Thiel Owners


Guys-

I just scored a sweet pair of CS 2.4SE loudspeakers. Anyone else currently or previously owned this model?
Owners of the CS 2.4 or CS 2.7 are free to chime in as well. Thiel are excellent w/ both tubed or solid-state gear!

Keep me posted & Happy Listening!
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Welcome! kdross


tomthiel owns Classe' gear and will weigh on  your specific query about that vintage.  No, I do not believe that the gear damaged your CS2 speakers. Certainly age plays a factor and no doubt that these drivers are old. Another factor to consider is the cross-over (XO) being old as well.

Thirdly, did the previous owner(s) treat these speakers poorly?


The CS 2.4 model is easy to drive from a modest integrated amp all of the way up to separates. They only get better will better electronics/cabling as well.  Keep me posted on your situation.

I look forward in reading more about your Audio journey.

Happy Listening!

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.
In a moment of weakness I was ready to sell my Thiel CS2.4's. Long story short, I moved into a new room in house (which combines my listening room and my home office in an alcove of the room) and no matter what, I couldn't get the Thiel's to sound alive. They sound really clean and clear, but lacking "life"/"flesh & bones"/"joie de vivre".

I played around with the speaker distance, moving them further out from the front wall then I have ever had them and all of a sudden, the center locked into place and they sounded glorious. The bass is kind of missing in action though..

SOOOO.... I will add a pair of subwoofers. I'm playing around with an Epic Legend right now (which I happened to have sitting around) and although I can get it to blend reasonably well, there's times when I hear it. So what would you recommend that blends well? Unfortunately I think Thiel is out since you can't get the crossover very easily. Recommendations please! :-)