Thiel Owners

Hello everyone.  First time audio fan here.  

Last year I jumped into the audio world by purchasing a pair of Thiel CS2 speakers (the original CS 2).  Found them on Craigslist for $500.  I used speakers with my Sony receiver (100W) that I purchased at Best Buy for $300 until I could purchase some real equipment. 
Despite the poor equipment, the speakers sounded very good.  

Last month I purchased a Classe DR-5 pre amp and two (2) DR-8 amps.  Despite being older equipment, everything came in the original boxes, was stored in a closet for about 20 years, and looks brand new.  In mono mode, the DR-8 amps have 240 watts into 8 ohms, and 540 watts into 4 ohms.

The Classe equipment really made my speakers sing for about a day.  That is when I noticed the woofers in my Thiels making a bad vibration sound (at first I thought I blew a tweeter).  At higher levels I notice the sound was distorted and did not sound right.  I have confirmed that both woofers need to be replaced, and replacement is about $450.  

Question is did I damage the Thiels with the Classe equipment when I played it at loud volumes (my wife likes to play dance/club music loud)?  Just wondering if the speakers being so old gave up the chase, or if we sent too much power to the speakers and damaged them.  I also read online that I could have damaged the Thiels with the old Sony receiver by playing the music loud and not having enough power, which in turn damaged the speaker.  Either way I will have to replace both woofers, but I do not want to damage the speakers in the future.  I just hope the speakers will sound the same with new woofers.  Also, my speaker wire is not the best so I hope that did not cause an issue either (feel free to recommend good speaker wires).  

In addition, while I love the sound of the CS2 speakers I have, they are old and I am wondering if I should upgrade to something newer.  Was thinking of the 2.4 or the 3.6, but I did not know if my equipment would be enough power for the 3.6 speakers.  If someone could comment on this I would appreciate it.  

Thank you in advance for any suggestions and input.  
   

kdross - congratulations on your CS2s. Thiel made more of those than any other model. It is possible that the loud levels did the damage if fed by an amp with insufficient power to deliver a clean signal. It is unlikely that the woofers or any of the drivers being old is the cause of the trouble. Those drivers have rubber surrounds and generally last indefinitely, unless fed a distorted/damaging signal.

Congratulations also on your Classé amps. Your DRs were designed by Classe's founder David Reich who took current delivery very seriously. David moved on to McCormack and Theta Digital. Very good amps, a great match for CS2s.

The fact that your woofers quit (see below) and you used a low-power (?) receiver at loud volumes points to distortion causing the failure. The old Sony played loud is the probable culprit. (Wires are probably not the cause.)

 But there are other possible causes or needs.

One probable root of your problem: both your amps and your speakers contain electrolytic capacitors, which have a definite lifespan of 15 to 40 years. They last longer when in constant use. Polarized electrolytics, such as in your amp, lose their bias, especially when in storage. A likely cause of damage is that your caps are leaking, allowing low-frequency power into your signal path and over-powering the drivers. Tweeters and midranges are at most risk, so your woofer failure doesn't match this scenario. BUT, you could be tending a time-bomb. Inside the speakers you can look to see if any of the small, black cylindrical caps have any goo on them. If so, they are definitely failing. If not, they can possibly wait.

I recommend the following. If you like the CS2s, keep them and consult Rob Gillum about the possible need for XO cap replacement. But, you can hear any problems before they do damage. If the caps are dry, cap replacement may not be necessary.

Your amps most probably need service: including new electrolytic caps. I understand that Classe is back in business and can probably service your amps. That vintage amp in that long-term storage situation is highly likely to have bad caps. Classe can talk you through determining whether the caps are leaking (signal or goo).

In my opinion, your gear is worth salvaging and will outperform the large majority of audio gear out there. Good luck and welcome.