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!
So if I understand correctly you got only really lowball offers? That seems weird, since as far as I can tell 3.7s have sold fairly well over the last couple of years (and now are all the more rare). I wonder if people are wary of a custom finish or something?
corvette01, I was seriously thinking of making an offer on your 3.7s back when I first saw these, but I just couldn't justify the extra money for the Les Paul edition. At the time, I was about to buy a pair of 3.7s in Atlanta (driving distance for me) for a couple of thousand dollars less, but they sold during my indecisiveness. I really want to hear a side-by-side comparison of my 3.6s with the 3.7s in my listening room.
oblgny, I am tempted to give the X250 a try in my setup, but I think that I will keep money on reserve just in case a pair of 3.7s (or possibly 2.7s after reading prof's helpful input) show up on the market. The X250 is 13 years old and amps over 10 years old always concerns me. There are numerous used components that I have bought and sold after a short audition when they didn't meet expectations, only to loose the cost of shipping. That is one of the benefits of buying used, but I sometimes wonder if age related sound degradation is why expectations were not met.
Prof,yes nothing but stories is what I got,wasting my time!I wanted a cash,local sale only and I'm sure that didn't help!Not everybody has 7k for used speakers!Also the finish is not for everybody!Not every wife what's Jimmy Page in the living room!Mine likes the finish and said not to sell them.Listing them for free on usmart was a mistake.I should has listed them here!
I've come to terms with the 3.7's.Garbage in,garbage out.ive realized that not everything will sound good on them!They add nothing to the music.Sometimes there is very little bass,then I change the song and say where did all the bass come from!Its that dramatic.If its there they will play it,if not it won't.
I had to sell my Harbeth Super HL5 Plus speakers recently, wanted local sale (I'm in Canada) and it was all the local sale people who hummed and hawed. Ended up selling them to someone in the USA.
Though, literally 1/2 an hour after I secured the deal to ship them to the USA, the local guy got the money to buy them. Would have been soooo much easier, but I'd already committed to someone else.
I'm going to have to go through this again, probably not that long from now, when I decide whether to sell my 3.7s or my 2.7s.
Prof,I had people from NY,Florida,SF,and Canada beg me to ship them.Add said cash and local sale,will not ship.finally someone with real money in Texas wanted me to ship them and I said no!I wanted cash in hand when they left my house!I guess that was too much to ask?If the got damaged,there isn't another pair.Maybe keep both pair,one upstairs and the other pair downstairs?👍
Most of the earlier CS 1 series were amongst Thiel's easiest to drive as well.
Though the 3.5's impedance does climb just where the eq does it's stuff to help mitigate the eq's 12 dB's boost at the 20 Hz setting, well, that's still demanding of an amplifier.
The easiest to drive Thiel speaker I've ever used or heard of is the older Thiel 02 speaker (which I still have). 90 db sensitivity, easy impedance load, these things live and breath almost like a high sensitivity speaker, even with lower powered tube amps! Still sound absolutely gorgeous.
As William suggested a few months ago- you guys list the serial numbers for your Thiel speakers. As above, I would certainly keep those Les Paul Edition 3.7 speakers. A very rare production model indeed. Beautiful as well.
Jafant,I'm right outside of Chicago.Thanks for complements.I really do enjoy audio and have for along time.I just wish I could have learned more sooner,would have saved a lot of money!My Thiels are the best and the worst speakers I ever heard!Every change,good or bad makes a difference!I still have noticed more of a difference changing preamps rather than amps.Im burning in new rocket 44 cables and a big sur off my dac,so I need to leave it alone for awhile.I started thinking about selling xpa 1's to go back to one amp?I didn't get the wow factor going to monos,but my 805's are really happy with them!
Has anybody used a class d amp with Thiels?Ive heard technology has come along way.Thiel rep told me to look for an amp that doubles down,not limiting current.A lot of respectable amps still don't,but some class d amps do.Not fully doubling down is why he didn't like Emo amps,they don't.Xpa 1 is 600 at 8 and 1000 at 4, no 2 ohm rating,limiting current he said!
I have used Thiels many years and always had high current solid state amps with tubes in the preamp. Currently using Mcintosh 501 mono’s with a pair of CS6 Thiels. Also occasionally match them to an old Classe CA 200. Both drive them equally well, have never used Class D’s.
I have however heard 3.7’s driven with a very modest NAD integrated amp, don’t remember the model, and it sound plenty robust to me.
A little while back I was driving my 3.5's with a Primare A34.2 class D amplifier - I forget which preamp I was using at the time - 150 watts into 8ohms, "almost double that" into 4 ohms. (The "almost..." quote direct from Primare when I inquired regarding the manual's lack of providing a 4 ohm rating.)
