Thiel Owners

@audiofil123

Congrats. I had .5s in my room from 1993 to 2011 and they are a honey of a speaker, especially if they are fed a nice dose of high current power. Enjoy! 

I was listening to this song yesterday with my 1.5 and the starting percussion jumped at me and the bass was shaking the room with little overhang. The transient speed of the speakers were so fast. I am in love with thiel speakers.

Happy Friday! All

Hi, there was an opportunity for some cs 3.7 in my area - and I took it. As a long-time owner of 1.5s they have always been my dream speakers. I knew that my living room situation would not be perfect for them because of the small space and large windows. The room is about 4x4m (12x12ft) but opens up on one side in a larger dining and kitchen area. I'm glad I bought them. Finding the perfect position is tricky and I'm sure sound would improve a tick in a larger space but overall it works out fine. In the end my fear of oversizing was unfounded. Sound is on a whole new level, much closer to a live performance. I enjoy them very much.Have a nice day!

That is great! I would want to own a 3.7 one day too!

Hi maplegrovemusic, the 7's need a powerful amp, any clipping and you will blow the tweeters. I have a pair, but I am not set up to use them as they need to be on the long wall, so they are collecting dust...

Lou

Advice please..... My CS3.6s #4789, #4790 produced 5/22/96 seem to have a subtle midrange degradation (slightly grainy and less focused??). Rob did the soft dome rebuild of my tweeters 5/2022, but all other components are original. Other than listening, is there a method to test their performance or should I send the midrange drivers to Rob? Could it be the crossovers?

jon - it could be anything in the entire chain from source to speakers. Time for classic, systematic troubleshooting.

The likelihood of XO problems is very small, and XO problems tend to exhibit frequency-related / balance problems. A rubbing voice coil is possible. Feel free to PM me for troubleshooting advice.

lous

Welcome! Good to see you here today. I look forward in reading more about Musical tastes and System.

Happy Listening!

jonandfamily

Good to see you here. Stay tuned until one of the 3.6 experts chimes in to address your query.

Happy Listening!

tomthiel

Thank you for addressing Jon's query. I hope that you are well as we start 2023.

Happy Listening!

lloydviii

Welcome! Good to see you here from abroad. The CS 3.7 is a very fine loudspeaker that could work quite well in your particular room.

I look forward in reading more about Musical tastes and System.

Happy Listening!

Lloyd - what is the height dimension of your room?

ALL

Today marks this thread's 7th Anniversary here on AudiogoN. Since inception, we are acquiring and attracting new contributors and members of the Panel. Most of you guys enjoy Jim's earlier or vintage models.
It was another banner year in 2022. Hopefully, we did not lose anyone to the virus? Stay Safe, especially, those of you in the larger cities.
As for this New Year, I would like to attract more Industry insiders.
I know that you guys are reading this thread. Feel free to drop by and say Hello. Same goes for Dealers/Retailers. With only Cabling left, this year, I will complete my system. My Audio journey took a little longer than anticipated. Would I change course or direction? No.
Thank You! to The Panel for continuing to "make it happen". Membership continues to grow each year as more Audiophiles are finding Thiel Audio speakers.

Happy Listening!

Seven years and approaching 12500 posts! Does anyone have any pointers on how to easily get into the middle somewhere? Is there a way to jump to a specific date or period? Wading through 5 pages at a time is agonizing if you’ve come late to the party.

snbeall

Good to see you here today. I do not know a way to Index these pages/posts?

That would be a nice feature in these Forums.

Happy Listening!

snbeall,

I felt the same way a couple of years ago when I found this thread, but even if it's not in one sitting, it's worth the time. Depending on where you're at in your Thiel/audio journey you may find useful info on any given page. 

zkga

Good to see you here. Yes! any given page will contain valuable information. Feel free to post a query and one of the Experts will chime in with an answer. Strong Teamwork here.

Happy Listening!

@lloydviii  Welcome, what amp do you plan on using to drive your 3.7s ?

tomthiel - thank you for our interest.
Height of my room is about 7.9 ft (2.4m). The measurement of the part of the room with the speakers is more exactly 12.8 x 13.7 ft. (3.9x4.2m). Speakers are standing on the long side of this room, behind them is a huge glass window. Now there is only a thin curtain seperating the speakers from the glass wall but I'm thinking of adding more sound absorbant blinds. The whole room is larger, it opens up to larger dining and kitchen area on the small side, in total more than triple the size. Changing the position of couch or shelfes is not an option. 
Here ist a picture of the situation (with cats:) Any thougths on how I might improve things? Thanks a lot!

jafant - thank you for our welcome note. I'm glad I ve found you all and look forward to take part in the discussion. 

thieliste - in the moment I drive the 3.7s with a Bryston 4BSST2, preamp is a Bryston bp25, DAC a Bryston bda3. there are some updates planned in the long run, but I guess I will stick with Bryston. 

lloydviii - thanks for the room clarification. Whereas 12’x12’ is really bad, your room lies on the edge of the ’Bolt Area’ of ideal proportions. Your additional adjoining spaces almost always make things even better. Exposed glass is problematic. The record-making process assumes symmetry in the playback field. Work toward that however you can.

lloydviii

Excellent! Bryston and Thiel are sonic matches. Which brand(s) Cabling are you enjoying?

