Thiel Owners

Good points unsound. Amps from the same manufacturer often have differing goals and topologies and do not perform similarly. Thiel speakers got progressively more demanding - I guess the 5 bass was worst, but the earlier speakers were more benign, probably because Jim didn't yet have the Krell FPB-600 and Levinson 33Hs. Bryston amps seemed to get better and better at driving Thiels, partly because Thiel was their design-test torture load.

(Thanks again to the well-wishers for your kind comments!)


Tom,

Where does the 7.2 sit in your estimation?   Is it still the pinnacle of performance in Jim's designs?

prof - Please note that I have not heard the 7.2. I am relaying insider remarks from those who lived with the products, the process of evolution, the politics of markets and the necessary contraction of the company after Jim's death. I have also extrapolated factors regarding components and their sonic contributions. And then there is the undeniable fact that each new product stands on the shoulders of all of its predecessors, giving the x.7s a distinct advantage in many particulars.

All that said, I would choose the 7.2 as the epitome of Jim's work. He was working on a 7.3 which incorporated the 3.7 coax (or derivative) and the wavy driver geometry. Such a product could justify the cost of the quality components which beetle and I are lavishing on our upgrades. The low-level cabinet resonances could be quieted. Thermal management could be applied to the drivers and resistors, and so forth and so on, to create a next-league contender. I have little doubt that the 7.3 would be his very best work. But, I don't have a real answer to your query from personal experience. In hindsight, I wish I had stayed another day in Lexington in 2012 to absorb the upper models in the listening room. Time moves on.

I hope to learn enough and find the time to soup up the 7.2s. Notice that they don't show up on the used market. Rob says that the large majority of CS7 owners upgraded to 7.2s and are happy as clams with few reported problems. Plus, I find them beautiful in a way that reflects my design sense.

tomthiel,  see my post on 8/15/18 on page 74 of this thread. It would appear that the Bryston’s might have been better equipped to deal with the earlier Thiel’s better than the more recent ones.

FWIW, I preferred the sealed box CS 5’s to the 7’s.