what has a Thiel soundstage, but more sensitivity?

by the way, off-topic, i recently replaced my levinson preamp and PS Audio DAC with a Pass Labs D1. wow, what a difference this DAC makes. night and day. who would have guessed it was THAT much better. in case anyone wonders, if you find one of these second hand, BUY IT.

alright, i dunno if anyone will respond to this by now!

thank you for all the good recommendations, very much appreciated. i've been watching the classifieds here in germany and unfortunately most of the models recommended have been difficult to find second hand.

SO...i've narrowed it down to a bigger set of thiels [newer], or a set of proacs [CS1.6, or Response 3.5]. both easier to drive, a step up in frequency range plus can be had on the german second hand market.

only question: in the opinion of the audiogoners, can the proacs possibly throw out the same kind of big lovely soundstage the thiels do? i am in love with this quality of the thiels, as i do alot of off-axis listening, sitting in the sweet spot for the occasional song or passage.

best regards!
David

Any Proac is very easy to drive and Proacs mate very well with Pass Labs. I sell both and that is the pairing I use, moreso with the small 30 watt XA30.5

I knew there was somebody I forgot. Green Mountain Audio also employs 1st order crossovers and at least looking at the Continuum 3 may be an easier load than the Thiels. Not all that much to look at though if such things concern you.

I believe that Meadowlarks used off the shelf parts.
Though not the most sensitive Thiels, I think the CS 2's with their 6 Ohm nominal, 5 Ohm minimum impedance might be the easiest of all Thiels to drive. According to some folks at Thiel, the CS2's were the most reliable model they ever made too.

I like the CS 1.6 recommendation as well since you've obviously fallen for the Thiel sound already. They may be more sensitive than the 1.5s, but you might want to check the impedance curve since they may also appreciate some juice. I like the Concident recommendation as well, but the Meadowlarks I'd be a little hesitant unless there's a good supply of replacement drivers out there.

Some other brands I've heard that image very well and are probably easier loads are Joseph Audio and Silverline. Something from Verity Audio or Reference 3a might be worth a look too, although I don't have as much direct experience with those.

Lastly, you might consider contacting Pass to see which speakers they would recommend for your tastes -- they're supposed to have very good customer support. Best of luck.

thank you all, these are great recommendations. @ Cmalak; my thoughts exactly, and the CS 1.6 were actually at the top of my list. but i hadn't heard of the meadowlarks or coincidents, and hadn't considered Dunlavy or triangle.

feel free to add more to this list, considering the parameters i've described, and i now have a few new ideas thanks to you all!

The Meadowlarks are good recommendation.

maybe some of the Meadowlark speakers?? they have been out of business for several years and their speakers are available at great prices used. they are time co-herent designs ala Thiel but easier to drive.

I scrapped my 1.2's in favor of Coincidents. Very similar sound and much easier to drive.

Dunlavy.

Triangle speakers perhaps?

I only have small Triangle monitors but they are most resolving and transparent and I run them effectively in a typical modern family room off a 20w/ch vintage yamaha receiver (with a separate powered sub).

I've heard Focal Profiles also and those have a lot of the same strengths as well.

Your Thiel CS0.5 are 87db sensitivity / 4ohm nominal (3.2ohm min)impedance and are fine with your 60 wpc Pass Aleph 5 but probably challenge the amps on dynamic peaks a tad. If you like Thiel, then you can try the CS1.6 (entry level floor stander), which is a 90db sensitivity speaker with similar impedance characterisitics to the CS0.5. It should be more easy to drive than your CS0.5. They are in the $2600 range new here in the US but don't know pricing in Europe. The other suggestion is JM Focal 1007Be monitor speakers which is an 89db/8ohm nominal (3.2ohm min) speaker. Should be much easier to drive given the more forgiving impedance rating. Highly resolving like the Thiel and soundstages/images very nicely. More pricey than the Thiel CS1.6 but you may be able to get them within your budget used. Good luck.