Thiels or Von Schweikerts

I loved the sound of Thiels too until I got them home. Once I sold them I was even happier. I have owned Von Schweikert VR4 gen II for about 4 to 5 years now and love them.

The Thiels were the most finicky speakers I have ever owned and it took me away from the music. They had me focusing more on upgrading the sound than the sound itself. I could never get them to sound like what I heard in the dealer showroom and some music sounded just terrible on them anywhere. The final straw was when my brother brought over the Klipsch Forte and Academy center he had just bought used to try out as he had no receiver yet. This was about 7 years ago so I connected his speakers to my system which included at that time a Proceed AVP, Plinius for the front and Parasound HCA-2205 for the surrounds. I actually preferred the sound of the Klipsch set to my own speakers by a long shot. His $200 Academy bested my $2,200 Thiel MCS1 center channel.

I did try 3 different pre-amps, 4 amps, 2 or 3 cd players and a variety of interconnects and speaker cables on the Thiels but could never get them to sound the way I wanted.
I know the room has a lot to do with it and set-up but having tried 5 different speakers in the same room with a good amount of success I could only draw the conclusion that the Thiels were not for me or anyone else who listened to them.

I have heard other set-ups with thiels and they sound really nice but I had a horrible time with them and would never buy another set.

The Von Schweikerts are great as they do a lot very, very well and the center is the best I have ever owned.

Thiels are one of the most loved or hated speakers I have ever come accross but I have never met anyone who hate Von Schweikert's.

Good luck

I have to clarify that the 3 systems I heard using Thiels that I really enjoyed were all using Krell KAV series amps and there HT pre-pros. I did hear a set-up recently using Thiel 1.6 and a Krell integrated that sounded really good in a friends home. I also heard a set of Thiel 3.6 with Krell Class A amp (older model I can't recal) Mark Levinson pre-amp and Meridian CD player which did nothing for me, sounded rather flat and lifeless which I never expected.

I have owned Krell KAV amps in the past and did try them with my Thiels. They did have a very good synergy but I would get listener fatigue after only about an hour.

When I auditioned the Thiels I also used my Jazz CD's and favorite female vocalists but what I should have done is brought over a wider variety.

I like the Thiel sound but I cannot live with it for a long period of time. It the same reason I don't own a cat as they are both too damn finicky and I just want to enjoy the music and movies.

I still think Thiel makes a quality speaker but make sure you realize they really are high maintenance and don't like to be fed anything other than the best sound quality CD's and the like. I still maintain that the VS speakers are WAY more forgiving and when you really give them quality they reward you in spades.

I have to admit that I would jump on a deal for some Thiel Powerpoints for the living room HT. At $1,300 each though it better be a real gooooodddddddd deal. They are the best in-wall/on-wall speakers I have heard which is not saying they sound nearly as good as floorstanders but a much cleaner living room.

Good luck Rustler, just remember to bring all of your music with you when trying out either speaker, not just the best recordings.