Experience with Thiel 1.6

Hi Art,

We had an exchange a while ago regarding my Thiel 2.3 and finally replacing with the Proc 2.5.

Well I just happened to audition the 1.6 yesterday in Nashville. My curiosity got the best of me after reading Absolute Sound. The 1.6 is DEFIANTELY A Thiel sound. For those who like that they sound quite good. But waaaay to bright and analytical for my tastes. They are just not "musical" and I could never listen for any length of time.

The Proac or "British sound" is just so much more realistic and musical. I can listen for hours and just continue to want more. The 1.6's would never accomplish that magic for me.

Does anyone have any experience with the 1.6 and either the 1.5 or 04a? My dealer in town does not have the 1.6 in yet, and I wonder if it is even worth the trouble to go listen to them when he does.

I am currently using a 17-year-old pair of Thiel 04a's and have found all other Thiels too "bright and analytical". I owned a pair of 2 2's for a while and had to sell them due to listener fatigue. I downloaded the TAS review of the 1.6 from their website, and it hints at the fact that the 1.6's are a bit bright.

The 04a's roll off above 15khz and below 50hz. In between, the tonal balance is very Proac-like, though a little lightweight in the lower midrange.

I have been trying to upgrade from these 04a's for 17 years and have briefly owned Fried G2A's, VMPS Minitower IIa's, and the afore-mentioned Thiel 2 2's, but I always keep the 04a's to fall back on as an intermediate solution. So of course when I hear about a new small Thiel floorstander I think that it might finally be the one to permanently displace the 04a's. I remember thinking the same thing when the 1.5's came out. I wanted to like them, but they just sounded too thin and bright.

My heart wants to stay with Thiel, as their customer service has been amazing. In the last year alone they have given me two new tweeters and reconditioned the rubber surrounds on my woofers for free. But my head says to stay away, because it usually hurts after listening to any new Thiel model for an extended period of time.

Jim Thiel obviously know his stuff, but I often wonder how much more product he would sell if he voiced his speakers to be more musical.

Spons - I listened to CS1.5s for three years, then bought a pair of 2.3s. They are both analytical speakers, but I wouldn't call either one "bright". What kind of amp are you using, and what sort of music are you listening to?

Rsuminsby and Yashu,

I own a pair of the Thiel 1.6, and the last thing I did before I bought them was compare them to Proac 1.5s. Same equipment(McCormack amps, arcam CD player), same room, same music (old rock, new rock, chamber music, orchestra stuff) . Proacs were harsher than the Thiels, which was a big surprise. It was definitely a different presentation, Proacs had more bass, and were less diffuse in general. Flip side is the bass seemed out of control relative to the thiels. And the thiels were more revealing. So I went with the Thiels - Less fatiguing (big surprise) Better bass, I don't like the sloppy sound, and I'd be missing some information with the Proacs. Visually, the Proacs leave the Thiels in the dust, that's my biggest compromise. The thiels are the best purchase I've made so far. I'm happier with them than I thought I'd be - none of the audiophile buyers remorse and second guessing I normally battle with. And I've tried the Thiels with a golden tube se40 amp and ARC LS3 preamp, they sound great. I now daydream about telecommuting and just sitting in front of the stereo eight hours a day.

I do not own them, but have listened to them extensively in a wonderful showroom. I have the CS 1.5s and loved them, but am now ready for something new. The Revel M 20s won out, for me, quite easily. I did love the sound of the 1.6s. Again, it's a high class problem. Splitting hairs really, but the Revels have done it for me.