Thiel Owners
Man, I almost had the Thiel 3.7s that were listed recently (type
lis8790g in Audiogon search). We were working on how to get them from Tulsa to Birmingham before I made my final offer, but he sold them on eBay before we finalized. He told me that he sold them for $2500 to a guy in New York who was having them crated and freighted for $953. Even though they were my least favorite color- matte black, I would have driven the 1300 mile round trip for $2500. I guess if I were sure that I would like the 3.7s more than my 3.6s, then I would jump on these deals quicker. |
Welcome! drushaan- sorry to read about your tweeter situation. Rob Gillum is in charge of parts and service for Thiel. He can be reached at phone number; 615-866-2290 or rgillum@thielaudio.com Please keep us posted as you contact Customer Service. Report your experience w/ Mr. Gillum as well. Hope this is helpful to you. Happy Listening! |
Good to see you- catalysis excellent thoughts and insight into this situation. You are correct in that other companies fell out of the market directly related to poor business decisions. Kathy deserved the treatment she received. She should have known better. The hope is that Rob either remains in-place and continues to operate customer service there in Kentucky. Or, he sets up an independent service in his own right as you pointed out. More to follow. Happy Listening! |
I hadn’t looked at the Thiel website for some time until tonight. This is indeed an increasingly worrying situation. And yet an entirely predictable one, as a new CEO with no apparent high end audio experience makes her presence felt, with what appears to be an exclusive and unwavering focus on wireless and streaming products. Enough to make us all weep. The tragedy is that they’ve cornered themselves into a situation where they’re flogging a wafer-thin "me too" bluetooth range, simply because they totally botched the transition from Jim’s stunning designs to those ordinary and yet unbelievably expensive speakers, for what they were, that, as far as I can ascertain, no one had even the slightest interest in. And now, it seems, those are being discontinued, with no sign of an equivalent replacement range. Of course none of this would matter anywhere near as much if we didn’t all rely on Rob from time to time. As I’ve said earlier in this thread, I’ve repaired one of my 3.5 mid ranges myself and, I have to say, it’s still holding up wonderfully well. I think I may be getting both formally repaired sooner than later, though, given this latest iteration of the company, which seems to be moving even further away from what made Thiel such a special organization. All that being said, what would happen if Thiel went bust while my mid ranges were with them? Hmmm, not such a no brainer decision to send them away then... It seems very likely that the rationale behind keeping the Kentucky service department alive was to maintain a dialog with old customers, perhaps in the hope of interesting them in a new range. But that possibility has all but disappeared now hasn’t it! It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest to take my weekly journey through the latest additions to this thread and read that the service department, and/or Thiel as a whole, is no more. Of course that may not be the end, even then, as presumably Rob and/or others could set up an independent servicing operation, perhaps buying the old tooling, reference pairs etc. Quite honestly that can’t happen soon enough and we can then all stop obsessing about the current Thiel company woes and poor product decisions and just leave them to commit commercial suicide. We’ve seen this situation repeat itself too many times in this hobby, right back to the days when other wet behind the ears execs came into the industry in the early 90s with aspirations to sell a surround sound system to one and all. And we know how that ended... Ultimately, you just have to marvel at the insanity of acquiring a company with the reputation, technical and customer service collateral that Jim and Kathy diligently built up and ending up in short order with a range of products containing zero DNA of what made Thiel so wonderful. |
oblgny, Bought a pair of MIT Oracle ICs from TMR recently. Condition was better than their rating of 7-9. Look like new condition. Very happy with their service. Waited 1 1/2 yr for this pair to show up. Grabbed them instantly. Would do business with them again. See if you can get the "Everything Thiel Expert" to chime in on current state of affairs with Thiel, parts, service, and Rob in KY. Best |
Jafant... TMR handled it directly. Once I attempted the procedure BAT relayed to no avail, TMR sent me a shipping label back to BAT. They then shipped another unit to me. (They had 2) All things considered there was an excellent synergy - one of your fave words - between manufacturer, retailer, and me, the customer. All pertaining to a recertified unit as well - imagine that! Both companies have earned my trust should any opportunity arise in the future with either. Class acts. |
