2. home-theater
  3. 1422727442

what do i power my thiel 3.6 with

Hi all,
Let me start by saying that I do not yet own the speakers. I have a chance to purchase a set of Thiel cs 3.6, in mint condition from a good friend of mine who inherited them. I was not familiar with this speaker until he messaged me. I have always been a paradigm guy. he is asking for 1000 bucks Canadian, so my first question is whether or not this is something I should jump on... based on reviews, I’m going to guess that it’s a good deal.... if I go ahead with the purchase, my big question would be what do I build around them... I have read a lot about these speakers needing a lot of power, and the amp I have now, will not do the trick... it does not even really power my studio series paradigms as is. I would likely get rid of everything I currently have (unless someone suggest otherwise) current setup is studio 80 fronts, studio cc590 center, adp rears and dual pdr 12's powered by a Yamaha rx-v2400 home theatre receiver. any advice would be appreciated, and when replying, you will have to dummy things down for me... I’m big into sound and love music, mostly live concerts is what I watch, but also appreciate a good surround sound for movies. That being said, I am by no means a sound expert, and have only ever dealt with home theatre and stereo receivers. I’m sure a lot of the suggestions are going to be about tube amps and pre amps and such, if you could explain that to me it would be very helpful! Thanks in advance
hordy240
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,320 posts
 
I agree.

I traded in/up from 2.3s to 3.6s years ago, and regretted that I ever did. The 3.6s definitely incline to the "ruthlessly revealing" side of the spectrum. They also need a good deal of power--typically solid-state, because of how much power needed, but also sweet solid state, if they're going to be tamed. I was running Muse 175 high-current monoblocks. Early DDD-recorded CDs were often just steely.

It was my experience with the 3.6s that directly led me to Cary SET and ProAcs.
hordy240 OP
13 posts
 
yes I agree for sure. all I have done my last 2-12 hour days at work is read up on these speakers and what other people have to run them. it sounds like a very expensive project if I want to get full potential, but it also seems possible to get started at a reasonable price, and slowly upgrade over time. I think my plan would be to run the thiels as a 2.0 stereo, and then have another set of fronts to have as a ht set up. would I be on the right track in thinking that I could run a 7.1 pre amp/processer with xlr outputs as my main HTR, and then run xlr from the pre amp to a power amp to run my thiels?
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"all I have done my last 2-12 hour days at work is read up on these speakers and what other people have to run them. "

You really can't trust info like that. If you don't listen to the speakers yourself, as well as the different gear you may want to try with them, you'll pay for it in the form of costly mistakes.

This type of thing happens all the time. Sometimes people get good deals on a component, or a family member gives them a gift, or whatever, and it ends up being far more trouble than its worth. They keep spending money in an effort to get their good deal up and running. You're already starting to do the same thing.

"I think my plan would be to run the thiels as a 2.0 stereo, and then have another set of fronts to have as a ht set up."

Just based on the fact that you haven't even listened to any equipment yet, you're already planning for your 2nd set of speakers to hopefully fill the gap that your first set of speakers leaves open, says you shouldn't be buying anything at this point. It doesn't sound like you are a hard core audiophile. I don't see any reason why you can't just use 1 pair of speakers for music and movies. If you find that you develop a taste for more high end gear, there's better ways of going about it.
hordy240 OP
13 posts
 
the reason for having two different sets was based on some information I was given by an advisor from a thiel dealer...

-"There are a couple of issues you are going to encounter when it comes to the Thiel CS 3.6 speakers. The first is that they are truly designed for a pure stereo application and don’t really lend themselves well to a home theater setup. They are really meant for the audiophile stereo enthusiast and, because of the way they are built, it makes them a challenge to use for surround sound."

-"The price you were offered on the speakers does seem like a great deal. But given the true purpose the CS 3.6 speakers were designed for, as well as their impedance and power demands, I honestly wouldn’t recommend them for a home theater setup"

maybe this isn't accurate, and I could run the thiels in my HT setup, I really don't know. that is why I came here in hopes to get some advice. you are right, I am not what I some would consider a "hard core audiophile", but it is a passion of mine, and I will be chipping away at building a dedicated ht room with good equipment. my original plan was to just get a strong 7.1 htr and run paradigm studio or signature series, but thought I would inquire about the thiels since the opportunity presented itself...
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,490 posts
 
I was just going to say the same thing. Thiels are so good, their use in a surround sound mix is wasteful.
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