2. amps-preamps
  3. 1430231121

THIEL Audio their demise...

It was with great sadness this morning when I visited the THIEL Audio website and saw photos of the 'new' designs.
When Jim Thiel designed speakers, there was a form follows function in place. He tried to create the 'Electrostatic Sound' using conventional drivers. Whether you agreed with his 'house sound' was as usual in audio, a personal preference. Some thought the sound 'bright' in the upper mid range. That's fine, personal 'taste' in sound drives us all to various products. One man's 'clear' is another man's 'bright'. But Jim's design philosophy was, 1st order crossovers, time alignment, low distortion--and that was his pursuit for thirty years.
Now, I go to their site and see, 'me too' looking boxes, no alignment (that I can see) and no mention of 1st order, low distortion.
Oh, they probably sound OK--maybe pretty good--but it's not the same company. I recognize the reason for buying a 'Name Brand' with international distribution, I did it myself eight years ago. However, any changes I made were notable improvements--in other words, I didn't buy a Monet and remove the oil and put a water color on the canvas.
I lost a friend when Jim died, and now the world has lost a great speaker line.
Larry
lrsky
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"It seems to me that if those individuals really cared about their company, they would still be employed there.

Keep me posted & Happy Listening!
Jafant (Threads | Answers | This Thread)"

That may not be true. Don't forget that when a business owner dies owning a company like this, there's usually a will in place to divide the estate amongst several people. They could have just as easily been fired by the new owners.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
greginnh
382 posts
 
Sadly, the company is now run by investment bankers whose taste in music is limited in quality to that of an I-Pod.
pops
2,275 posts
 
Change is tough! It happens in all industries - and investment in business mean 1 thing and that is ROI. Sometimes that comes with true passion for the consumer and sometimes not.

I have 2 Thiel speakers, CS6 and 3.6. They have been part of my music enjoyment for 15+ years - especially the 3.6. They were my dream speaker when I first heard them and of course could not afford them at the time. Now the CS6 is my speaker but I will never part with the 3.6.

It is so disappointing, the demise of Thiel. They have a passionate following but I guess not mass appeal, not even among audiophiles. And trends show there are fewer and fewer of us audiophiles around - the current generation could not give 2 craps about sound quality - they may claim to like it but that is not where their hard earned cash is going.

What is sad for me as I get older and in a better position to buy (almost) what I want for my hobby Thiel is gone for me. I would have followed them as far as they wanted to take it but not now.
dweller's avatar
dweller
3,792 posts
 
Since a "Company" is nothing more than its people, why doesn't the Thiel "old guard" start a new one?
The planet is awash in zero interest cash so financing shouldn't be a problem.
If they start small, speaker building is not a capital intensive enterprise.
What's the deal?
lrsky OP
1,118 posts
 
Actually Jim, Kathy and Tom, his brother were the three founding partners. Tom was an expert in woods and veneers and construction. He may have been the reason for such wonderful detail in their cabinetry. Tom left the company in the early '90's.
More to discover