Thiel 3.6's vs. Vandersteen 3 sigs

Bdunne, budget aside, I think you would be better off selling that 2s and buying 3As, then adding a sub with the 2s. You may not feel the need for a sub with the 3As, and I think you will find the midrange to be better as well -- you can always add a sub (preferably two)if you feel the need for sub 28Hz bass.

If I had to change from my 3.6's, I would be looking at the Vandies. They do share many characteristics. The disadvantage of Thiel's is the amp/current required. It sounds like you may have this covered. I have considered demo'ing the Rogue pre to see how a tube pre would sound with the 3.6. I would stay away from the sub, I've never heard a setup integrated enough for me. The 3.6 goes very deep and is very tight, especially with a big amp. I use Classe CAM-350's with great results. I would try to hear the 3.6 with your electronics before deciding. You can't lose either way.

No Thiels are not analytical, or harsh, or forward sounding.
The reason they sound that way when you heard them is because the components driving them were low fi.
If you use high quality components with good cables and follow placement recommendations, they are sublime. Vandersteens on the other hand sound good with cheap electronics because they are made with cheap components and designed for the average music listener, not the sophoisticated one.
The top end of Vandys is dull and rolled off, and the bass is boomy and inaccurate....just the cure for cheap electronics which sound harsh and have no real bass because they have cheap power supplies that can't deliver enough current to move the woofer accurately) and they are therefore perfect for unsophisticated listeners.

It doesnt bug me if Pepperdog doesnt like Vandersteen speakers but to say they are cheap and for "unsophisticated listeners" makes me question if he is Ignorant or a snob, or most likely a combination of both. The 5A and to a lesser extent the Quatro have anything but sloppy bass and cheap components so I doubt this opinion is one of experience.

As an owner of both CS6s and 2Ce Sigs, I can say that I am very fond of both Thiel and Vandersteen and can't imagine ever owning other brands from here on. Both manufacturers offer something quite different tonally, BUT they also both provide what few others can in the area of timbral accuracy from a time coherence standpoint. For me that's a gotta have. I tried to veer away from Thiel in favor of Dynaudio years ago and had to return to Thiel simply because I missed what these speakers do.

And for a lower-powered tube based system (Rogue Cronus or CJ CAV50) in a smaller room, the 2Ces rule.

Poor high-end response in Vandersteens? No way.

What Vandersteens are: some the best values and executions in speaker design and manufacture, ever.