While I can't fault the Primare for anything it did or didn't do, I fall back on my preference for the Pass Labs X150.5 solid state amp with the 3.5's. It's just a "me-thing" with Pass, even now when I'm happy with my Simaudio 330i integrated which is "only" 200 watts into 4 ohms. I hasten here to reiterate that I listen at VERY conservative levels, and I've never blown an amp or a speaker in my life.
I, too, do know how I feel about Class D amplification. I have only been exposed to the Anthem 225 and Primare I-22 integrated amps.
I am certain that Primare has made great strides in the newer 32 and 34 series of electronics, in particular, its CD32 spinner.
I can report that the Anthem 225 is very high current. So much so, that it easily drove the mighty CS 3.7 without clipping. I do listen at loud volumes. Louder = better.
Stereophile Aug issues reviews Emotivas new class h amps?An actual 2 ohm rating is given.Still doesn't double down though.Class h?Im having a hard enough time considering a class d.Are these really going to be the amps of the future?
As I have read about it- Anthem has several new products hitting the marketplace in the Fall. New amps, new receivers and new processors. More to follow. Happy Listening!
Jafant,letting your ears be the best resource is quite profound indeed!While listening to my 3.7's and my Xpa 5 today I was quite surprised how good it sounded!Mcintosh worthy,no.Similar to taking out the garbage-not at all! I need to stop obsessing about every last detail and start enjoying what I paid for!I think I need more music before anything else .I do believe everybody on this page already has great speakers!Enjoy!
Jafant, I hope you noticed the Anthem 225 specs. Losing power from 8 Ohms to 4 Ohms hardly qualifies it as "high current" (with an * for short term, no less!). Heck, there are some tube amps with more current.
I will verify that "any old amp" sounds good with Thiel. Subsequently, it's the Thiels that make a body crazy afterward trying to find the mo' better amps to appease the audio gods.
At the very least Thiels are addictive. While almost everything in my current setup has been changed the Thiels remain unchanged. I've tossed Musical Fidelity monoblocks at 'em, a CJ MF2200, Pass Labs X150.5, and maybe even a few others at 'em and the speakers stayed. (Even after a few switches - Maggie 1.7 and .7's, Von Schweikert VR-4's...) Thiel just does everything "right" for me even though my curiousity about other components is a weak spot.
Just for sh*ts and giggles I hooked up an old Pioneer SX1050 receiver this weekend to my 3.6's and ya know what? Damn if it didn't sound good. Love these freakin' speakers.
I guess my point was that I shouldn't obcess about my amp choice for now,I'm getting good sound for the time being.I have over 25k into 2 systems that I use often.I just have to be a little more thrifty with my choices as my kids are older now and costing more.I thought xpa1 s might be my free lunch,however they are not!I will in time, find an amp that doubles down.Anything else than that I've had already.I am disappointed with many main stream amps that come up short!
take your time in selecting gear for your Thiel speakers. The hobby is not a sprint, but, a marathon. Get out to your local dealers/retailers and listen, listen, listen. Keep writing and posting your listening thoughts, impressions and advice. Have fun.
I started my obscession in 2011 when my son gave me a subscription for Stereophile in a school fundraiser. Little did he and my wife know what they started. I purchased an Exposure integrated amp and CD player based on Stereophile budget system recommendations and shortly after, made my first Audiogon purchase, my current Thiel CS3.6s. Since then, I have gone through numerous amps, preamps, sources, and cables....most of which were purchased preowned on Audiogon.
Several points to consider. The Thiels have stayed in my setup. All other speakers were bought and sold after a short time. Also, buying and selling preowned is much more efficient. The Thiels have sounded good with every setup including the little Exposure 2010S integrated at low-medium volume. Once I decided I liked the sound of Audio Research tube amps/preamps, I was able to slowly step up the ladder by selling, then buying better preowned components (I previously tried high powered Krell and Bryston).
I agree with the others. I have received a lot of advise based on reading reviews, but mostly on forums like this, and my decisions have been based on listening in my listening rooms under ideal conditions...i.e at night, with a dim room and a glass of wine ;)
The changes from the last 2 months are coming together to allow my CS2.4s to reveal a new level of performance. Power is now an Ayre 5-VX Twenty providing 375watts per side. Previously my 100watt VAC tube amp sounded great but again this change combined with a new dedicated room makes me realize again that Thiels are special. Tube preamp with SS power is working well for me.
Much Thanks! for sharing your listening impressions. You are correct, in that, a tubed pre-amp and solid -state power amp is a magical combo. Over the years and my listening experiences, I prefer a robust ss power amp with a tube preamp. The CS 2.4 speaker is indeed special.
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