Thiel Owners

I stumbled across a pair of CS1.5 speakers at a thrift store.  Beautiful teak finish, no scratches.  $200.  I put them in my 10' x 12' studio/office building in the back yard.  I have to say I'm blown away by them.  Right now I'm driving them with an Onkyo TX-NR555.  It is rated down to 6 ohm speakers and these are what 3 ohms?  Will that damage the amp / speakers or just not sound as good?

My dad was an acoustical physicist and audiophile.  I inherited his McIntosh kit, MC2200 amp, C28 preamp, 4 MC-1C speakers.  The amp and preamp need to be refreshed.  Probably the speakers too.

Listening to the Thiels reminded me of the flat response of the old Mac system. What a joy!

Would the MC2200 / C28 make them sound a lot better?  I'm thinking it is time to get those properly refurbished.  I remember the MC-1C speakers sounding great but the Thiels sound even better.  Thoughts? 

trogdor425

Welcome! Nice score on the CS 1.5 speakers. Reviewing the specs on TX-NR555, this is a decent Receiver. Onkyo tends to rate the power output on the conservative side. Should be fine at low to medium volume levels. Yes, the Mac gear will improve your aural experience by providing more current to the loudspeakers.

Keep me posted as you refurbish the MC2200 and C28. I look forward in reading more about your Musical taste and system.

Happy Listening!

As long as we are discussing the 1.5s I'll tell my story. I bought a pair in 1996 for my for my Queens, NY apartment. Used them through 2016 in different homes with different ss amps, always sounded great. In 2016 I moved again and the listening room is much larger with a vaulted ceiling. Also I'm using 60 watt vintage Dynamo mono blocks. I'm out one day and my wife wanted a little more volume and she blows both tweeters. They can't be pushed, I'd done it myself in the past. So I retire them and buy a pair of Tekton Lore, a larger speaker with 95 dbl sensitivity so better for my space I thought. So now we are in 2022 and I had replaced the Dynaco with a Prima Luna HP Dialouge, 72 watts. I'm thinking about what to do with the 1.5s in my basement with the blown tweeters. I settle on having them rebuilt by our friend in Lexington. I reinstall them and decide to give them a listen. So glad I did! The Prima Luna pairs great with them! The Orima Luna modern tube sound isn't like vintage tube, more like ss but with a very liquid midrange still. That's where the 1.5s outshine the Lores. Midrange is perfect. To address the bass in my large space I just added a sub from Rythmik Audio. It integrates nicely from the sub our on the Prima Luna because it has a full signal going out, so I was told. Now I have a beautifulfull sound after all these years with these little 1.5s. Lores are now in boxes in the basement. 

fsgattuso

Thank You for sharing your 1.5 story. We have a few fans and owners here on the Panel.  Prima Luna has come a long way since market introduction. Still a good value as well. What other gear is in your system?

Happy Listening!

Other equipment is Rega P3 for vinyl, Lumin D2 for streaming, Muse CD player, Nordost Red Dawn IC and speaker cables.