Thiel Owners

johnhh - I concur with Scott and can add some tangentially-related personal experience. Not Sansui, but Yamaha of the same period. Our non-profit performance venue here in NH was given a Yamaha P2200 @250 w/c and the workhorse darling of its mid-70s era. I wanted it to somehow become a great sound-quality amp for our Thiel 1.5 small venue system. We had caps upgraded, replaced fuses, modified its output impedance, and generally souped it up as best we could. It sounded fine . . . until I substituted my Classé DR-9s or even the Adcom GFA-555II or 5300. These hi-fi amps 20-25 years more recent and designed with sound quality as a goal were in a far higher league.

I'll add that my experience with Japanese design(ers) of the 70s oozed conventionality. Japanese culture does not permit innovation. If any design element could be scrutinized, even by a high-school textbook, then the designer would risk his reputation by promoting it. I have some actual stories of Japanese companies buying avant-garde American designs and then subverting/ diluting them until they were "normalized", and thereby losing their specialness. It's no accident that Japan did not break into the high end in the 20th century.  

   As good as the Sansui AU9900 may have been / was in 1975, amplifier technology is now so many generations of sound quality beyond that as to make it likely unlistenable compared with a Classe CAP-101 or similar.  How is the Sansui much different or any more 'fun' from the Pioneer SX-1050 that's only a couple years newer design?
   I owned and/or listened at length to similar Pioneer and Sansui amps of the era.  I bought an Advent 300 receiver to replace the Pioneer and, aside from power output, it blew them both away in every sonic metric.  
   Old top-of-the-line Japanese electronics are usually really well-built and generally reliable, but today - in most cases - they are better to look at than listen to.  Their best FM tuners excepted, with some new parts...

I feel like a 9 year old in a room full of adults...

My earlier post:
I am new to this mania, moving from a Pioneer 1050 SX to something more fun. Not ready for the cost of hifi...
I have some Theil CS 1.5 speakers that I want to power up. They will be in a small home office 12x15, but may move them into the garage/shop 24x24 but crowded as I spend a lot of time there woodworking and kicking back.
Considering cost,,,, for an amp I am looking at a Classe CAP 101 and a Bryston 2B with a 0.5B preamp.
I will use a Bluesound Node and stream Qobuz or my CD collection flac files from a hard drive.

Question - I am kinda hung up on getting an old Sansui Professional Integrated cause they are just cool and what I wanted back then. The AU9900 is 90 wpc at 8 ohm, 120 wpc at 4 ohm. Assuming the amp is re-capped, any thoughts on how they would match up with the 1.5s?

Thanks.

Another +vote for the Ken Fritz documentary.  He certainly has a passion for the high-end system and vinyl.

Happy Listening!

tomic601

Good to see you again.   Happy Listening!

i grew up in a pattern shop...the mold for the Prestone flush and fill was our baby...anything cast is part black magic...hats off to you Tom

ctsooner

Good to read a follow up from you.

Happy Listening!

tomthiel

Thank You for more Thiel Audio history.

Happy Listening!

What a nicely made video of a magnificent sound system. Ken extended an open invitation to me to experience his place. But we really were in different worlds. For those of you who know Thiel's history, we were a nose-to-the-grindstone / little engine that could with the principals all typically working 12-15 hours x 6-7 day schedules. Jim and Kathy did more shows than I did, and I returned right after strike to tend to production. Free time was a foggy fiction; it was inconceivable for me to visit Ken's gig, no matter how attractive. But, I didn't realize how far he took it, what a monumental effort.

I note Vance Dickason, speaker designer and author, in the credits. That's serious design chops. His crossovers would be informative.
And there's the matter of cost. Imagine the price tag on that rig! That illuminates a piece of Thiel history. Ken ran a commercial/industrial mold-making operation. He claims he made our patterns, masters and molds for the CS5i baffle. Mostly true. He quoted them, which induced serious sticker shock in yours' truly. I opted to refurbish the pattern that I had made for the initial baffle runs via a local Lexington marble shop - patterns are somewhat damaged in the mastering process. We pushed and tugged awhile, and I ended up making the quoted $20K pattern for a couple days' work in my project shop and original CNC. Similarly the production molds - we had made two in the original marble shop. Ken's price was unrealistically high, and I opted to upgrade our originals myself (in my bootstrap style.) That fact cut Ken's price in half and added a highest-quality renewable wear-coat. He still made plenty on the job. His work was exemplary of a highly skilled craftsman. And his prices were wrangled into the zone of accessibility due to competition with Thiel's vertical integration. Such is the nature of small business with options to self-supply technical elements. 