You hit upon the very nature of Thiel speakers- oblgny. Clean, articulate, rich and uncolored presentation are just a few descriptors for Jim Thiel's speaker designs. The Bass is certainly addressed in a non-overwhelming way. Adding a Smartsub or REL will bring the boom into your room. Happy Listening! |
Good to see you-William. I concur that anyone with a keen eye would have spotted physical damage of the amp upon inspection. Not only would the amp casing show some kind of damage, but the packaging as well. I have been observing TMR for quite some time, pretty impressive operation. They even have in-house repair/restoration electronic techs. Selling faulty gear would not be in their financial best practice. I had wondered which party, TMR or B.A.T., handled your situation directly? Good to read that both stepped up and offered a favorable resolution. Many Thanks! for replying to my query about the BAT's front end. Across many Audio forums, your B.A.T. integrated, is highly regarded. Happy Listening! |
jafant... Oddly enough the tech at BAT noted that the unit I returned had been "dropped hard, onto a hard surface" causing the chassis to be bent and the led display to fail. This was not the case at all upon my receipt of it originally, something which I would have immediately related to Karl at The Music Room given that their site's description of the unit did not include such a physical condition. They describe their stuff pretty well. I repacked the unit as I received it, even forwarding photos to TMR to "cover my ass", as I did when I repacked the Neo and sent it to them. The BAT tech closed by stating there would be no investigation as to whom, or where, or when the alleged damage occurred, they repaired the unit and sent it back to TMR. Although I was somewhat irked by those comments, BAT and TMR responded quickly, attending to a customer's issue, addressing it, resolving it. No complaints there. Had I dropped the unit causing the DOA, I would have contacted BAT directly myself and sought repair at that point. My parents didn't raise dishonest kids. Furthermore, even though I didn't buy it through the 'Gon, my reputation as a seller/buyer here and elsewhere is something I take very seriously. Again, kudos to TMR's Karl who handled my trade and the issue professionally. Kudos as well to BAT for working with them to resolve the situation. Anyway... Yes, the BAT offers more detail than did the Neo at my listening levels. The phono stage is far superior to the Neo's to a degree that playing vinyl supercedes the ease of playing my server. It's THAT good. (Marantz TT-15 with an mm cartridge. Basically it's a rebadged Clearaudio tt.) I listened to "Life Is A Carnival" by the Band as sort of a test because that is one "busy as hell" piece of music, and, well, just wow. Then I tossed on "Cyril Davies", Ginger Baker, from my Sony HAPZ1es, a tune I use to judge equipment, and again the sonics were impressive. Both were listened to without the REL T7 in service, so the bass definition here, that I thought was missing from my 3.6's, was quickly evident. It seems we dwell a bit on Thiel's bass reproduction and/or lack of it at times, and I hasten to add that I ain't looking for the "boom" at all, Thiel bass reproduction is clean, articulate, uncolored. That's what I love the most about Thiel in general. That, and the mids and highs. The BAT's tubed front end mimics the setup I employed with the Pass amp/BAT preamp I previously dug. The BAT takes about a minute to reach operation. A blue led light flashes in tandem with the main display until that's reached. I'm finding that things become more distinct after about an hour of play, which is pretty much par for the proverbial course with anything. There's a little more heat from the top of the unit because of the tubes, but I don't stack my equipment anyway, so that's never been an issue. All in all, despite the glitch encountered, a good purchase. 1 year factory warranty, more power, good customer service, good amp. |
We can certainly keep supporting Rob- nkonor. With Mr. Thiel gone and Gary at Bryston, it would take another special person along the order of Mr. Vandersteen whom understands the time / phase coherence theory, application, principle. Agreed, one has to spend a significant amount of money to better those legacy models. Happy Listening! |
Good to see you again- lalitk shortly after the release of the TT1- I contacted and spoke w/ Taylor of Goldprint Audio in NC. He has been a long-time rep for Thiel, operates his Audio operation from his personal residence and is an all-around gentleman. He did take on a pair of these speakers for his showroom and did like the build, finish and sound quality. Happy Listening! |
Still loving both speakers. I have the 3.7s running again and after two years they still blow my mind. I also crank them quite loud when I'm listening outside the room (they
are down just a short bit of hallway from my computer chair). They
