Hi Everyone,
It’s been a good while since I checked in on this wonderful thread, but I do try to keep up with posts pretty much every week.
I’ll update on my fairly recent changes to the setup around my 3.5s, but I firstly want to thank everyone for their continued contributions here, demonstrating the love we all have for this brand of brands and for Jim’s peerless work.
I’ve owned my 3.5s now for just over 7 years. They were the cherished pair of a most careful owner, sold by his family after he passed. They were especially keen to find a buyer who would love and care for them just the same and every once in a great while I reconnect with them to let them know that these are still my favorite speakers in my little stable, which also includes Quad 57s and Celestion Kingstons.
About a year ago we moved from Utah to Minnesota and I was finally able to indulge in an amplification change from tubes that I’d been planning for some time - the Benchmark LA4 (pre) and AHB2 (power) combo.
This substantially consolidated what we all know to be true in that the 3.5s, and Thiels in general, respond magnificently to better, not necessarily hugely powerful, amplification.
The Benchmark pairing are rightly considered to be about the last word in accurate measuring amplification and have so elevated my 3.5s. The soundstage has improved in all dimensions and the imaging and indeed musicality are so convincing and precise that I only wish Jim had been around to try the LA4 and AHB2 with his designs, as I think he would have loved the result.
Cabling has changed too. Benchmark sells its own star Quad based cables, which work fine until you try something better. In my case this was Audioquest King Cobra interconnects throughout the system and Nordost Ax Angel speaker cable, which not only sounds sensational but is thin and therefore incredibly easy to install in the unusual speaker input position on the underside of the 3.5s.
This combo, together with digital source and turntable upgrades, achieves a sound that is still more than "current" - a testament to Jim’s brilliance and Thiel’s outstanding manufacturing skills. Remarkable for a speaker designed in, when?, the mid 80s I assume - hopefully Tom can confirm the precise timeline.
And speaking of Tom, even though I try to keep up with the thread, I’m a little bit blurry on where things are with the upgrade packages he has been working on with Rob. I’m very keen to know where things are at as a 3.5 upgrade kit is very much on my horizon, albeit that I might buy it and wait for something to break on the current pair before installation. There’s something magical about having a speaker as the designer originally intended it, though I’m certain that Tom and Rob won’t release a kit until they know it offers something even more special.
Anyway that’s my update and I will of course be happy to answer any questions concerning the amplification etc and its application with the 3.5s.
