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!
128x128jafant
Rob - I have done considerable work comparing and choosing caps and resistors, both with Beetle and consulting with folks at Thiel. I chose Mills MRA-12 resistors and ClarityCap CSA feed capacitors plus some CC customs for shunts. It is likely that large shunt caps will actually be electrolytics, which I have not chosen. I have not yet done the iterations re which caps matter enough for which price points, etc. But I have chosen candidate caps for each spot. Rob will only have the CC SAs which were CC's best at the time, for the series feeds. My legal status is not finalized for Thiel bankruptcy, so I can't now share schematics, etc. I consider Thiel coils world-class. Do not increase wire size in coils, since their resistance IS critical to the circuit performance. We learned that later CS2.4 XOs were made in China with inferior wire. Rob G might know the serial # watershed and might have Thiel coils. If so, I recommend upgrading at least the series feed coil in the midrange circuit. I am using custom coils from ERSE or Jensen as world-class equals. 

Regarding wire, as I've mentioned, that stock wire is world-class and carefully chosen. There is a widespread belief that sexier wire is better, and I concur in general. However, remember that increasing size will reduce resistance and that the wire resistance is part of the overall circuit design. Eventually I will measure the differences and compensate. For now, I suggest experimenting with different type (such as litz) at the same gauge, especially the long runs between XO and drivers. There is a spot which I perceive advantage without much alteration. Between the input terminals and the XO carries both direct and shunt signal and therefore acts as a choke point, both + and -. I like it thicker, but haven't measured it until I get to work on the XO as a whole.

There is room for improvement via better input terminals. I suggest tight mechanical connections before soldering. BTW, bare copper or silver on copper rocks. Gold isn't that great and brass is poor. CAIG Labs makes a conductive paste with cleaner-antioxidant in it. Keeps non-gold connections clean and conductive.  

Keep us posted.
I do have a question for you beetemainia and holco ,
did you change or increase the wiring guage ?
 From my 5 March 2019 post in this thread:

I replaced every passive part from the binding posts to the driver hookup wire.
Binding posts: Cardas "CPBP" (rhodium over silver), dual for biwire
Woofer in: Cardas 2x15 ga twisted pair plus 2x17.5 ga hand twisted (~14 ga equivalent)
Woofer out: Cardas 2x15 ga twisted pair
Coax in: Cardas 2x15 ga twisted pair
Coax out: Cardas 2x17.5 ga hand twisted
(wire gauge per Tom Thiel recommendation; OEM wire was 18 ga throughout)



Rob will only have the CC SAs which were CC's best at the time, for the series feeds.
Appears that @vair68robert has CS2.7, not CS2.4, so Rob's Clarity SAs are almost certainly incorrect capacitance

Tom and beetle

You guys are the greatest and are stimulating me to start the speaker project earlier , like after ThanksGiving .
The info you are giving me ( and all Thiel owners ) is priceless 
and knowing you are willing to offer such great advise alleviates 
all my anxiety .

Larger gauge in than out , I would have never of thought about that ,
at the same time Tom is saying don't increase the size .

I will start researching speaker terminals with internal mechanical connections , like a Furutech IEC connector I installed on my amp 
This sounds like a good first step along
with the thicker gauge in and out .

And yes I will keep the thread posted , but the 2.7 is so new I doubt  many owners are thinking about mesing with them yet .

Thank You Guys for all your help and expertise .
Rob 

This is alot more fun than just plain retirement !