seem to handle high SPLs very nicely. I've continued to audition other speakers - most recently Proac Response D20 some Revel speakers, Kudos and Kharma (Kharma more because the dealer happened to have them playing). I found the Proacs looked beautiful, but unfortunately they had that "ribbon tweeter" discontinuity that I almost always hear in such speakers. (The exceptions being the Raidho and the JM Reynauds from my auditions of those speakers). And every time I come home to the Thiels they blow me away compared to what I've just heard elsewhere. I have the 3.7s spread really wide apart, and about 6 1/2 feet from me, and the sound is just a massive, incredibly deep stage with beautifully focused voices and instruments throughout. And just clarity from top to bottom. The only speakers that really come close to doing that kind of effect (other than my MBLs) are the Audio Physic speakers - Avanti. I am pretty curious about the Audio Physic Codex - the Avanti is possibly the most beautiful speaker I've seen in one of their high end finishes. The Codex is I think not much smaller than the Thiels so wouldn't solve much of my "too big" issue with the 3.7s. I still think I may be headed to purchasing the Joseph Audio Perspectives when I can, at which point I will have to let go of either the 2.7s or 3.7s (if only to please my wife). |
prof, Live levels sometimes. Soft on a Sunday morning; Saturday night we're rocking. Musicians listen "Live" all the time. I have a 100+ yr old house and space so I do not annoy the neighbors. It is a brick Landmark Status. They do not build homes like this anymore. No kids. Take care of 10 feral cats ; they live outside . How are you coming with your decision on 2.7 / 3.7s ? Avalons are 12yrs old; no problems with the drivers. If I remember right, Kathy replaced 4 or 5 midrange and 2 Tweeters. Best |
Nkonor... My nephew still has the 3.5's without experiencing any issues whatsoever. (With the repaired mids.) Actually, only one of the mids on that pair was malfunctioning but I thought "what the heck" and had 'em both done by Rob at Thiel. Total cost of the original purchase plus repair was, I think, $1400 - a figure that kind of boggles the mind considering what $1400 for a new pair of brand x might get you. The middle pair of 3.5's I had were 100% functioning. No issues whatsoever. The last pair, which I've gutted and saved all the drivers and crossovers, and the eq, had both mids completely out. Again, "what the heck" since I paid just $200 for them. The cabinets were challenged beyond what I determined to be a worthy restore. I've offered the drivers and eq to a fellow contributor in this forum for free if he's willing to pick them up. He has the first right of refusal. If he passes on the offer I'll offer the same to any other member here with the same caveat. The woofers are in fine shape , the tweeters have dimpling but sounded fine. The notorious midrange drivers, well, for a fellow Thielista with mids in more compromised physical condition than these - "hmmm, why don't you work, you look okay?" - might want them for repair. Again, free if picked up. This afternoon I listened to my recently acquired BAT integrated without the REL sub in the chain and find that the 3.6's are revealing more sufficient detail at low level listening than with the Simaudio Neo. The phono stage in this BAT is truly remarkable, far better than the Neo's managed to be. As you noted and I've said, I continue to be curious about other speaker brands, with Thiel and Magnepan being my personal point of reference for what a speaker should do for me. Both brands do a lot for me, and Thiel edges out Maggie in that comparison. Maggies suffer by dint of their size and how they impose themselves, Maggies win because of their light weight and move ability. Thiels are HEAVY mothers. Also both are weighted in terms of being able to acquire them - my financial wheelhouse would never assume a $10k+ expenditure. By the way I never had a Pass integrated. I had an X150.5 amp and a BAT VK3i preamp at that time. I went for the BAT Integrated this time around because a decent used Pass integrated was/is roughly double that. Ouch. I liked the BAT pre so much I figgered chancing an integrated from them was fairly low risk. I was right, I'm liking this thing a lot. |
oblgny, I agree; The 3.5s were magic and a true reference speaker. But as I stated, the midrange drivers were unreliable for me. Used a pair of Forte' 75w pure Class A monos and then used a pair of Spectral DMA 90s Used as bridged 200w monos. If I have read in this thread; you have had a number of 3.5 midrange drivers go bad. I would be interested to to hear how long your nephew's have held up. Maybe you'll return to a Pass intergrated one day. I am sure your journey is not over. For now; I have never been more pleased with one of my systems than I am now. Vinyl, Tubes, and Class A Rule. Just IMHO there are equal and better speakers than Thiels; But you will need to pay a hefty price for them. Took me four (4) years and 8.3X the price I paid for he 3.5s Best to you |