One Man's Dream - Ken Fritz Documentary

Great way to spend an hour on a Sunday morning .

The ulitmate DIY'er .

Prof - Ken made the production molds for the CS5 marble baffles from my mahogany master pattern. We had built our purpose-built music room at Thiel Audio and I was able to pass on what we had learned and decided. I haven't heard his system, seen his room, nor seen the video. I'll check that out.

prof

Thank You for citing the documentary. I will check it out as well.
I am thinking that there are not many Audiophile documentaries in circulation?

Happy Listening!

Tom,

I don't know if it's been mentioned yet in this thread, but the buzz is back concerning the youtube documentary:

One Man's Dream - Ken Fritz Documentary

Absolutely insane dedication by a brilliant audiophile to making a massive home system.   He mentions you and Jim several times, saying he did some work for you (Theil cs5 as I remember, baffles?) and that he took your advice for an element of his wall construction.

I don't suppose you've heard Mr. Fritz's system, have you?

sdecker

not to mention  the several SA-10 filters for CD/DAC and SACD playback. Crazy options!
I found the Esoteric's CD playback "strange" in comparison to its inherent SACD playback. CD was bad. SACD was excellent.

Another strange twist, the previous 11S2 owner did step up to the dCS Puccini.  The SA-10 would be a very strong contender in this regard.

Happy Listening!

Well the SA10 is twice the price of the SA-11S2 and designed nearly a decade later, so I would certainly expect it to sound better, especially following the critical feedback Marantz got from their relatively murky sonics back in the day.  The front panel ergos are improved, there are digital inputs, their in-house transport is two generations newer, and PCM is immediately transcoded to DSD.  I'd venture to say these players could well be sonic apples and oranges. 

You found the SACD format as a whole to be a "strange interpretation of the music" or Esoteric's playback of it?

CD playback should now be as good as the format allows on any player over $2K.  Low-rez PCM ought to have been figured out by now.  Different flavors and approaches, sure, but pulling everything off the CD should be understood -- I may be wrong.

I spent a day listening to the dCS Puccini SACD player nine years ago (vs other units, including my own DAC FWIW): that was the best SACD playback I've yet heard, and I'm sure a decade later newer designs sound as good for less money.

sdecker

2nd Note:
A long-winded review is certainly welcome here anytime.  Your impression on CD playback from the SA-11S2 mimics my impression of the Esoteric DV-60. Each of the (3) CD filters did nothing for my ears.
On the flipside, SACD playback is excellent. I found it ( and still do) a strange interpretation of the music. I simply could not find the (CD) groove?  I wonder if CD playback improves on the upper-tier Esoteric models?  
There are enough Audio and owner reviews on the Marantz SA-10 Reference player across several forums. Overall impressions and thoughts are positive on CD/DAC/SACD playback. To date, I have not read a negative/poor review.  Not bad for a sub $10K digital machine.

Happy Listening!

Happy Friday! All

tomthiel

Thank You for the SCD-1 update. I can certainly appreciate an 'Audio ICU'. Great sense of humor there.  Mr. Bill Thalmann has an excellent reputation in the Audio repair/restoration business. I can hardly await for his diagnosis. 

We all know that older does not mean obsolete. Historically, key pieces of Audio gear set and continues to set a Gold standard. The SA-11S2 is an opportunity to for me to evaluate Marantz's version of a Reference CD/SACD player. Add to the fact that Fuses and op-amps, can exchange for better presentation and sound, makes the spinner more attractive. 
This purchase is a gateway to the  SA-10 Reference CD/DAC/SACD player in current production. 

As always, I enjoy reading about Thiel Audio history. Specifically, the gear you guys utilized in the sound lab, as Jim was developing his signature loudspeaker sound.  Musical engagement indeed.

Happy Listening!

sdecker - from my perspective, I appreciate your thoughts very much. This thread is my sole involvement with the world of internet opinions. Because I am committed to Thiel speakers as my life-long transducer, and because Thiel performs in somewhat idiocentric ways with some equipment, I find it quite helpful to hear people's opinions about the system performance with various gear. Also, in this on-going community we gradually develop a sense of various contributors' tastes, values and approaches to their sense of rightness and musical engagement.

