Thiel Owners

duramax747
My CS5s are Brazilian Rosewood.
Currently a Solid State Conrad Johnson Premier 350SA into 4 Ohms ~ 550 wpc
I am in Alexandria, Virginia now visiting Conrad Johnson discussing several system topics.
Keith and Jeff are not as concerned about the CS5s as are others but they do make Great amplifiers.
So they have convinced me that I owe it to myself to power the CS5s with my MV751A revised to current technology their best CJ capacitors hand modified by Jeff personally. Jeff is pretty darn happy with how they came out sounding. So bridged in Mono are very conservatively rated at ~150 wpc each.
You really do have to keep your ears open for any audible clipping and adjust accordingly, immediately!
But this is always the case, nothing new, when you get a new Organ or Drum recording you really need to familiarize yourself with the entire work at a modest level to help you make a max preamp  gain setting.
I have gotten carried away listening to organ recordings and damaged speaker drivers, just ask Rob at rob@coherentsourceservice.com he always helps me get everything back on track and perfect !
I also have Thiel CS3.7 s and CS3.5 s with active base Equalizer ( my very first Thiels ~1983 )
So the very beginning of a long conversation.  This reply has taken longer that it should have because I am more verbal, conversation oriented than a typing word type of guy. I would enjoy chatting with you about our hobby and Love of Thiel loudspeakers. I can be reached at 802 999-1506 iPhone.
Enjoy, Urban

This is an absurd bargain if you live in the area.  MCS1 x 3 and a pair of the SCS3 for $699. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/266382945012?hash=item3e05a92af4:g:RewAAOSw8Xxk2ROk&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4G0sDcLtl5nUSpbKSbcCHdKr3Bocsem7W6JoxGtjVG9HP4xZ7TTYgdEqV%2FjcDBNeqFgX1KBq0hXB1%2F40H%2FgvaMmoWNIEQQmfEqg5MzrWD2AJnBIwwhnzTHc7p5pwg%2BI1qEGWIyA7miIT1v8WBLgltfW%2BlGFhYyw7Veu2lZLDwAM05JO49el%2Bxp3s6NGIxeUEmXDBjTpyQm%2FaOOFL4kSfXz11TKY3juf2xv%2B9n%2BKf5gCh411tNkIh2HhYbU9H3QiDDn19NGkW%2BIPdQCImof0unY9qp7K%2F4YU4h4f6b9y5FNkE%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR7CK1u_HYg

Hi Everyone,

It’s been a good while since I checked in on this wonderful thread, but I do try to keep up with posts pretty much every week.

I’ll update on my fairly recent changes to the setup around my 3.5s, but I firstly want to thank everyone for their continued contributions here, demonstrating the love we all have for this brand of brands and for Jim’s peerless work.

I’ve owned my 3.5s now for just over 7 years. They were the cherished pair of a most careful owner, sold by his family after he passed. They were especially keen to find a buyer who would love and care for them just the same and every once in a great while I reconnect with them to let them know that these are still my favorite speakers in my little stable, which also includes Quad 57s and Celestion Kingstons.

About a year ago we moved from Utah to Minnesota and I was finally able to indulge in an amplification change from tubes that I’d been planning for some time - the Benchmark LA4 (pre) and AHB2 (power) combo.

This substantially consolidated what we all know to be true in that the 3.5s, and Thiels in general, respond magnificently to better, not necessarily hugely powerful, amplification.

The Benchmark pairing are rightly considered to be about the last word in accurate measuring amplification and have so elevated my 3.5s. The soundstage has improved in all dimensions and the imaging and indeed musicality are so convincing and precise that I only wish Jim had been around to try the LA4 and AHB2 with his designs, as I think he would have loved the result.

Cabling has changed too. Benchmark sells its own star Quad based cables, which work fine until you try something better. In my case this was Audioquest King Cobra interconnects throughout the system and Nordost Ax Angel speaker cable, which not only sounds sensational but is thin and therefore incredibly easy to install in the unusual speaker input position on the underside of the 3.5s.

This combo, together with digital source and turntable upgrades, achieves a sound that is still more than "current" - a testament to Jim’s brilliance and Thiel’s outstanding manufacturing skills. Remarkable for a speaker designed in, when?, the mid 80s I assume - hopefully Tom can confirm the precise timeline.

And speaking of Tom, even though I try to keep up with the thread, I’m a little bit blurry on where things are with the upgrade packages he has been working on with Rob. I’m very keen to know where things are at as a 3.5 upgrade kit is very much on my horizon, albeit that I might buy it and wait for something to break on the current pair before installation. There’s something magical about having a speaker as the designer originally intended it, though I’m certain that Tom and Rob won’t release a kit until they know it offers something even more special.

Anyway that’s my update and I will of course be happy to answer any questions concerning the amplification etc and its application with the 3.5s.

usaltus

Welcome! Good to see you here. You will feel quite at home with the other CJ and Thiel Audio fans and owners on The Panel. I am a big fan of the 350SA power amp via Conrad Johnson. Nice to see it matched with the CS5 loudspeaker.

What other gear including Cabling rounds out your System-Urban?

Happy Listening!

catalysis

Good to see you here again. Tom is working diligently on upgrade Packages. Stay tuned and enjoy the Music.

Happy Listening!