nkonor... I've actually had a pair of 3.5 mids repaired by Rob @ Thiel - my first pair which are now in my nephew's possession. I'd have to scroll back through the 1800 + posts here to verify it, but the rebuild, as opposed to "repair", was $350 apiece all things totaled - shipping back and forth, labor. Not necessarily cheap, but an investment worth the money considering how utterly good the 3.5's were. Are. Would it it be a disservice to the new owners to pass along a link to this and other Thiel threads here so they may garner some idea of how far off the mark their current and former strategies are? I doubt it. Their intentions were and continue to be guided by marketing, not product. "Hey guys, look at this premium loudspeaker brand that costs a lot! We can do that!" They've proven from the outset that they cannot do that, nor did they have any intention of respecting Jim Thiel's work. Pretty appalling all around. In all likelihood my 3.6's will be the last loudspeakers I'll purchase. I continue to cultivate my interest in other brands, listen to them when time permits, but I usually come to the conclusion that, gee, well, they ain't Thiels. Man, that guy knew his sh*t! |
tmsrdg, I did Not see any mention of being able to "Special Order" any models of the Legacy Speakers on the now Lame Thiel website. I was just following a comment by "prof" @ 2:53. Perhaps the OP; jafant will revive Thiel and bring us Thiel speakers and continue Jim's work. Maybe complete a 3.7SE, maybe a 7.2SE. Perhaps he can bring on some of the other people like oblgny, vair68robert, jond and keep Rob in the game. Maybe they can get the midrange drivers for the 3.5s to Last and get rid of that awful bass EQ . Maybe, Perhaps???? Just getting rid of the current owners and management would be a step in the right direction. Otherwise IMO ; Thiel is a "Dead Speaker Walking" (playing music?) Best to All |
Let’s face it, Thiel is gone. I am fortunate to own and enjoy CS6 and CS2.4 models and I will treasure these fine instruments for a very long time. What irritates me is that the company couldn’t, or wouldn’t, even continue manufacturing the line as Jim left it. At least for 1, 2, 3 and 7 series. Somehow, that doesn’t seem right, but the bean counters must have concluded there was little money in it. Those designs alone are still valued and enjoyed. Perhaps when they are so rare that the price of pre-owned reach MFSL will they restart production? |
There is not whole lot to say about a new management who prioritizes wireless lifestyle speakers, merchandise over their legacy speakers. https://thielaudio.co/shop Here is the kicker, the baseball cap has following description, "Made of 100% Cotton. This baseball cap features Thiel Audio's logo embroidered on front, "Est. 1977" embroidered on the side and an antique brass buckle closure on the back for adjustable sizing" And TT1 - $7000 speaker has no description at all 😳 Very unfortunate turn of events for once so highly revered company. |
I wonder how long they will keep Rob and supporting the actual Legacy Speakers? How long has Rob been with Thiel? How old is he? Maybe thinking about retirement himself ? Those who have Legacy Thiels that are in great shape and sound great need to consider these thoughts. Will Thiel actually make Legacy models on "Special Order" and at what costs? For how long? As my 3.5s kept losing Midrange Drivers and Tweeters and Kathy finally said my warranty was up ; I decided to move on. With the current leadership at Thiel, My doubts would grow more concerned. Best to All |
Oh man, that interview with the new CEO! She kept talking about how the company had to remember they are a "speaker company" and that was their identity. Said it numerous times. But when it comes to speakers what does she say? Aside from a pair of me-too little lifestyle wireless speakers, THEY AREN'T DESIGNING ANY MORE SPEAKERS! In fact, they aren't even manufacturing speakers...except if someone specifically asks they'll build an old legacy model. A more contradictory, self-undermining interview I've rarely seen. The company looks now exactly what you'd think it would look like if someone with no knowledge or interest in speakers took it over. It's just taking the name and making it into an entirely new business, reflecting the lack of audio interest in the CEO (and whoever else is involved). Yuck. |
Good point prof perhaps a name change would have been better for the future. However, my bet is they were hoping for some residuals versus behaving more like a start-up. Now they have to figure out how to bring new consumers in, especially milleniuls. No clue how thats going to play. Either way the Thiel we know and love is totally gone. They are just waiting for legacy brands and their consumers to fade away. |
The first post-Jim Thiels actually got some good reviews. I really think they may have done better under a new company name. I think putting them under "Thiel’ actually hurt them, because the whole reason Thiel’s name meant anything had to do with a specific man, and a specific type of speaker design - that’s what the name symbolized. Putting out an entirely different type of speaker using the Thiel name only breeds ill-will or lack of interest among exactly those loyal consumers who held the Thiel name in high regard. If you aren't courting the very people among whom the name Thiel has any pull or cache...what are you doing with the name? A total shoot yourself in the foot company move, IMO. |
