From what I know from listening about the Thiels is that after long listening sessions they can become tiring. Don't get me wrong, they make great speakers in many regards. My experience was that I loved them in the morning and afternoon, but after a long day and a full head, the detailed sound became hard for me to listen to for extended periods.
I have Totem speakers and these are known to be a bit bright on top, but have a very nice mid. I bought the Channel Islands (used) and have found them to perform very well with my speakers. They cut some of the brightness on the top but still have a very nice top end - much less fatiguing, even at night. The mids have been great and the bass is still tight, strong and I have plenty of reserve power for my needs.
As a reference, I have also been running the same Totem speakers (Arro and Hawk) with my B&K 507 S 2 AVR Receiver at about 150 WPC and a Golden Tube Audio SE 40. I do not feel that I have given up any of the emotion versus the Golden Tubes and feel that the detail delivered with the 507 has improved (better imaging/sound stage, improved rythm, etc. (PRAT).
I really have enjoyed them and if you can buy them on a 30-day trial or used (which means you could re-sell them easily), I think they are worth a consideration.
If you lived in Southwest Michigan I would loan you mine to try.
BOL
