Solving the THIEL CS 5i's - vs- CS 7.2 Debate


Well I have been a huge THIEL fan for years. I have owned the CS 7.2's for 4 plus years and the CS 5i's for 3 years. In that time I have been begging for the correct room / source / amplification setup to host an ultimate drag out and shoot out. The stars aligned post new year and I had the extra help to move these monsters around and begin the process to initiate a formal showdown of these extraordinary components and literal masterpieces of speaker construction and design.

To address the weary on what I leveraged to orchestrate this debate, the amplification stage was handled by twin KRELL FPB 650m's, piped through the KRELL KCT, AudioQuest interconnects and woeful Denon CD section. All other things being equal the downside on the CD and speaker cabling should balance the field between the two.

I ran a battery of CD,s and moved the speakers forward and backward, toe in and straight up and I now have what is my ultimate conclusion. At this point I am looking for supporting evidence from the community or welcome an additional party to sit and listen to the setup.

At some point in this thread I can discuss the nuances between the two speakers, however, I will come out and say that the CS 7.2's are pure illustrated magic and profoundly demonstrated a by far greater representation of what I would expect from the original source.

At the end of the day they were the better sounding speakers to my ears in that room, given this setup.

Were the CS 5i's able to bring tears to my eyes? = yes.

Did the CS 7.2's do a better job of handling the soundstage? = yes

I would love to hear feedback if folks have any regarding a direct speaker to speaker comparison.

I will also state that by themselves the CS 5i's sound brilliant.

Thank you,
David
davidstingray
David, did you ever get a chance to move the CS 5i's around as you described above? If so, what was the result?
Hi guys, also big Thiel fan for the past 20 years i own a pair of CS 3.7s at the moment and still have my old CS 1.5s.
I wanted to add a pair of CS 7.2s but unfortunately they almost never show on the used market.
I saw i pair for sale 1 month ago in the Netherlands and it's already gone.
So i'm asking myself if i should look at a pair of CS 6 instead ?
CS 6 are pretty easy to find compared to the 7.2s.
Already being a CS 3.7 owner will i be disapointed with CS 6's ?
Should i be patient and wait for a pair of 7.2s even if i have to wait a year or more ?
Thieliste, my advice is to wait for the 7.2 if that is the speaker you truly want.  I own the CS6 and 3.6 and love both speakers.  While they are cut from the same sonic cloth I ultimately prefer the 3.6.  The CS6 is slightly more dynamic, able to play louder with no strain, the 3.6 is more transparent.  They are the most transparent box speaker I have ever heard.  I also slightly prefer the tone and timbre on the 3.6.  I could live with either and that is why I have both.

I think the difference in the design makes them sound slightly different.  I am not sure I am a fan of the coaxial tweeter/midrange on the newer Thiels which both the CS6 and 7.2 have.  Richard Hardesty has an interesting review on the 6 and actually prefers it over the 7.2.  The 6 is his favorite Thiel speaker, it is an interesting read.  

One thing for sure, the CS6 and especially the 3.6  are great bargains on the used market, so if you decide to go with the CS6 you will not be out a huge investment.  BTW, you have great speakers in the 3.7.  Good luck with your decision - can never have too many Thiels!