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!
Well in an unfortunate turn of events I had to get a new car. Now I’m back to looking at amps. I’m thinking going Aragon palladium monoblocks. 1000 watts into 2 ohms class a/b or mark levinson amps at the moment.
Absolutely! I do not aurally enjoy a true neutral system as well. Too clinical, dry and thin to my ears. Silver cables will present this way on Thiel loudspeakers, especially, the newer models.
Best practice, trust your own ears. I never thought that I would enjoy an Integrated Amp? Not only did I enjoy it, I purchased one! What other gear and cabling rounds out your current system?
Today marks this thread's 5th 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 2020. 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 types. 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".
I sold the Bryston 7B-ST's once I got my hands on a Krell FBI. My girlfriend was blown away by the difference as well.
I hear everyones point on clarity and truth if you will however some recordings sound awful on neutral gear/systems.
With my setups I want all of the best of Thiel without the leanness/harshness.
Listening to a wide range of recordings from various sources (stream/LP/CD etc) and genres has led me to value some coloration if you will. My goal is not to sacrifice anything that the 2.7 and 3.6 do so well while still enjoying a wide range of music.
@therealpupalei what did you do with the Krell TAS? I have one and run it in stereo mode to a pair of 3.6's. The preamp is the Levinson 326S. This is my large orchestra setup.
I’ve just been sitting and re-listening to my collection with big smile on my face. In your honor, I’ll break out the Santana this morning!
When my 5-channel Krell amplifier died, I had to do a lot of thinking, and research, and soul searching in a short amount of time. I’ve always (for 20+ years) built and maintained a home theater setup and then used that for both music and movies. But over the years movies went from maybe 60% importance to more like 20%.
So with this 80%-music priority in mind, I decided to put the budget I had (arbitrarily) determined was reasonable into getting the best 2-ch/stereo MUSIC I could out of my "fronts" (Thiel 2.3s).
And holy crap, was that ever the right decision for me. Literally for 20 years, I’ve fiddled with placement, DOLBY PRO LOGIC (buying and installing the promising DOLBY PRO LOGIC II! upgrade for my (at the time) Anthem pre/pro), trying and dismissing and trying again 5-channel stereo (later, "multi-channel" stereo, of course), trying desperately to get the enveloping, rich, vibrant sound I craved. And now I’ve made more progress toward that goal in 2 weeks than I’d made in the 20 years before.
Long story short (too late), if I were going to put my amp $ into two channels, I’d still need something to run center and surrounds for movies/tv. And I also noticed that my trusty Onkyo pre/pro had begun its 2nd decade, with its 4 HDMI 1.4 inputs, etc. So I got a new Denon receiver to act as my pre-pro. For a 2-ch amp then, in addition to asking here, I’ve spent a lot of time on WhiteCamaroSS’s ampnanza thread (I’m on page, like, 15. I’ll be reading that for the rest of my life I think). Ultimately, I went with the PS Audio BHK Signature 250 "dual-mono". With my Krell as "trade in", I got it for just over $5k. I was excited about PS Audio being a relatively local company. Also, they have a great in-home 30 day policy, and everything I had read about the BHK 250/300s has been positive.
I don’t even know if the Denon is going to be good for my surrounds and center (I assume they will), because all I want to do is listen to stereo music. I did set the Thiels as "small" on the Denon, with a crossover at 60 hz, and have two SVS subs in the corners helping out, but the Thiels and PS are doing most of the work. I keep geeking out to my wife saying, "THIS IS JUST TWO CHANNEL!!1!???!" And she gives me that smile and nod that made me marry her long ago.
Listening to Santana Abraxas on the CS3.7 with 2 AHB2 and it is a night and day difference compared to a singe AHB2. Why didn’t I do this earlier? Well other than no money. What a great upgrade today.
This is truly a great speaker, even after all these years. I am so happy I bought the CS3.7 and spent all that time and money to get it to this new like level.
@yyzsantabarbara1, Your experience sounds very similar to mine. I had a single amp that was 200 w/ch into 8 ohms, around 300 into 4, and not specd into 2. It sounded ok with my 3.7s but I was motivated enough to buy a second one when my local store put the demo unit on sale. I was surprised at the improvement. Bigger, harder hitting, and more engaging is a great way to describe the difference.
I now have 2 very good options to power the Thiel CS3.7. Both do not publish specs for 2 Ohm operation but I spoke with the designer of each amp and they said they both have a lot of power at 2 Ohms.
I was using a single Benchmark AHB2 with a ROON convolution file that dropped my output my 10dB. So I was using close to 80% of the volume to get around 65-70db. A strain on the amp.
I now have 2 AHB2 in mono that are capable to 2 Ohm with an unpublished spec. The sound is great, a lot bigger, harder hitting, and engaging than with the single AHB2.
the volume control is also set to about to about 50% for 65-70dB via the convolution. This is a home run. Cost is $6K for both brand new.
I also got the CODA CSiB integrated the other day mainly for my RAAL SR1a headphones but I wanted to see how extra power translates with the Thiel CS3.7. In terms of the comparing it to a single AHB2 it is also was harder hitting, bigger, and engaging. I was getting totally into the music. The CODA however was not as crystal clear as the AHB2. Some may prefer that. I like the AHB2's presentation a little more because of the clarity. I guess that clarity is expressed by some softness to the sound on top. The details are there but it is not as sharply defined as the AHB2.
