What amp for Thiel cs3.5's?

Ketchup, I had the 3.5s and couldn't get them to sound anything less than very bright. I tried Transparent cables to tune down the treble with only limited success. I tried the following SS amps with them. A B&K ST140, which didn't have enough power (about 105 watts). They need power in the 4 ohm and below range. A Musical Design 150-D (150 watts)and an Adcom 5500 (200 watts). Both of these amps had the power but still sounded bright. I was surprised because all these amps use Mofets, which are supposed to sound more like tubes. In addition, my pre-amp is a tubed model. Thiel was/is aware of this problem. I think that I remember hearing about a crossover mod/change that Thiel was offering on these 3.5s. You might want to check on that. Jim

I have a Conrad Johnson MF2500A driving my Thiel 3.6's and feel it does a great job. This amp is about 1800 to 2200 used which is out of your price range. I agree with warrenh in that you need good clean power to drive the Thiels and get the most out of them. And believe me they have alot to offer if driven correctly.You might get away with a CJ MF2250A which is about 1200 to 1500 used and puts out 125wpc.

You could get a Parasound that will put out 300wpc into 4 ohms for that money or a Rotel. Either will do the job fine and the differences are small between these and the much more expensive amps. Good Luck

A Parasound 1500a might be a temporary fix.........

I use an Aragon 8008BB to drive my Thiel 3.6's, and I've been very pleased with it. It supplies 200wpc into 8 ohms and 400wpc into 4 ohms. It is very solidly built, and it seems to be a good match for the Thiels. The sound is both full-bodied and transparent. You can probably find one used for around $1K; this is a little above your range, but it represents a lot of amp for the money.

Good luck!