Thiel Owners

Hi Everybody,

I'm a longtime Thiel owner and I've got some CS3 questions that I would really appreciate some help with.  Last week, I couldn’t stand it any longer so I got my Thiel CS3s out of storage and set them up for the first time in my small (11’ x 16’ x 10’) acoustically treated listening room. These speakers are over 25 years old, have been well cared for, but haven’t been used for the last 10 years. I’ve been using Kef LS50s in this room for the last 2 years. My electronics consist of a PS Audio PWD II DAC with bridge, Dodd battery powered tube preamp, and Dodd 120 tube mono blocks or ASL DT200 tube mono blocks. My music server is running JRiver Media Center software.

I’ve owned Thiel CS3s, CS3.5s, and CS3.6s. I sold the CS3.5s many years ago to upgrade to the 3.6s. I recently begrudgingly sold the 3.6s because I felt that my new room was simply too small to accommodate them. My old music room was 18’ x 14’ x 8’.

Back to the CS3s. Using the Dodd 120 monos, the CS3s sound really good in my small acoustically treated room. The first difference that jumped out at me was the bass, which is fuller, deeper, and more articulate than the LS50s, without using the CS3 bass equalizer. Even though I was happy with the bass I was getting with the LS50s, the CS3s outperform them handily. However, this post wasn’t meant to be a comparison of the LS50s and the CS3s. The reason for this post has to do with a potential CS3 driver problem.

I noticed that on the sound stage, Norah Jones’ voice on the “Don’t know why” track from the “Come Away with Me” CD was shifted to the left of center about 10 degrees. I swapped the speakers and the problem follows the speaker. I also noticed that the difference in output levels increases as the musical content increases in frequency. There’s a bigger shift on the “Game of Clocks” track from the “Smoke and Mirrors Vanish” CD. BTW, this track sounds great on the Thiels.

My questions to the Thiel faithful are as follows:

1. Would replacing the 25+ plus year old capacitors in the crossovers help?

2. Could this be tweeter failure due to age? I already know you can’t find CS3 replacement tweeters.

3. Any other ideas? I would love to make these my main speakers if I could solve this problem.  Otherwise, I might look for another used pair because I can't believe how good these sound in my small room.

Thanks everybody.

Utrak

utrak
Welcome! Good to see you here. Sit tight until one of our 3.5/3.6 experts chime in to address your query. Or, if you would like to gain a head start, feel free to reach out and touch Mr. Rob Gillum with Coherent Source Service (859.544.9790) for a consultation.  I look forward in reading more about your musical tastes and system.
Happy Listening!

Thanks jafant. 

 This 30 year old Thiel CS3.0 vs LS50 is an experiment for me to try to understand how good the older Thiels are compared to newer highly regarded designs like the LS50. I was also trying to determine what I could get away with in my smaller room with respect to bass. I don’t want to jump the gun because I haven’t spent enough time comparing the two but let’s just say that I’m shocked by how good the 30 year old Thiels are. There’s a good chance I’ll look for another set of used Thiels if I can’t fix the CS3.0s. BTW, the CS3s sound really good with tubes and so did the 3.6s.

Take a close look at your mid-range drivers. Seeing any cracks near the surround edge? The replacement mid-range driver currently under testing for the 3.5 may also work for the 3.0

Switching the crossovers will tell you if it's a crossover or driver problem.