I don't consider such reviews and commentary in any way improper or off topic. Of course it's not my call to make, but I did think expressing my opinion might encourage discussion around the issue of what is or isn't on or off topic. JA has consistently encouraged broad musical dialogue.

As an aside, my Sony SCD-1 was delivered by a friend today to Bill Thalmann in Virginia for his assessment and possible resurrection. It will spend a few days in his audio ICU and I hope to have a report next week. I'm really fairly in the dark regarding its performance relative to other spinners - I got it because it was Thiel's and had been upgraded and it was, after all, the first of the genre and a heroic engineering effort, especially for 1999. I'll be open to hearing how you guys think it stacks up with more modern gear.

sdecker

PM sent.   Happy Listening!

Thirty days from now I expect you'll post equally thorough impressions of this player.  Or at least PM me.  YMMV.  I hope!

sdecker

Thank You for the SA-11S2 review.  Very helpful and informative. There are a few reviews on this spinner prior to my purchasing. I read all of them.

Happy Listening!

As jafant is the original poster of this 199 page thread, and specifically asked me to comment here about my impressions of a disc player he purchased, I'll respond.  I'm not hijacking the thread, or he's not telling me I'm not, but my long-winded reviews rarely get comments.
I auditioned the Marantz SA-11S2 for a month in 2009 as an open-box unit from Music Direct.  For similar reasons to you: how a relatively expensive SACD player can sound, how the CD section sounds, how the transport sounds vs my own, and the overall impression given Marantz's reputation for build quality and SACD playback.
My primary comparisons were to my CD playback of a Madrigal-updated/upgraded and my slightly modded Proceed CDD transport via a Kimber D60 to my Great Northern Sound substantially (and cleverly) modified Bel Canto DAC2.  SACD was compared to my Yamaha DVD-S1800 universal player: it plays SACD natively in DSD from laser to outputs so you do hear the purity of the format, but uses probably $10 of parts to do so for the 2-channel mix.  I threw in my analog rig using the 'same' material as a reality check.

Michael Fremer did a full review of the unit for Stereophile and I remember agreeing with most of what he said (as I usually do), despite his requisite sugar-coating for the magazine.
In short, with CDs, there wasn't anything the Marantz did notably better than my rig, and a number of areas where it fell short.

With filters 1 & 2 I found CDs to sound slurred and muddy.  Only 3 sounded OK.  Compared to my stuff, the lower bass was amped-up; the mid-bass was slower, underdamped; slight differences through the midrange that didn't favor either; it was a draw in HF textural resolution, but the Bel Canto was better with HF decay naturalness.  Soundstage width was about the same, but my rig did dimensionality better.  My rig did the PRaT thing clearly better, but the Marantz didn't have its external clock option.   The Marantz didn't have the speed, resolution, and clarity of my stuff, which matched the Marantz for smoothness, lack of grain, and freedom from long-term listening 'digital fatigue.'  Overall, a warm frequency balance does not an 'analog-sounding' CD player make.
The player sounded marvelous with SACD.  A mostly-different signal-processing path, but Marantz took advantage of the intrinsic advantages of DSD over PCM: very easy decoding, much higher resolution than redbook; the care in mastering the SACD layer; the smooooth sound of SACDs correlated with the smooth glossing over of CDs with their PCM decoding.  At the time, my direct comparison was my universal player, which commits only sins of omission.  The Marantz took the purity of native DSD of the Yamaha and put it through a good output section (at least) where the dynamics and details could and did shine through.  But the bass was still bloated and slow.  The soundstage wasn't nearly as holographic as I've heard from better and/or newer SACD players with the same discs.  There was some resolution left on the table.

Their custom M-1 transport and SPDIF processing (digital out) was no better than my Proceed.  Far worse, in that for my full audition period I always got a ton of read errors across a variety of discs that usually required power-cycling the unit.

The player was unnecessarily big and heavy, to justify its high end pretensions?  The front panel ergonomics were awful, form over function.  Why is the external clock selector on the front panel?  Why isn't the polarity switch on the remote?  Why is the power switch -- to be left on most of the time -- front and center?  Why are the transport controls split 6" apart between the two sides of the raised center front panel?  For such a big unit why is the display so tiny to be unreadable unless you're on top of it?
Granted, my Proceed (essentially a Mark Levinson No. 37) excels at ergonomics, display visibility, programming flexibility, responsive disc reads, but I wasn't willing to take a step backwards when the player as a whole did not do $3500 worth of improvements for me.  Any, really. 