Happy Listening!

@lloydviii I had my CS3.7 in a room that was 12x 11 x 9. I added 4 extra feet by taking out a closet door and put my desk in the closet. I was able to make the CS3.7 get about 80% of its ability via 2 ways. I was never able to get 100% because the CS3.7 need space to breath, but what I did get was fatigue free and very good. I enjoyed the CS3.7 for about 2 years this way.

The first approach was with acoustic treatment from GIK.  Since it was in my office, I could do whatever I wanted so I added 7 acoustic panels from GIK with their remote assistance. This worked well.

I then called up Mitch Barnett from AcurrateSound.ca. 

Digital Room Calibration Services, Convolvers, Headphone Filtersets (accuratesound.ca)

I had read his book on DSP and said to myself that I needed to get in contact with him to help me out. It turned out that he had a DSP services company that could setup DSP Convolution filters remotely.

You need to first get a $100 mic and then a laptop to run the free REW acoustic measurements software. Mitch will give you email instructions on how to place the mic, run the test signal, and have REW measure the response in the room. A set of data files are created, and you upload them to his company. He will create 5 convolution filters (DSP) based on your goals and also standard frequency curves for you to decide which works best.

The limiting factor for people to use this is that you need to run either ROON or JRIver, and it only adds DSP to the digital stream. If you have analog sources such as a tuner or turntable, then this is not a solution for you. 

If this process works for you the results are excellent. This is also not the simple DSP that you see in audio gear. It is done using very expensive and complicated software. The final result runs on the streaming server before your DAC.

yyzsantabarbara

Good to see you as always. I commented on your Virtual Systems pages.

Update me on any Gear changes.

Happy Listening!

Just an update on my inquiry a few days ago about a subtle midrange degradation in my 3.6s. 

I should have done some troubleshooting before my comment on this forum. I completely broke down my whole system and cleaned all connections/contacts with "Kontak Audio" electrical contact cleaner including all cords/connections, tubes, fuses...etc. The Thiels sound as good as they have ever sounded. If you don't have any contact cleaner, the simple friction process of unplugging and plugging back connections creates a better contact.

I also did some microphone testing with REW software and my miniDSP UMIK-1 microphone with no major issues identified. Psychoacoustics tend to play tricks with my mind, so I can't definitely say the hard work needed to clean the connections or lack of work related stress over the past weekend contributed to the improvement. 

Never underestimate the little things.

Bought a linear Power supply to try to improve the sound of my dac. Ended up that it is incompatible with the Dac. However, managed to use it on my router. Ended up it sounded quite good. With lower background noise. Seems that there is more punch to the bass too. The highs hardness is very much reduced. Seems like my weak link is my source and the Thiels are letting everything through.

Okay folks, I’m currently listening to cs3.6s with rebuilt mids and original tweeters and of course like the speakers very much. Picked up a set of cs2.3s this past summer and especially like the high and mid high sound, however they lack the low end support of the 3.6s go figure. Looking at the line up I’m eyeballing cs6 or cs7.2s.

Signal in and converted is all Bryston (BDP2 w/Bryston audio card & BDA2) managed via Roon. Next step in chain is McIntosh C22 M5 tube pre feeding an MC462 SS amp. More so I’m wondering about the cs6 as my next addition as I’d guess the bottom end is better than with the cs2.3 but equal if not better than the cs3.6. One would think that the cs6 would be better overall than the cs3.6 mostly due to advances in materials, design, experience. I’d also think the highs and mids would be similar between the 2.3 and cs6 since they were both released in 1998 and I'd think share similarities in coax design. Anyone who has owned the 3.6 and cs6s input would be most helpful. I have no question about the 7.2 fulfilling all my concerns.

@duegi I own both 3.6 and CS6 and my favorite all-time speaker is the 3.6 bar none. I like the CS6 but as you can see from my opening line I prefer the 3.6. They both have great bass in my room, the CS6 does go a bit deeper, sounds like a bigger speaker and will play louder. But no other speaker does it for me like the 3.6 - the coherency, dynamics, tonality, and see thru transparency is first rate. I am rocker and it plays plenty loud for me.

Maybe it’s the design as they are slightly different, the CS6  has a coaxial midrange/tweeter. It just doesn’t sound as pure as the 3.6 midrange and tweeter. Not as "you are there" for me. BTW, I am driving them with Mcintosh 501 mono’s which are beasts with plenty of current.

You can’t lose if you decide to get a pair of CS6’s - they are a hell of a bargain for the speaker you get! I do swap them in and out on occasion with the 3.6 but the latter gets much more play time. Good luck.

jonandfamily

Excellent update! Good to see you back here.

