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
unsound
7,336 posts
 
Making a profit on a friends generous dealing is something to think about...
The 3.6's are a demanding load. You might get away with cheap amplification, and you might not.
If you have no plans to upgrade your amplification, I suggest you forget about the 3.6's. You'll never get to appreciate what they're capable of, and you'll probably get more satisfaction optimizing around other gear.
avgoround
287 posts
 
Yes, clearly, if I had a pair of the 3.6's (what, 3-4ohm average load???), i'd likely have to use a minimum of a good Parasound middle range dedicated power amp, and probably better, to get the sound quality an control I was after. On the used market, I'd probably be looking to try older used Classe, McCormack, Simm, Threshold,Levinson, Pass, Plinius, Coda, Nero, n maybe even Krell (prob not), for solid state options. Yes, either way, an high quality dedicated power amp is what those speakers are designed for. Just comes as with the territory.
If you want to run a receiver, use smaller monitors, and be prepared to use the crossover, and run a sub.
hordy240 OP
13 posts
 
Unsound: I am not trying to simply make a profit off of my friend. first of all, my friend is not just giving me a generous deal. he inherited these speakers, and has no interest in them, and plans to sell them online, but checked with me first as he knows I have a passion for speakers and music. his asking price would be the same online as he is offering me.
also, I was just asking that if all else fails (meaning I never end up getting the proper equipment) is it a good enough price to go ahead and buy these, and then decide later how I want to approach, and worst case, resell if I choose to not invest in the equipment.... im not trying to take advantage of my buddy, just wondering if I should jump on it or not
but I think I have a good bank of suggestions here! thanks for everyone's replies!
avgoround
287 posts
 
" im not trying to take advantage of my buddy..."

There is no such thing here!- ERRONEOUS! If you simply ask him for a price, and he gives you what is a good price FOR YOU, you have a deal! Both parties are agreeing to a deal!..period! End of transaction.
Taking advantage is an entirely different thing, and doesn't apply here. He either wants to sell to you at a given price you want to pay, or he doesn't. Not your job to educated him that he could get more or less money elsewhere, and so forth! That would be your issue!
This is a standard situation in life, and only as long as you agree to transact. No need for some sort of savior of the sales universe to be involved.
A DEal is a deal is a deal is a deal!. Everything else is emotionalism. But, on that note, i don't typically like doing business with close friends and family, cause it can get sticky, when you deal in hard earned money. But that's my bent on the subject. All Iz sayin....
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