I doubt that new opamps and replacing the 6 fuses is going to change the overall character of the player as I've described.  If you got this for a few hundred bucks and have a bunch of SACDs, it may be worth it, but for MY sensibilities versus MY gear it was a disappointment.  Twelve years later I know there are better units to be had for similar prices.

Be careful what you ask for from me!  I now return you to your Thiel speaker forum...

james633

the Gustard X26 Pro has a following over on Audio Asylum.

Happy Listening!

westcoastaudiophile

Welcome! Good to see you here. 
What gear is in your current system? I will read over the Gustard A22.

Happy Listening!

jafant, please check Gustard A22 also, I think it is one of the best for audiophiles technically speaking! 

Thanks yyzsantabarbara, I will read up on the Gustard X26. 

yyzsantabarbara

Good to see you again. Excellent combination of CODA/Thiel.
The Gustard X26 Pro is receiving positive Audio press across other forums.

Happy Listening!

james633

Thank You for the system update. Agreed, having separates can become too much of a good thing. 

Happy Listening!

@james633  I am a Thiel CS3.7 guy now and maybe I can offer some Benchmark feedback. The Benchmark HPA4 preamp is great. It will make any DAC sound better because it is quieter than all DACs connected to it and the volume control is of very high quality.

I also have the Benchmark DAC3B it is pretty good, especially when paired with the HPA4 with balanced cables. However, I have a new DAC that I find a lot better than the DAC3B and I use it with the HPA4. It is also cheaper ($1500) and I believe it measure just as well as the DAC3B. It is the Gustard X26 Pro.

The One to Beat: Gustard X26 PRO DAC Review (soundnews.net)

I use the Gustard  with 2 preamps using RCA and XLR to each one. The CODA 07x, a warm preamp, and the HPA4. Both going into a Class D amp for my Thiel CS3.7. I have 2 sets of long XLRs from each preamp. I have the DAC3B setup the same way with RCA and XLR and can easily do comparisons. The Gustard is the clear winner. It is a bit warmer than the DAC3B and really detailed with a very big sound.

I should note that I had an issue with the first Gustard X26 Pro I bought. It was on rare occasions outputting increasing noise after many hours of playing. I would power down for 10 seconds and everything was good again. I have a contact in Texas who bought the Gustard X26 Pro after me. He did not have this issue. So I contacted the Chinese seller and they told me to send it back. I sent it back by USPS for $116 and they sent a new unit in 7 days. The new unit does not seem to have this issue.

I also used it as a preamp but the 2 preamps I have are much better.

Jafant,

I have a simple all digital system. Mac mini computer into a wyred4sound dac, to two JL E112 subs highpassed at 60z to the MC462 amp. 
I dabble in home theater (well maybe more than dabble, with a dedicated, treated all black room lol) so I have a bunch of gear in a rack way off to the side bypassed through the DAC. Large 25x26x7.5’ room but I only sit 9’ from the speakers. Entire ceiling is acoustic panels with 9” of mineral wool behind them. That change helped a lot. 

I plan to get rid of the dac next and move back to benchmark. I will do their new HP4A and DAC. I really like the benchmark stuff but had issues with the volume control on the older models (moved too fast and had poor left to right matching as it changed volume). I tried a few tube preamps and solid state pre-amps and ended up with no preamp at all. I feel like the leading edge of the bass has been lacking since getting rid of the benchmark dac. Odd comment I know but something about it for sure.
I tried the McIntosh C9 preamp/MC462 combo with the Revel 328be and felt the C9 added a little too much “Mac sound” so I think I will stick to a less colored preamp not to mention cheaper. The MC462 is just enough (very subtle) tonal color for me which took the edge of the Thiels and what I was going for.  
On a side note the Revel 328be is a really great speaker I think most Thiel owners would like. Flat tonal balance and wide soundstage with stable dispersion. Seemed to play with limitless volume too (very clean). The highs are really something on them. Makes the highs on the Thiels seem a little dated.  

jon_5912

Nice catch! Those are low numbers for the CS 3.7 loudspeaker.
I hope they find the next good home.

Happy Listening!

james633

Good to see you here today. Thank You for the follow up on your Mac/Thiel combo. What other gear is in your current system?

Happy Listening!

The 3.7s on ebay are serial numbers 97 and 98 so it's an opportunity to get a pair with an original Lexington crossover.  

