Thiel Owners

jeff,

Sorry, no system pictures. I don’t know if I’ll ever get around to that. (I think the pictures would look cool because I designed my room carefully/aesthetically for home theater and two channel, while having to be a "nice" looking room since it’s our living room on the main floor. I used to have my system photos on imageshack, but they went to a paid model and took them down).


But since I don’t have a sytem page, I may as well take this moment to list my audio gear.

Currently, my stuff is:

Thiel 3.7 speakers.

I’ll be picking up the pair of Thiel 2.7 speakers I bought sometime in the next week or two.

Other speakers:
- MBL 121 radialstrahler omni directional monitors.
- Waveform Mach MC monitors (egg shaped).
- Spendor 3/5s
- Old Thiel 02 speakers (can’t bring myself to get rid of them - they re-ignited my hi-fi passion).
- Just sold a pair of Harbeth Super HL5 plus speakers I was testing out.

For me it’s "tone first" when buying a speaker. I have to hear that organic warmth in tone - woody guitar body, sparkling strings, golden brass...as wide a rainbow as tonal colors as I can get (the MBLs are the champs here, but limited in extension).

The speakers have to soundstage well because that’s one of the things that makes it intriguing to bet my butt in the sofa listening to the system.
(Though I have zero interest in a system that soundstages fantastically, but is tonally boring or off-putting).

I want an image density and projection as well, giving some dynamic life, which the Thiel brand excels at.

Amplification:
Conrad Johnson Premier 12 monoblocks, 140W/side. Currently with the CJ advised Tungsol 6550 tubes (I’m not a tube roller...the amp sounds superb with them and I’ve got enough audio stuff to worry about).

Pre-amp: CJ Premier 16LS2.
Also have a locally built tube pre-amp which absolutely excels like nothing else in providing image density and a realistic "they are there" solidity. The CJ preamp is more transparent and better delineates different instrumental timbre, so I go back and forth.

I have a prized re-furbished Eico HF 81 14W integrated amp which is an absolute marvel of musicality. It’s stunning to hear that amp drive the big Thiels!

Dac: still have my old Benchmark Dac 1. I’ll be upgrading soon.
Usually streaming ripped CDs from itunes (god I hate itunes, I’ll be changing this soon).

Just got back into vinyl:

I have a micro seiki turntable and some nice cartridges (so I’m told) donated by my father-in-law, with a cheap Rotel phono stage. Sounds sublime, but obviously a path for future upgrades.

Cables: I don’t care about hi end cables. I have robust 10awg Belden speaker cable (I have a long cable run to the speakers), and my interconnects are a mishmash of kimber PBJ, low end and expensive high end cast offs from audiophile buddies who own too much cable. I couldn’t even tell you what some of them are. But they work :-)

prof,

Thanks for giving everyone a heads up on your components. Nice system/systems.
 Camera or iPhone will easily post pictures; Even a digital knucklehead like me figured it out.

I am still using a 25-26 yr old JVC CDP, but the two TTs are up to date.

I knew that you had to wait for the 2.7s. Will wait to hear what you decide. 

Right now, I am waiting for my back to heal from surgery, so I can install ceiling panels and do final tweeking of room acoustics.

 I do have (2) dedicated rooms; So I do not have challenges of you and others.

 I should really think about reducing everything; but I do know how hard it is, when you have gotten so much pleasure from certain gear.

Best Wishes to All

Prof;

Nice "stuff"
I saw one of the big tube amps you have......Lots of big tubes!

Mbl has a nice rep, but to hard to find space to listen to  at shows

" tone"  over details is where I seem to be morphing, too, also
But love great soundstage & details, too

I've got a hearing loss issue that accents screeching treble, harshness, more than most & has had me searching to make 80's compressed music listenable, for me 
The CJ pre and a Tube change has really finished to search
A EH tube to a NOS has REALLY helped satisfy my ears

I've listened to Thiel 1.7,2.7 & 3.7 
THE 2.7 was best for me due to playing with an Ayre amp
The others with a Parasound, & no break-in
Ayre has a sweet high end with a tad softening

All,had the Thiel sound, just varying bass levels that effected the tonality.   
A sub fixes that!! And has adjustment

What a hobby!
Note: a friend has a Volti speaker and it is a tone monster, to me
If you get a chance listen to one...

Jeff

frozentundra,

Cool.  I look forward to hearing my new Thiel 2.7s next weekend.

I also have some "ear issues."  I played for decades in a very loud band and acquired quite a case of Tinnitus and some hyperacusis (hearing sensitivity) came along for the ride.  It was really rough for a few years but has gotten better over time.  It made my ears quite sensitive to bright speakers or coarse distortion (I don't have hearing loss issues though, fortunately my hearing - when tested - is excellent).

So this makes it somewhat ironic that both of us own Thiel speakers, which have a reputation among so many audiophiles as being bright and hard to listen to.  It never was quite true in a good set up, but I think it's a tribute to Jim's final designs especially just how smooth and fatigue-free he got them sounding, while producing as much or more detail than ever.
I can listen fatigue-free to the 3.7s endlessly, more than any speaker I've had.  (Of course system matching is part of the key; the CJ gear helps here - liquid and organic, but with no sense of darkening, roll-off or making the sound simply polite).

I've love to hear the Volti speakers!  I figure  they would bring an even greater sense of presence and density to the sound than even the Thiels.
But with other trade offs.   I wouldn't be able to place a speaker like that in my room.

As for reproducing voices and intrumental timbre, as I mentioned I find the MBLs the current champ...and the previous champ were the Hales Transcendence speakers - I had the floor standing T5s at one point but...forgot to mention in the above....I have a bunch of Hales Speakers still, Transcendence monitors.  They are amazing for having a low noise floor and producing a rainbow of tonal color.  They are dynamically reticent though, have less density and texture than the Thiels.

I found the joseph audio Perspectives to edge the Thiels in tonal beauty - just a bit lower noise floor, a bit more surprising variety in instrumental timbre, a bit more pure/smooth sounding high end.  Though the Thiels edge out the josephs in other ways (image size, soundstage, density, dynamics, bass control...)