of the full range of the 3.5s. Of course I’m thrilled to hear that there might be a Renaissance package in the offing, and plan to take full advantage of it when it arrives, I’m wondering if anyone here has PCSs and has ventured to tweak them, as I have found that they are brilliant in the near-field arrangement that my living conditions lend itself to, and wonder if they might be further optimized.

In any case, this forum has been a real treasure for me, and I’d like to personally thank you all for your shared enthusiasm and research. I hope it goes on forever!

Oops, my bad…meant to type CS3.6, not 3.7. Sorry about that! 🤪

trickeydude

I would estimate around the 5-6k range.

Good morning! So I’ve decided to sell my CS3.7s because I don’t have the capital to spend on a more powerful amp, new preamp, or integrated amp. And I’m happy enough right now with my recently recapped ‘78 Sansui G7500 system. The oak cabinets are in great shape and speakers are as well. How much could I expect to get for my set? Thanks!

Happy Friday! All

I only heard the 7.2s in an audio shop once, way back in the late 90s.  But the sound is burned in to my brain - some Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck, sounded more live than almost anything I'd heard before.

tomthiel

actually can't wait to fire up these new babies, big expectations, I'll report here my impression compared to my 3.6's.....until my wife will fire me😅 At the end I consider music as huge part of my life and she knows, to be honest she respect my hobby and never complain me😁

jafant

Yes, I know, this place is a gold mine for every serious Thiel's lover. I'm proud to enlarge my Thiel collection, even because my dedicate listening room is now finally under construction. It is a stand alone construction in my house area but enough far from it to let me to crank up the volume anytime if I wish. Living in countryside has pros and cons.....

I had a 3.6 .  Although they were voiced differently than Vandersteen offerings, what they did have and what I respond to is phase coherency.

tomthiel

Good to see you here. I hope that you are well and had a prosperous Summer.

Fall is here, what is on your radar for this Season?

Happy Listening!

silvanik

Nice score on the CS 7.2 speakers. Read through these pages and you will find several fans and owners on The Panel.

Happy Listening!

pablohoney

Nice score on the CS 3.7 Loudspeakers.

Happy Listening!

pablohoney

Good to see you here again.   Happy Listening!

pablohoney - nice rack.

Regarding color, Maple does darken with time. Exposure to UV is the key. There are UV lamps. Sunlight has tons more than any bulb. Good work.

We're in the same place with 7.2s. I bought a pair awhile back, but haven't fired it up yet (lots of reasons). I did hear a pair at Rob's a few years ago. Extremely good. Also, the company line is that Jim considered the 3.7 to be 'better' and therefore discontinued the 7.2, etc. In fact the 3.7 breaks new ground and is the statement of his art. However, the 7.2 is not a lesser speaker. Those speakers were phased out to simplify the operation to give it some chance of surviving his death. I'll be interested in hearing your comparison between your 3.6 and 7.2 when that happens.

pablohoney

You deserve my best congrats on your beautiful job, your Birdseye Maple looks amazing, well done, really well done👏

pablohoney

thank you!... yeah! It will be really the longest weeks after the marriage 😂, can’t wait to compare them to 3.6’s in my system, in my room, actually never listened to 7.2 but in someway I know that it will be not a jump in the dark, have big expectations from this old but piece of state of art from our missed genius. Also curious to see how my two main amplifiers perform with them, the McCormack DNA-2 and the Crown I-Tech9000HD (...do not laugh, it’s a serious pro amplifier that I witness to put to shame many blasoned high end tanks)

silvanik-

Congrats on your purchase, going to be a long two weeks!

When I was looking for a pair to replace my 3.5’s the 3.7’s and 7.2’s were both at the top of my list. Came across a pair of 3.7’s first that were nearby. I absolutely love the 3.7’s, but the 7.2’s maintain that classic Thiel aesthetic.

Hi all fellow Thiel enthusiasts,
few days ago I found  a beautiful pair of 7.2 at fair price in a shop not far from my living place, they are  perfect both aesthetically and sonically. Today I managed to get an agreement with the shop to trade some hi-fi components no longer used in my systems in addition to some cash and finalized the purchase. In two weeks the dealer will come to deliver the new babies, can't wait!
Of course my loved 3.6s will stay with me.
Happy to share this with you.

tomthiel - 

I finished up my turntable stand and am so happy with the results. I used Sherwin Williams SHER-WOOD Precat Lacquer over shellac just as you suggested. I just love the finish and the depth it gives to the Birdseye Maple, such beautiful wood. It is a bit lighter than the speakers, but fully expected that. I believe time will darken it.

I posted a picture in my virtual system page. The depth in the Birdseye maple is difficult to capture in a photograph.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!

Fall Equinox