Thiel Owners

My redevelopment exploration over the past few years has identified this metallic source of interference. My experiments point to disruption of electromagnetic fields to create eddy currents that react against the orderly flow of energy.

In the 1978 development of the 03 (first coherent source) we discovered and substantiated such effects in steel driver baskets - independent of stiffness, ringing, etc. The electromagnetic eddy currents hang in time and cause subtle phase/time domain distortions. Solution: non-magnetic baskets. However, even non-magnetic conductors introduce electrical reactance when close enough to each other. Solution is non-conductive structures, both electric and magnetic. I don’t have test apparatus to prove such findings, but I understand them to be operative.

A new woofer I am working on will have a non-metallic basket. And my screws / bolts are reinforced nylon or Delrin. The improvement over brass/stainless steel is real, as is the improvement of brass /ss over conductive steel.

Such improvements are small, but additive - stack up several such small, subtle improvements, and the music sounds cleaner. I don’t know whether it matters that Dr. Toole might want more proof. I do know that we take extensive precautions against various bias traps.

You can play with hardware store supplies.

Thank You Tom T. &  Tom D.

The fasteners/screws/bolts that held the speakers and radiator were made with ferrous metal those used on the speaker binding plate were not . I wonder why after your finding in 1978 that ferrous metal screws were still used ? 

I hadn't thought of using nylon or delrin so looking into it I found that McMaster-Carr carries the reinforced nylon screws with the same size socket heads as the originals .  part # 91221A445 1/2 inch for pk of 10 $8.64 and part # 91221A460  1 inch for pk of 10 $8.73 , so for about $45 you can have an easy upgrade !

The music sounds cleaner , I thought about how to discribe the improvement smoother or more definition but cleaner sounds good .  It really showed when playing Dvorak " From the New World "  symphony # 5 . 

Robert - there are many details that are weighed in cost / benefit analyses relative to a company's market niche. Jim was the decider of what was worth what. I can't say for certain, but I suspect that those gold-plated bolts/screws on late Thiels are probably non-magnetic.

I had floated an idea (so of course I thought it had merit) to trick out a special line of each model with all these traded-off sonic upgrades and let the customers choose whether they were worth the cost.

Tom

It looks like another screw job by the New Thiel Audio ,

the screws/bolts were black steel on mine !

I still got a bargain and the only way I could afford the new ( repaired ? ) 2.7s but I never expected different wire, inductors and now screws .

I have replaced all the steel fasteners in my system with brass including the circuit board standoffs and mounting screws and transformer lock down bolts, nuts and washers. This is a practice I have applied since the late 80's. thru to this day even on my new speaker build. The brass has a much lower shear velocity than steel and causes less interfering energy to the flow of electromagnetic waves. The tiny metric screws that hold the tweeter dome element to its mounting plate should also be replaced as those are closest to the moving coil and will create much interfering energy. I have not used a Derlin replacement, but that material is of very low shear as well.

This may sound shocking, but I removed the door and the mounting cover of the breaker box that is conveniently located in my audio room. With 2 friends who have listened to my system multiple times.  I was able to do a quick A/B . The difference was easily apparent each time,.the steel cover was removed and replaced.

The steel is interfering with the electromagnetic field of the moving coils which varies from driver size to driver size and then to the greatest area of field disturbance the source of where it all starts the... breaker box. It would be great to replace the deep well section of the breaker box but that would need to be a custom piece of brass to bend. 

I am onto to methods to maintain and enhance laminar flow with my new devices. Anywhere you put them in the music field you can retrace an individual event. It is never etched just more focused within more air.  These are passive but can be further enhanced with an active device.

One other thing my new crossovers are external, and wire tied to a solid poplar board. I used some of the left-over wool felt lining of the cabinet walls to place under the inductors, thought that made sense to do.. But it was restrictive to both the bass and treble section...unstrapped them and out came the soundstage and dynamics. The engineers at Solen thought no way. I used 8gauge 49 strand Litz inductors that I then had double cryoed and dipped in an organic paint no foreign metals. These inductors have a linear inductive value to nearly 35k. Solen said their best competition was good to about 10k..These would be the best choice for at least the tweeter section...I never heard the term Linear Inductive Value before. All a part of those most important electromagnetic waves. Keep those waves linear undisturbed and focused.  Tom D