Thiel Owners

@reubent, When considering Thiel’s; leave ample room in the budget for amplification. Not all Thiel’s have the same amplifier requirements. Also consider placement and seating position.  

Reubent - a general note: The 2.3 was the first generation of the passive coax. That coax and the woofer were bettered by the 2.4. But the crossover topologies are the same, and many of the values are same or similar. Eventual performance upgrades will apply to both models, and 2.4 drivers should become retrofittable to 2.3s with appropriate XO changes.

@vair68robert

Cardas Audio recommended 11 ga input on the woofer but Tom T steered me to this solution:
Woofer: input 15 + 17.5 twisted together (effective gauge 13)
output to woofer: 15
Coax: input 15
output 17.5

Note that you have to tin the Cardas Litz. I bought a solder pot for this purpose (Cardas charges $5 per end). PM me if you want my solder pot. Tom also instructed me to hand twist +/- wires to, IIRC, three turns per inch.

The final result was very satisfying. Hard to describe in words . . . Sort of snapped the soundscape into a coherent focus. A nice culmination to all the upgrades I made to the XO.


Also, I used the opportunity to make my 2.4s bi-wirable, replaced the single pair of OEM binding posts (which were partly brass) with two pairs of Cardas CPBP (rhodium over silver). I used Cardas jumper plates to compare bi- vs single runs of speaker cables. IME, the biwire solution sounded more liquid and engaging.


I’m a happy camper. Had my DAC upgraded (Ayre QB-9 Twenty) and that is probably the last change I will make to my system other than to try Tom’s baffle treatment on the 2.4s.

Thank You @beetlemania

Tom's solution looks like a more balanced increase in guage ,
than going from 15.5 mids to 11.5 which might be to much .

I"ll have to learn the hand twist +/- to 3 turns per inch ,
how much longer per foot does the twisting add ?
 
I have already worked with Caradas wire ,
I'm using a 96.5% tin , 3% silver and .5% copper bar in the solder pot .

I'm a 97.5% vinyl and 2.5% CD guy
( only because some albums are not available or to expensive ) . 

Do you bi-amp with your bi-wiring ?

Rob

@vair68robert 
 
I chose red and black wires and one of them had a slightly less flexible jacket, making the twisting a bit asymmetrical. Helped to have one end anchored as I twisted at the other. You definitely need to add length. I didn’t take notes on my raw and finished lengths. Maybe add 25%?


I am bi-wiring, not bi-amping. The latter probably results in the very best sound but I’ve been told that most of the benefit comes from the more affordable solution. My wife already thinks I’m crazy. I suppose it’s true :)