2. amps-preamps
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amp for thiel cs1.6??

hello all - quite lucky to have picked up pair of thiel cs1.6 over the holidays, and now that i've had them for a while as you might guess i'm unhappy with the rest of my setup. have rotel 971 cd player and older top o'line harman pre/amp. sounds a little too bright overall for me (play all kinds but get picky with jazz vocals and classical), and am hoping that new (used!) amp section for about $1500.00 or so should be well worth the investment. leaning towards integrated or entry-level pre/amp combo as best bang for buck. Mid-size room and they are very effic 4ohm speakers, but would like at least 40wpc or so. considering linn majik, but open to suggestions re: cary (i think i would like the 'warmth' of tube, but concerned about losing the low-end with these speakers), krell, musical fidelity, parasound and still wondering about spectron. unfortunately am not near a location where i can demo anything, so any comments appreciated!!!
new_wes
mhubbard
86 posts
 
I have a new pair of Thiel 2.3's (love them) and I've ordered the Odyssey Stratos monoblocks (1800.00). They have a 30 day money back policy, so I think its worth checking out. You can get the Odyssey Stratos 2ch x150 amp for aprox. 1000.00. I have yet to hear a single bad thing about this amp from any source. Check out odysseyaudio.com (no I don't work for them!).
akaddict
51 posts
 

I like my 185 wpc McCormack DNA-1 with Thiel 2.2's and BAT VK-3i (tube) preamp.

Overall I really like the McCormack and recommend it. I wouldn't call the DNA-1 either dark or bright. It has plenty of power, and great value. I bought mine used about 8 years ago, and it hasn't really gone down in value during that whole time!

In my room, the stage is wider than the speakers (8+ feet), and deep with pin point accuracy. But this only happened after many tweaks (speakers pulled out into the room, toe-in, iso bearings, upgraded power cables, speaker cable lifters etc...).

On the other hand, I think the sound gets congested at higher volumes (100dB!), the combo is still a little bright (hard on piano, sizzles on poorly recorded sibilants), and I'd like better inner detail.

I wouldn't consider this equipment combo to be deficient. I've just grown higher expectations as I've been with this gear for over 5 years.

I recently heard the 2.2's with a Krell FPB 600 ($12k) and a Wadia CD ($8k), and was amazed at the improvements. I didn't know they could play that wide, deep and dynamically. Brightness didn't change. This makes me think the Thiels can continue to benefit from really expensive electronics.

Of course, you can get a used DNA-1 for about $800, and the reviews are consistently very favorable for the Rev B and A upgrades (I think a Rev. A upgrade is about $1200, and then you have a Stereophile "class A" amp).
audiolon
22 posts
 
Hi,

Take a look at the fine amps from Consonance that were such a big hit at CES2003 in Las Vegas.

audiolon.com
billag
8 posts
 
Dear new wes,
I have the amps for you. VTL 80 watt mono's. I use them with my Maggie 1.6's(84db). They sound great! Tube magic while keeping the highs and lows intact.
Let me know
Bill
kmorris31c4
5 posts
 
Hi,

I inherited a pair of thiel cs2's from my uncle a couple of years ago and at the time had an acurus a100. I had a similar experience with the Thiel's being very revealing a little on the power hungry side they sounded a little cold and harsh. I upgraded to an aragon 4004 mkII which is 200 watts at 8 ohms and 400 watts at 4 ohms! I have been very happy with the setup. My uncle heard the setup and said they had never sounded that good when he had them, and he had driven them with an adcom 200 wpc amp and pass monoblocks with 100wpc. I think you'll find the 4004mkII typically around $800 on this site and the 8008 around 1200-1500. Definitely worth checking out.

good luck
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