Best amp for Thiel 3.6 speakers?


I am looking to replace my existing amp, a 250wpc NAD 218 THX, with something that works better with my large Thiel speakers. The 218 has plenty of power to drive these speakers but I would like to upgrade to a better amp.

If there are any other 3.6 owners out there or just someone with an experienced opinion on a good upgrade I would appreciate any feedback you can provide.

Thanks,

Montana Rane
montanarane
The affordable and good value Thiel 3.6 combo I've ever heard is with Rogue M120 monos(BTW quite famous combo in audio dealerships to audition to). I've never had Thiels, but as I've mentioned that many dealers demonstrate this combo and there are plenty of ways to audition to it bringing your own source and/or preamp. A little step-up will be with VTL MB125 but with more$
I am currently using a CJ MF2500 with a CJ Premiere 17ls preamp and audioquest cables with my 3.6's and am extremely happy with the combination. Very realistic, open, airy, huge soundstage with depth and great bass response.I listen mostly to classical and some jazz.
I have owned a pair of 3.6's for quite a while. The bad rap they get for "brightness" is because they are very resolving - what you hear is the equipment behind them and not the speaker. Unfortunately, they require state of the art amplification to sound their best; and that's their downside - pairing 20+k worth of gear to a $4200 speaker doesn't add up. Your best bet is somewhere in the neighborhood of used Mark Levinson such as the 23.5, 27.5, 33(4,5,6) or Spectral, C-J MF**, Aragon, Forte, Pass Labs, Bel Canto - good quality SS. Pipe these up with MIT cabling (don't go overboard, the cheaper MI330/MH750 pairing is more than enough), keep them 9 feet apart (no toe-in), 10 feet away, and 3 feet from the back wall and you will be quite happy.

My 3.6's playmates are the Levinson 20.6 mono's, CAT pre, Theta Va, CEC TL-1 and MIT Reference cabling. I chose the 3.6 with this setup because of all the speakers I auditioned, the next runner up cost $15K - just not worth it for the (noticeable) difference in sound. (At least in MY room).
I'm driving my 3.6's with an Aragon 8008BB, and it sounds fine. It is also rated at 200 watts/channel, and, like the Krell, doubles its output power into 4 ohms. It's a lot less money than Krell or Levinson amps, though.

I have my 3.6's toed in so that you can just barely see the inner surface of the wood cabinet; that was the advice of the dealer where I bought them. I have them 7.5 feet apart, 3 feet from the back wall, 2.5 feet from the side walls, and about 10 feet away.

For what it's worth, the rest of my system includes the Denon 1650AR CD player, the Bryston BP-20 preamp, Pro-Silway II interconnects, Analysis Plus 0val 9 speaker cable, and the ExactPower 2000 AC correction system.

Good luck!
A couple years ago at CES Thiel was paired up with the then new McCormack DNA-225. The speakers were the seven point somethings(can't remember exact model), so if Thiel felt there were synergies between their speakers and McCormack electronics and the 225 had the juice to drive the sevens(sounded pretty damn good to these ears), I would think they might be worth auditioning for the 3.6s and may save some $$$ versus other alternatives. Personally I'd be looking for a used DNA-2.0LAE, but that's another story. Best of luck.

Tim