Good upgrade amp for my Thiel 3.6s

I had my amps done just about 2 years ago. As far as being misled, I'm not sure? Like I mentioned mine were done a little while ago (6/00). They may have run out of the parts needed to convert like the new face plates and rear panels. Sorry about that, I didn't know they had stopped. You did see the MDA-300's here for sale by "Fsdizon".

Classe amps seem to be popular with the Thiels but my experience with a CA-200 was not as good as the Krell KSA-150. The CA-200 performed quite well but gave up a little too much resolution around the instruments and also lacked the spatial, pinpointed soundstage that the Krell offered. The Krells seemed to remove the boundries of the walls and opened up several more feet to the outside of the speakers.

If you really like the resolution of the KSA-150 then I'd suggest trying their older mono blocks but make sure you are willing to run dedicated 20 amp service outlets for these amps or they will not rise to their full potential. They are powerful amps but need "homeruns" to the breaker box to supply pure power and not degrade the supply to the front end components. This alone made a huge difference in my KSA-150's performance and would not have even thought about trying the MDA-500's to regular circuit outlets. This would stand true for any mono block setup of real substance!!

Bruce

Justin, what preamp are you using? If I missed it above, sorry. A really good preamp really shines through the Thiels. I'm driving my 3.6's with classe ca200 and cj premier 14 with Mullard tubes - more than enough power. Great soundstage, awesome midrange,good extension on the bottom, the only thing that might be missing with Classe ca series is ultimate extension and energy on the very top. I think you get that with the cam's and 01 series starting with 301... good luck.

To Pops:

I'm using the Adcom GFP-750 preamp.

Justin, a new thread has been started by David99 that you might find interesting: "NAD takes on the Krell beast.." And thanks for elaborating in response to my question. All the best.

I have the Thiels 3.6 in my system for over 4 years now. Prior to that, I had the 2.2s for 5 years. I've had the Krell KST-100, Pass Aleph Os, and now the Levinson #333 mated with the 3.6s. The Thiels are very revealing speakers. What makes or breaks them is often the components in your system. I had the Krell connected to the 3.6s for a week, and took it aside right away. It sounded cold, bright and a bit harsh in my setup. The Pass was only 60 watts and it can actually drive the 3.6s in low volumes quite well. Of all three amps, this one sounded the sweetest, and musical. (Prior to the arrival of the Levinson, this amp stayed in my reference system for a while. It then got moved to the bedroom) The Levinson sounds very refined, detailed, and excellent soundstage width and depth, good control of bass, and instrument placement. This amp is a bit lay back. So you don't get the music "in your face". So if you like to sit in the first three rows in a concert. This is not the amp. But if you typically sit in the center of a theater, the Levinson would be a good choice. Cable is important. I use MIT balanced interconnects throughout my system, and Transparent Ultra speaker cable. I heard a lot of recommendation on the MITs. I had tried the MH-770s, and the sound is a tad darker than using the Transparent.

I bought mine used and the guy threw in the Sound Anchor stand for the Thiels. I think the Sound Anchors works great at controlling the bass!

System:
Michell Orbe SE + SME V + Benz M2 Turntable
Levinson #37 Transport
Genesis Digital Lens
Sonic Frontier SFD 2 Mk II D/A
ARC PH3 SE phonostage
ARC LS2B Mk II preamp
Levinson #333
Thiel 3.6
PS Audio PS300, Electraglide Referenceglide PCs, Marigo Reference PC.

My room is about 18' x 21'. Good luck!