Agreed, a little Housekeeping is the order of the day.

Happy Listening!

duegi

Good to see you again. Stay tuned until one of the Panel experts chimes in to address your query.  CS6 or 7.2, you cannot go wrong.

Happy Listening!

pops

Thank you for fielding duegi ‘s query. Model 3.6 has a strong following here.

The Panel has a few CS6 fans and owners as well.

Equally good to learn that McIntosh gear is a Sonic match.  A high current Factor is key.

Happy Listening!

duegi,

If you liked the 2.3 then I can confidently say I believe you will really enjoy the CS6. The bottom end you are lacking in 2.3 you will get in spades with the CS6. They do need a little more room volume and placed off the side walls a little more than its younger sibling.. If you have the space and you dial them in you will be rewarded with a speaker that can deliver.

Get lots of power. The mid sized Krells on the used market, that have been recapped, will not disappoint. FPB 350MCX or 450MCX will pair nicely with CS6.

duramax747

Thank you for fielding duegi ‘s query. No doubt that you know models CS6 and 7.2 very well.  High current and room volume are key to these larger Thiel speakers.

Happy Listening!

@ pops & duramax747:

Gents thanks for your responses and the data is much appreciated!

yyzsantabarbara

Thank you for your detailed decription about dsp adjustment with the 3.7s. I knew that would be an option and I've already read about it. I'm using Roon so it is certainly a thing to think about. But I'm just not right there. At first I think about room adjustments like you did. But I guess in the end my way will lead there too. Also I'm in Europe so I guess I will use different service providers. Again - thanks for your insights, very much appreaciated.

Jafant

Thank you for your question about cabling in my 3.7/Bryston setup. I still use Audioquest Red River like I did in the old system with the 1.5. I know I could do better and on the long run I will upgrade them es well. Any suggestions for my situation? I read about Transparent cables recently. Do you think they are a good idea? Thanks!

tomthiel
 

Thank you for your valuable insights about my room dimensions. I' relieved that a professional opinion says ,It's not that bad' and will think about further improvents. Symmetrie will stay an issue - there is a book shelf on the one side, open space and dining area on the other. I should have thought about these issues when I planned the living room years ago ... 

@lloydviii  Cardas Clear Reflection is a great choice for Thiel speakers but there are many others like Audience.

loydvii - not long ago in this  forum there was a list of likely cable candidates for Thiel speakers. I would like to add Straightwire to that list. Specifically their Octave II (now III) series incorporates all of Straightwire's core technologies and is quite affordably priced.

@lloydviii  - I concur with tomthiel, I am still using Straightwire Maestro II speaker cables on my 3.6 and CS6. I have tried many more expensive ones including MIT, Tara Labs, PAD, Kimber and a few more. They do it for me! Long since discontinued from the line but I would look into the SW variants Tom mentioned.

lloydviii

There is still value in those older Audioquest cables/cords. Yes, we have a few fans and owners of Transparent cables on the Panel.  Either cable line is a sonic match for Thiel speakers. If considering Transparent, find a Dealer/Retailer that has the Musiclink Super and up.  Keep me posted.

Happy Listening!

thieliste

Yes, Audience and Cardas brands are sonic matches as well. Both are represented here in these pages.

Happy Listening!

tomthiel

Thank you for endorsing Straight Wire.  This is certainly a fine brand that I have heard with other Gear/Speakers.  I wish that I could remember the Models?

Happy Listening!

pops

Thank You for endorsing Straight Wire as well. How far back does Maestro II go?

Are you enjoying a Full loom of Maestro II ?

Impressive that this brand bested M.I.T., Kimber, P.A.D. and Tara Labs, in your system.

Happy Listening!

Jafant 

I am using Purist Audio Venustas luminist revision for IC’s.   I’ve never heard maestro IC’s but have always been curious.   I bought the Maestro II SC about 10 years ago from the cable company after a trial.   
 

I have been through a lot of cables/combinations and the SW is the best sub 1k wire I’ve heard in my system.  Other more expensive cables were overkill, I don’t believe you have to spend Uber money on Speaker cables for Thiels.  That’s been my experience fwiw.  
 

good listening 

pops

Very interesting combination of P.A.D. Venustas and SW Maestro II.

I wish that I could remember the SW cables I heard in 2 different systems circa 2012-2013. I know that each was entry level to mid tier and covered in Red Jackets.  The presentation and sound were very fine.  Agreed, if One carefully matches Cables and Gear, no need to spend large sums of money. Thiel speakers are so revealing and transparent, overkill is easily achieved.

Happy Listening!

Thank you all for your cable recommendations. After buying the 3.7s new purchases will take some time. But I will keep your advice in mind. Another question I have to clarify is whether I will need power conditioning. At the moment I don't have one...  

tomthiel
I did some research on my problem with exposed glass behind the speakers. There are special ultra-heavy, thick "acoustic curtains" I could install very close to the glass. Maybe this is the way to go with this issue. Any thoughts?