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Thiel speakers... one more try

As you guys may already know (since I post here every other week), I'm shopping for speakers. I currently own a pair of Dynaudio Audience 120, which are too small to give me the bass and upper-bass response I need for my favorite music style, progressive electronic music, very loud I must add.

After going to alot of shops here in Sao Paulo, Brazil, I found a store which had the PSB GOLDi and the Thiel 2.2 (with crossovers upgrade worth $2000 from Thiel) for sale, at basically the same price range. The thing is that the Thiel has been discontinued in 1997 and the PSB GOLDi he has is brand new, still in the cartons, latest model.

After going there three times, I decided the Thiel suits me better. But I tested the PSB in a very very BIG room, very tall, with a nice Harman Kardon receiver in stereo mode and Burmeister CD player. The Thiel was tested with a hefty Threshold amplifier, but with a poor Technics pre-amp and a lousy Marantz DVD player. Considering both had disadvantages, I considered that the Thiel was better off due to the generous amplifier and the good acoustics of the room, which was almost perfect (the guy has two stores, one for new equipment, and the other for used ware)

What I liked about the Thiel was that it had a very defined and confident upper-bass and midrange, and while the PSB had a very tasty low-bass, the upper-bass was not tight at all, and something was clearly missing there.

I'm gonna use either of these babies with a Mccormack DNA 0.5, Mccormack TLC-1 and Adcom GCD-750. I already tested the Thiel with the Mccormack and it was very good.

Considering most say the PSB would be easier to drive. Considering it had so many disadvantagens in my auditions, like acoustics and electronics. Considering I fell to the Thiel. Considering that the PSB is $2200 new in the US, and a used Thiel runs for $1200 in Ebay. Considering that I would never be able to sell the Thiel for a similar price in Brazil and that the PSB is much more sought after.

With all of these, what should I do, give the PSB a go, because of the newer technology and better market value; or take a chance with the Thiel, which could satisfy me for years more, or become a burden.

Opinions please?

Thanks in advance
jmabe

Showing 2 responses by tombowlus

tombowlus
416 posts
 
If the Thiel's sound better to you, then I would pick them up. As mentioned above, trust your ears and don't worry about resale. From a potential buyer's remorse perspective, would you rather have that niggling sensation in the back of your mind that you should have picked up the PSBs when (and if) you decide to trade up or sell your speakers, or do you want to have that niggling sensation that you should have picked up the Thiels every time you listen to your PSBs?

Also, Thiel has tremendous customer support, even for used/discontinued models that may be out of warranty. So long as the speaker has not been abused, they may very well take care of any problems you might have.

Good luck, and trust your ears!

Tom.
tombowlus
416 posts
 
I do believe that the 2.4's are a bit lacking in the lower registers, and that they don't have a lot of weight to their sound (which is why I chose CS3.6's). From what I have read, the 2.2's have a more severe lack of low end, which is why I would suggest pairing them with a sub. Of course, to get a good quality, musical subwoofer would add even more to the purchase price, so the PSB's may be the way to go if they were able to make you smile after direct comparison to the Thiels.

Enjoy!

Tom.
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