I have been running my 2.4s off a McIntosh MC462 power amp for about a month now and I am happy with the results. It should be noted that I highpass my speakers at 60hz. 
While the MC462 does not look like the best match for the 2.4 due to its wicked 2 ohm impedance curve the MC462 does a great job to my ear. I have it connected through the 2 ohm taps. The sound is very balanced and the highs sound better than they ever have through the Thiels with a silkier sound that is not rolled off or lacking detail. The mids have zero glare and there is good texture in the upper mid bass, subs handle the low bass. 
In the past I have used a number of class-d amps (wyred 4 sound), Rotel AB amps, and benchmark equipment. I can’t really speak directly on the sound difference due to so much time between all of them but I feel that the McIntosh/Thiel combo is the most refined and listenable of all my setups.  

sdecker

I purchased the Marantz as a 2nd Reference SACD spinner. The previous owner tweaked Op amps and exchanged stock fuses for Hi Fi Tuning models.  Tell me more about your impressions? How long did you audition in your system?

Happy Listening!

ctsooner
As always, good to see you here. I hope that you are well and ready for the Summer season.  A few days ago I had a demo on Swisscable .
I have been awaiting this audition since January. I enjoyed a small system featuring Audio Hungary Integrated amp, Innuous server/streamer(dealer/retailer uses these devices) and QLN Prestige 5 loudspeakers.
Overall, an excellent demo. the system was lively and musical top to bottom. In late Summer I will take a 2nd demo and bring one of my spinners for Critical evaluation. The cables/cords are Top Shelf to be sure. More to follow as I hone in on Reference cabling.
Happy Listening!

sdecker
Feel free to talk about anything Audio related here. CD and SACD discussion is most-certainly allowed! Not all of Us are into music servers/streaming, myself included.  A strong percentage of the Panel are into Vinyl. No harm there either. It is all about the Music and Gear that transports to that magical place.
This is my 1st spinner to feature "filters" for playback.
I am open for Hot Tips.

Happy Listening!

@jafant  I'll be interested to read your impressions of the SA11S2, though not sure how much detail you'll post on a speaker forum.  I auditioned one at home for 30 days when they were newly released, and sent it back...Perhaps we should compare notes offline after you've had ample time to get its measure.  Don't want to bias you or anyone else about their electronics!

dsper
It is an honor and pleasure to Host this thread. I am simply a fan of the Music, like you guys. It never hurts to have Reference gear on-hand to enjoy it all!

Happy Listening!

All
I added my latest acquisition. Marantz SA-11S2 Reference CD/SACD Player.  My 1st Marantz product.
Happy Listening!

johnhh
Welcome! Good to see you here today. I believe that there is 1 other CS 1.5 owner on the Panel. Now, to address your query. Both Bryston and Classe' are sonic matches for Thiel Audio loudspeakers. You are already up and running.
Many options regarding servers and streaming. Stay tuned until someone chimes in about Flac files and hard-drives. I look forward in reading more about your Musical tastes.

Happy Listening!

Fascinating thread for a non Thiel owner.  I just remember auditioning the Thiel and Vandersteen together at my local shop back in the day (Take 5 Audio across from Yale).  I liked the Vandersteen 2's better as the high end was a bit less pronounced, but I think it also may have been the electronics (but it was all Threshhold if I recall).  

Both lines were better than anything else they had in the store to my ears.  They were a large Wilson dealer, but I never liked Wilson's as they made my ears bleed, lol...

It's that both speakers are time and phase correct. Many don't hear the differences, but I can nearly promise you that any Vandersteen or Thiel lover does hear it and is sensitive to it.  I'd love some Thiel owners of years past (when Jim made them) to post on the Vandersteen forums as we have so much in common. We have a lot of music threads there too.  This is a fun thread as folks appreciate the music and not just the equipment.

I am new to this mania, moving from a Pioneer 1050 SX to something more fun. Not ready for the cost of hifi...

I have some Theil CS 1.5 speakers that I want to power up. They will be in a small home office 12x15, but may move them into the garage/shop 24x24 but crowded as I spend a lot of time there woodworking and kicking back.

Considering cost,,,, for an amp I am looking at a Classe CAP 101 and a Bryston 2B with a 0.5B preamp. 

I will use a Bluesound Node and stream Qobuz or my CD collection flac files from a hard drive.

What do you guys think?

Hi All,

Just wanted everyone to know that I keep learning by reading this thread. and I am not through all of it yet...!

