Cal3713,
That's interesting about the Thiel warmth over the coincident system (though I have to confess I'm not totally surprised, given my experience of coincident speakers...though I haven't heard them for a while now).
I keep hearing contrasting opinions about the 2.7, probably more than on the 3.7, some feeling "meh" who have heard them, others more enthusiastic. Whereas the admiration for the 3.7s seem to be consistent. Then again, far fewer have heard the 2.7 I gather.
Jafant,
Thanks for your input!
As I said I'm in a bit of a quandary: I could get either the 2.7 or the 3.7. The 2.7 certainly is a cheaper way of rolling the dice. (Though I don't know about their re-sale value relative to the 3.7 - it seems the 3.7s sell fairly consistently).
One Thiel dealer told me he actually preferred the 2.7s somewhat to the 3.7s, finding the 2.7s just a bit more sweet or forgiving, especially across a range of recording quality. I don't know if I've seen that opinion voiced elsewhere. What did you think between the two?
As for room size, the idea that the 3.7s need a big room could make me wary, except that I've had such success with large floor standing speakers in my smallish room (even the VR4s, which were rated down to 20hz). Though my room has become a bit more crowded with sofa furniture. I supposed the 2.7 could be a slightly better bet in terms of room integration, but on the other hand it feels like I want to "go for the gold" with the 3.7.
As for amplifiers, aye, there be magic.
It's always tough to know when an amp is going to work or not just by specs or even the recommendations of others. Because some will be happy with a set of trade-offs that others won't abide. For instance as you may well know, MBL Radialstrahler speakers are known for being a brutal load - 81db efficiency, into the lower 4ohms, which is why MBL builds those massively powerful amps.
And yet the best I ever heard the big MBL 101Ds was on tubes, at (ex) TAS writer Michael Gindi's place. My CJ premier 12s drive my MBL 121 monitors quite well and for the hell of it I tried my classic old Eico HF-81 14W integrated tube amp with the MBLs and the sound was MAGIC. I actually prefer it to the more powerful CJ amps.
My hunch is that the Thiels, like MBLs (or Hales that I also own) will reach their full dynamic potential with more powerful SS amps. But I'm willing to take a bit of a hit there as long as the Thiels maintain their core sonic qualities, smoothened out with tubes, as I got with the CS6.
Thanks for any further comments...
That's interesting about the Thiel warmth over the coincident system (though I have to confess I'm not totally surprised, given my experience of coincident speakers...though I haven't heard them for a while now).
I keep hearing contrasting opinions about the 2.7, probably more than on the 3.7, some feeling "meh" who have heard them, others more enthusiastic. Whereas the admiration for the 3.7s seem to be consistent. Then again, far fewer have heard the 2.7 I gather.
Jafant,
Thanks for your input!
As I said I'm in a bit of a quandary: I could get either the 2.7 or the 3.7. The 2.7 certainly is a cheaper way of rolling the dice. (Though I don't know about their re-sale value relative to the 3.7 - it seems the 3.7s sell fairly consistently).
One Thiel dealer told me he actually preferred the 2.7s somewhat to the 3.7s, finding the 2.7s just a bit more sweet or forgiving, especially across a range of recording quality. I don't know if I've seen that opinion voiced elsewhere. What did you think between the two?
As for room size, the idea that the 3.7s need a big room could make me wary, except that I've had such success with large floor standing speakers in my smallish room (even the VR4s, which were rated down to 20hz). Though my room has become a bit more crowded with sofa furniture. I supposed the 2.7 could be a slightly better bet in terms of room integration, but on the other hand it feels like I want to "go for the gold" with the 3.7.
As for amplifiers, aye, there be magic.
It's always tough to know when an amp is going to work or not just by specs or even the recommendations of others. Because some will be happy with a set of trade-offs that others won't abide. For instance as you may well know, MBL Radialstrahler speakers are known for being a brutal load - 81db efficiency, into the lower 4ohms, which is why MBL builds those massively powerful amps.
And yet the best I ever heard the big MBL 101Ds was on tubes, at (ex) TAS writer Michael Gindi's place. My CJ premier 12s drive my MBL 121 monitors quite well and for the hell of it I tried my classic old Eico HF-81 14W integrated tube amp with the MBLs and the sound was MAGIC. I actually prefer it to the more powerful CJ amps.
My hunch is that the Thiels, like MBLs (or Hales that I also own) will reach their full dynamic potential with more powerful SS amps. But I'm willing to take a bit of a hit there as long as the Thiels maintain their core sonic qualities, smoothened out with tubes, as I got with the CS6.
Thanks for any further comments...