jab
Good to see you here today. Been a long time- I hope that you are well and still building those wonderful Racks-and-Stands. Thank You for the tip on SAE in Chicago.
What is your current System these days?
Happy Listening!
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!
13,494 responses Add your response
I usually use symphony orchestra music Beethoven's symphonies or Dvorak's "New World " 9th symphony by the Chicago Symphony with Fritz Reiner conducting. I will also use David Crosby's first album to listen to the chiming guitar sounds and how they linger and fade away . If one feels that your Thiel's are to bright then the adding of a .01uf cap on the tweeter solves the problem , the violins now reach the highest levels without sounding bright or brittle , the hall sounds larger than ever , and this was done after installing Mills resistors and Clarity Purity 15uf caps on both the tweeter and mid crossovers . |
I agree with you about the grills off and I too wish the woofers were black , I'm not sure if an aluminum baffle frame would be an improvement but since the woofer and the baffle are the same as the 2.4 ( of which many more were built ) maybe someday the dream will come true . A while back I had tried adding resistors in series with the coaxial speakers , they didn't sound good . Tom suggested tring a bypass capacitor on the 1uf bypass capacitors on the tweeter and the mid speakers , I found a pair of .01uf Cardas capacitors and installed them on the tweeter I can highly recommend this "upgrade" . I only did the tweeter because I think these were the last 2 capacitors for sale since Cardas stopped making their golden ratio caps a while back (bummer) . |
Here’s one of my dream tweaks for my 2.7s replace the front baffle, Which I think is MDF, With a thicker constrained layer damped aluminum Baffle. Also, I’d like to hear my Thiels with the grills off, However I am allergic to the look of drivers in general, And as neato as the Thiel drivers are, I’d find them very distracting. So in my dreams, Rob Gillum comes up with a way To make the drivers black - Some sort of spray coating? So that The drivers blend in with the baffle. |
Thanks for the tip. I researched High Performance Stereo in FL around the time they started advertising these two pairs. The online feedback was not particularly confidence-inspiring: it painted a picture of a business where a knowledgeable audiophile would be comfortable doing business in person, but online buyers reported horror stories that sadly sounded all too credible. PayPal protects online purchases to some extent, but may require goods to be shipped to a third party after settlement, at buyer's expense. That would be an issue :) I live in the Pacific Northwest btw.
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@tomthiel Got it, thanks for clarifying. Looking at pics of both subwoofer versions the difference is clear now. Thank you.
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@tomthiel Thank you for this fantastic write-up of the differences between the two versions.
Great to know that some of the CS5 out there may actually be functionally equivalent to CS5i
I read this a few times and I am still a little confused. First thing that came to mind was a MDF brace at the back of the woofer motor, but you say the difference is visible so that couldn’t be it. If you could clarify what the difference looks like, that would be really great. Also, would that difference be there in CS5 that have been upgraded to CS5i spec, or just in factory CS5i? Thank you! |
I'm not the only one to appreciate the Cambridge 840w as monoblocks. Doug Schroeder reviewed them that way when they came out and thought they were exceptional, describing them as "the best sounding SS amps I have used regardless of cost." I'm not a reviewer and haven't heard dozens of amps in my system but I've never been tempted to upgrade. They replaced a pair of Classe CA200s and I thought they were better than those. This system is so good I'm never really tempted to replace any of it. If anything I'd upgrade the room treatment but it hasn't been a priority since kids. I think I'd have to spend a fortune to get a significant upgrade and I'd miss the money more than enjoy the improvement if there even was one. Cambridge Audio Azur 840E Preamplifier & 840W Monoblock Amplifiers Review - Dagogo |
@duramax747 Thank you for the explanation. I would like to own a pair of these speakers at least once, but they don't come up all that often so it's more of a wish list thing. Thank you!
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devinplombier Think of it like the CS 7 to CS 7.2 conversion. Same cabinet but drivers upgraded and vital cover parts. In the CS5i the bass drivers were upgraded. The CS5i is the way to go. With the right amps and room it would take a considerable amount os scratch to better them. After the future upgrades that will be offered that will be even harder to accomplish. They go lower than any sealed cabinet speaker on the market still I believe. I have two pair in walnut and rosewood and they hit like a hammer in the bass. This is my personal favorite Thiel speaker. I'm tweaking the room for them to perform at an even higher level. Again monster amps to clear the throat from these beasts. The front baffle is incredible. Never have I seen one like this before. |
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisbaia3-thiel-audio-cs-3-6-loudspeaker-full-range There seems to be a dent on the right tweeter. I am not sure if it will affect the sound. |
jafant, I was only referencing amps in my experience how I came to become a Thiel owner. It wasnt intended to tout one amp over the other. The point to walkway with is, high current amps perform much better with the Thiel’s. Thats how they were designed. What brand one chooses is on them. When one thinks their amp seems to perform well there is no further thought that really goes into it. When they get the opportunity to hear a higher current amp then they will know what they have been missing.
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unsound, Good point. When I went to Lexington, Thiel had the Krell FPB 700cx powering a pair of CS 7.2. Could Pass 250.8 amps be used? Sure. Will they have the dynamic headroom or slam the larger amp has? No way. ronkent, Glad to hear you are enjoying your VK-80. I’m seriouisly considering a VK-90 myself as BAT gear mates well with Thiel. velocityofhue, Great amp for your CS 2.4 Years ago I was in Nashville and stopped into a Thiel dealer. they had the CS 7.2 on display mated with Mac 1kw amps. I sat and listened to the dealers arraged playlist. After a few tracks I asked if they would mind if I went to my vehicle to retrieve a few cd’s I had that I’d like to listen too. They said "sure" I gave them the cd and they asked which track and I said just hit play as it doesnt matter. As it started to play I turned up the volume at a decent volume to fill the room. I saw a nervous look on saleman’s face as the red clipping light started to flash. Shortly after I ended the audition and excused myself and thanked them for the opportunity to listen. Immediately after leaving the store I jumped on I-75 to Lexington where I heard the same CS7.2 with the Krell FPB 700cx amp. I thought I was listning to a different speaker it was so different. The authority the speakers possessed with a rock solid bottom end with no grain or grit on top was ear opening. My point. If I would have left my first experience regarding Thiel speakers with that audition in Nashville I would have never bought Thiel speakers. When I heard what the right amp could do it was what the man himself, Jim Thiel, wanted his lesteners to hear. Now I have a stable of Thiel speakers that I can switch out any given day because of Thiel selecting the right amp for their speakers. Amps matter. |
Per unsound above and along with the cs3.6 and cs3.7s, Thiel cs5, cs5i, cs6, cs7, and cs7.2 impedance loads are down around 2-3 ohms and demand a powerful amp. Yes there are all makes and types of amps but make sure to power your big Thiels properly as you can’t just go buy a new pair anymore. Existing speakers aren’t as numerous and finding original replacement parts is more challenging. Be careful with your cs2.3 and cs2.4s as well for the same reasons. |
Regarding amps for the 3.7's which i have owned since 2018, i have had great success with the PS Audio BHK amps (both stereo and then mono blocks), and a Coda 16. I wrote about this preamp earlier, but the introduction of the BAT VK-80 completely transformed the sound of my system. i greatly prefer it over the three previous preamps (Pass, PS, Coda) that i had been using. https://balancedaudio.net/vk-80-preamp |