One thing I have learned, know, is that the CS5i's are not bright. Feed them right and you will be rewarded.

Right now, I am listening at 53 on the CJ 17LS2 (80-85 dbls at my chair) when I normally listen at like 17 to 29.

Everything is holding together with no harshness and the bass is pounding it along. The Mystique V3 DAC is adding to the speakers.

Jafant, thanks for the thread,

Dsper

FWIW - I spent about 6 months in intensive wire learning and comparisons last year. I felt connected to that exploration since I had researched and selected the original wire for the 03, Thiel's first phase coherent speaker in 1978. Thiel stayed with that wire and its successors throughout Original Thiel. It is CDA101 (5-9s, long crystal, oxygen free) in teflon, tight twist (originally 2 / inch, then 3/ inch. Originally we bought from ITT, the aerospace developer of the wire. When StraightWire began, they took over the audio marketing of that wire. Its successors served Thiel onward as well as many other manufacturers. Note that FST boards have a similar-looking wire, but it is CDA102 (next grade down) with sometimes less tight and tidy twisting in a less than teflon jacket.

In my re-investigation I sampled Cardas and various offerings of various configurations in various jackets. We listened blind, and I compared a suite of 8 measurements of each wire. Although I don't have definitive tests, our listening paralleled what seemed to be superior measurements. Most of the artifacts of various "lesser" wires occur below 20Hz and above 20kHz. But a sonic signature persists in audibility. Across brands and insulation type, stranded wire has a "forgiving" signature with an appealing bloom in the bass, with a bit of soft tizziness in the upper end. I would call it nice and warm. Solid wire, regardless of other factors, sounds comparatively simple, straightforward and lean. Somewhat counterintuitively, the high end sounds cleaner and more solid than stranded.
I cross-checked my findings with Stevem Hill at Straightwire who cross-checked our mutual observations and hypotheses with his physicist associates. I always incorporate what I study and strive to understand with what I hear, beginning with blind listening and progressing through a reduction of possibilities toward a small handful of contenders that sound good and measure well. That has always been a Thiel hallmark, we never choose "nice sounding" if there is evidence of technical glitches.

My solution uses a combination of 18 solid and 18 stranded in a particular twist. It behaves extremely well on the scope and in the listening room. I am hand-laying my own working samples, but at some time it will become available through Straightwire.

As a general rule, you can assume that anything you get from Rob at CSS is actual Thiel OEM, and that anything connected to an FST (glass) board is an Asian clone. In all cases I have found the Asian clones to be quite good, but a step down from Thiel OEM.

There is a lot more to wire than can be measured with capacitance, resistance, and inductance. Electromagnetic propagation interactions, electrolytic absorption and wire crystaline anatomy all do things. Some among us hear artifacts from those things. Some in the engineering arena think we're crazy. But in all cases that I have gotten a straight-ahead engineer to listen, they agree that there is something going on. Steve Hill thinks they can't admit what they hear because their understandings of the processes don't account for the differences. Therein lies the gate to audiophildom: we believe it matters if we can hear it, and the cognitive understandings must follow from the heard experience.

Rob - Thiel's homegrown boards were all masonite. The show boards were masonite sanded and painted to look cool. Asian imported boards were all fiberglas. It is possible there were transition boards, but I've not heard of them.
The 2.7 was made entirely in-house in Lexington under management of the first New Thiel team who sought to return to roots. New Thiel ownership changed leadership 5 times in the 5 years they ran it. Team 2 abandoned Jim's design approach and took all manufacture to Asia.

As far as I know, if yours has a masonite board, it also has components refined through time for best cost-performance.

@sdecker PM sent

@vair68robert  As Tom Thiel wrote just days ago, FST PCBs are on fiberglass. Classic Thiel used point to point connections, with leads mechanically twisted before soldering, on Masonite. That is what I have on my hot-rodded CS2.4.

@tmsrdg
ERSE sells direct erseaudio.com , 
I've also found that partsconnexion has the best prices when you wait for their sales and the best sellection for USA postage ,
HiFi collection is another great source but with higher postage rates .

@beetlemania

Thanks ,  I looked at images of 2.4 crossovers , interesting thing is that they all look like circut board material while I thought that Thiel was using a masonite type board like those used in my 2.7's .
But if you look at images of 2.7 you'll see that they look more like circuit board material and I think are demonstrator models .
What is your board material made of ?