Thiel Owners

Rosami - thank you for your cogent synopsis.
On the bright side, I do have a pair of 3.6s in the HotRod Garage. So that model is more real than hypothetical. Also, the subtle knowledge I am garnering from my experiments applies to all models. It is incumbent on me to ascertain that my upgrades and recommendations are optimized in all ways, including cost efficacy. It is all too easy to pour lots of money into the works to get less than optimum price-performance.

This project has many aspects and elements. I am making headway, but nowhere near wake speed.

rosami

You speak as if you are helping resolve uncertainty with my dilemma.  For the past couple of years, I have been considering purchasing 2.4s to compare to my 3.6s, and my concerns are the same as yours. I am totally seduced by the low end of my 3.6s and I do not want to face the challenge of purchasing and properly integrating 2 subwoofers. I’ll patiently wait for future upgrades for the 3.6s. 

Jon

Jon - you guys are expressing the fundamental quandary, sometimes stated as ’Mother Nature is a -----’. The laws of physics can only be bent so far before they dig in their heels. The model 3 (as in 03) was developed with very good bass as a principal design goal. Serious engineering gives that 10" driver quite a bit of oomph and, coupled with a well-tuned passive radiator, it produces pretty satisfying bass response in normal rooms at normal levels. Although Thiel is not associated with Great Bass, in fact Jim valued it highly. The Subwoofer Project grew out of how to produce Great Bass properly integrated with Thiel speakers and the room.

The CS2 came more than 8 years later, at the request of dealers and audiophiles who wanted more nimble delicacy, and were willing to give up some bass to get it. An 8" woofer and smaller midrange have advantages in lower mass and break-up and pushing less air. Purity is considerably easier for the 2.
The 3.6 Renaissance can’t change that, but we can address and improve some deficiencies. We can stiffen the few cabinet vibrations; and we can provide cleaner signal paths via higher quality passive components. They will be cleaner and more transparent.

But when the dust settles and the same level of upgrade has been applied to both the 2 and the 3 series, the 2s will still win the purity contest and the 3s will deliver more bass.
The 6s and 7s use more drivers to cover the same audible range, and both deliver better bass than the 3s and potentially better delicacy than the 2s . . . at higher cost.

Hey Guys!  I'm fairly new to this thread however, I have been watching from the sidelines for about a year or so and have greatly appreciated all information the advice that has been posted.  I own a pair of CS 3.6s which I absolutely adore.  As with other Thiel owners, I am concerned about replacement parts or repair should they have issue in the future.  I am wondering about part compatability specifically the tweeter.  Does anyone out there know if the tweeter for the CS 2.2 is the same as the CS 3.6?

stspur

Welcome!  good to have you aboard here. Standby until one of our CS 2.2 or 3.6 experts can chime in to address your query.  I look forward in reading more about your musical tastes and system.

Happy Listening!