The CODA was in 10/10 condition, was a used unit, built in 2018, and cost $3.4K. So these are 2 really great options to power the Thiel CS3.7. Do not let the low price dissuade you from checking them out.
A lot depends on the particulars and personality of the company. I think Vandersteen and Wilson have survived with a son taking the reins. Some companies survive via economic viability, but even there look at B&W among others who struggle to maintain a viable identity. I am told that Thiel conducted a futile years-long, worldwide search for someone to carry on Jim's work. Niche companies don't offer the financial security or up-side potential that attracts first-rate talent within a winner-take-all capitalist model. I appreciate ctsooner's remark that it's about more than profits. Performance Audio is about the love of music. Making ends meet is what has to happen to support and enable the musical progress and development.
a good point of view to consider as above. Do today's leading Audio operations have an understudy (or two) that could carry on the Founder's good work? What would Thiel Audio look like in 2021, had Jim, had an understudy? Thank God, we have Tom Thiel here and Rob Gillum in Lexington KY. These Gentlemen are still flying the Flag.
Observation in this long standing thread... Theil and Vandersteen owners are similar. They are here for the love of music, more than the love of gear (which we also love). It's about companies who buck the trend and make what they feel is gear that's closer to 'the truth'. It's not even about competition with others, but about doing what they feel is right and not just about profits.
We are all similar and it's why I always enjoy posts from owners of Theil. Back to regular programing, but had to post as it just hit me.
Jafant and others. I have the new Vandersteen mono blocks in the house. I had two dedicated, individually grounded 20amp circuits installed behind the system. The audio will all be on the same circuit. I'll have the TV, Router (off an LPS) running off the other one.
Waiting on the motorized quad volume control to arrive as it will be installed into my The Memory Player. Mines the prototype before they order the new two milled box units. I'll have the server, streamer, DAC and volume out of one box and all with separate LPS's etc... Stealthcaps, Vishay naked and other top components. Hopefully it will arrive this week. Can't wait.
I went with a Denon X4700H receiver and a PS Audio BHK 250 2-ch amp driving my 2.3s. Listening in Stereo mode (2 ch + subs, 60hz crossover) is divine. My Krell Home Theater Standard NEVER sounded this full and smooth. It's a cliché, but they sound like new speakers. I'm just sitting here listening in awe.
Hi. @Thoft Before spending a ton on an amp, try one of Yorkville’s AP amps, seriously they are spectacular. More than enough power and current to drive the 3.6’s all day long. I use an Audio Pro AP1200. Yes they have cooling fans, you can not hear mine from 12 inches away from the amp, ambient noise is louder then the fan. It is variable speed so mostly is is just hardly even turning. They are made to drive low impedance, the AP1200 actually has to altered internally to drive 8 ohm loads, comes from the factory setup to drive 2 ohm and 4 ohm loads. I know most guys look down their noses at pro gear, but suffice to say I had the designer and manufacturer of a Stereophile Class B preamp over to the house listen to my system ( which has his preamp in it) and he was impressed at how good the AP is, effortless is how he described it. YMMV The interconnect between the pre and power is 5x the price of the amp....... Reach out to meet if you have questions. Dave
@jafant Well for me nothing special just waiting patiently for the funds to pull the trigger and build my rig. Other than that a fellow audiophile asked me if i could go audition the Wilson Benesch Resolution at my dealer's so i will do that for him and report back.
I was mentioning getting a CODA #8 amp to power the CS3.7's. Well today I bought a used CODA CSib integrated that is maybe good for the CS3.7. I bought the integrated for my KEF LS50's and the new RAAL SR1a headphone amp that I will get sometime in 2021 (demoing at home now).
I will put the CODA on the CS3.7 and compare with the 2 Benchmark AHB2's which will be my reference. I have a second AHB2 on order.
@yyzsantabarbara I've heard it on Viva Solista speaker amp.My favorite headphones are still the Hifiman Susvara but it's to much dedication for just headphones therefore i prefer to save my money for speaker gear now.
@thieliste You need to hear the RAAL SR1a with the new RAAL HSA-1b headphone amp. The bass is great and the highs are tamed. It is a warmer headphone amp than my Benchmark HPA4. I tried the SR1a with my Benchmark AHB2 using the AMP INTERFACE (amp RAAL uses in shows and designed with) and it was too harsh. I was reading that people were saying the SR1a is bass shy and with the HSA-1b I don't feel that it is.
I will say again that the SR1a sounds so much like my Thiel CS3.7, with a little bit more detail and a bit less bass. When I have to shut off the CS3.7, so my son can sleep, putting on the SR1a does not seem like a step down. The only issue is that I cannot work with these headphones. I stop and keep listening to the music, maybe this is because it is so new for me.
@yyzsantabarbara Congrats on the RAAL SR1a, i have demoed these headphones in 2019, they are indeed very special but not for everybody.I found them pnenomenal in the treble but not very good in the bass or nowhere near an Abyss 1266 Phi TC in that area.They are obviously the most open sounding headphones on the market but i still prefer a well balanced Thiel CS 3.7 system.Cheers
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.
