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

@tomthiel   Thanks for the detailed response to my questions. You may consider yourself an electronics layman, but you still know a lot more about this stuff than I do.

Given that the 2.2 appears to be easier to drive than the 3.7, it sounds like the AHB-2 should have enough power to handle my 2.2s if I decide to try one. (By the way, my room is about 3800 cubic feet, though with some large openings on two sides.)

I'm still trying to learn more about the distortion profiles of amps and their audible effects. The Benchmark website has a lot of interesting info on its products, and I even understand some of it. Jon Siau at Benchmark talks about providing electronic compensation to reduce second and third harmonic distortions (through their DAC, I think) as part of the attempt to reduce all types of distortion as much as possible. In contrast, Nelson Pass says that his listening tests at Pass Labs have shown a general preference by many listeners for the sound of amps that don't work too hard to suppress lower order distortions. Ralph Karsten at Atma-Sphere says that second and third harmonic distortion is not annoying to most listeners and actually helps mask the higher order distortions that give so many solid-state amps a harsh or overly bright sound. Siau, Pass, and Karsten are all highly regarded designers who use both measurements and listening tests to design their amps.

On the surface, it would seem best to reduce all distortions as much as possible, and this appears to be part of Siau's approach. On the other hand, there seems to be general agreement that the harmonics in recorded music reproduction are not identical to the natural harmonics in real-life musical instruments. This raises the question whether sound would seem most natural and real if all distortions are as low as possible or if the harmonics profile of the gear used to play back recorded music needs to come closer to matching the harmonics profile of real instruments. This sounds like a situation that will demand some actual listening!

Thanks again for your help in thinking some of this through.

Thanks guys, IMO a single Coda#16 would easily outperform 2 AHB-2s driving CS 3.7s.

Anyway i will start by demoing the Gryphon Essence stereo pre-power combo and see how that goes against my Diablo 300.

Since i now have Cardas Clear Beyond IC and SC in my system this has brought my Diablo 300 Thiel CS 3.7 combo to another league, absolutely insane level of performance!

 

In small bites. Jim chose the big Krell FPB600. Other muscle amps no doubt 'outperform' the AHB-2. I like the 'grunt' of my bridged Classé DR9s (1100 watts / 2ohms.) Bill Thalmann is presently hot-rodding them. And Nelson Pass is a hero of mine. So then, what's my AHB problem?

tomthiel

 

Good to see you this Spring Saturday. Have you found a new retail space for Hot Rod Garage II ? Or a studio space?  I hope  that you are well and enjoying research and development (R&D).

 

Happy Listening!

jafant - No retail space in the cards. Open studio space still a couple of dim possibilities. Workspace is materializing a little at a time.