Thiel Owners

@tomthiel
the Benchmark gear, both the AHB2 together with their LA4 preamp were given serious consideration.
Loved its diminutive size and weight. It was a semi finalist based on it’s form factor alone. It is the one notable class AB amp that I am aware of that like my 3Bst I could stash away under my antique ice chest.
(You can see pictures of my system and living room here: https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8156 )
But, given that I didn’t want to go the monoblock route, one AHB2 in stereo rated at 100 watts into 8 and 190 into 4 on paper is actually less than my 3Bst
at 125 watts into 8 and 200 into 4. Very much wish that Benchmark had a more powerful amp in their lineup (or that Bryston would shrink their 4B3 down to a size that I could handle). Sure that a single AHB2 would be an improvement,
just not as big a step up as I desire. My happy place is with spl peaking at around 80 db from my listening position sitting ~12 feet away from my speakers.
I have no problem at all getting there with my current Bryston kit (with BP20 volume knob at around 9 o’clock). Just desire something with more cojones that could provide the grip, control, and ease that only a more powerful amp would
be likely to provide. Taken together, an AHB2 / LA4 combo comes in at a price that is comparable to the deal that I got on the CODA CSiB,
and the CSiB I believe has the juice to get me to where I’m looking to go. Liked that the CSiB continues to double down as you halve the impedance. And coming from owning Bryston kit, appreciated the 10 year warranty, and thought the piece was particularly good value for the money.  

jazzman7 - I perused the CODA stuff. Wow. I'd love to hear their most recent iterations.

I queried John at Benchmark about more power, which he is not planning to do. He claims that THIS amp design does not increase distortion when bridged to mono - the only down-side being half the damping factor. But cutting output cables to half length gets that back.

Thiel used and recommended Bryston all along. I found it somewhat less sonically sophisticated than some contenders. People say that their Cubed series takes their performance to the next level.

I've grown to love the Benchmark stack, since my interest is in "just the facts" rather than my subjective experience. For my alternate reference, Bill Thalmann at Music Technology (thanks to JA) is souping up my Class´e DR6 and pair of DR9s. I realize there are more modern rigs that probably get closer to the truth, but I know and have been using this stuff since the 80s, so it serves me well. I bet his upgrades will carry the strengths of the DR design while adding some refinement via better caps and a few secret tricks. I'll report when that happens.

Meanwhile, send some CODA my way so I can tell you what I think.

JAFANT - Thanks for the Great Falls VA lead. It's looking like a winner.

tomthiel

Outstanding! My pleasure to be of service.

Happy Listening!

Veteran's Day - All

SALUTE!