arniespin,
If only it were that easy. The whole reason I’d considered selling them is that they are large enough to present an ergonomic/aesthetic problem in my rather idiosyncratic set up where they share space with a full surround home theater system as well. Hence I’ve been auditioning everything under the sun (smaller). In fact I was so set on selling the 3.7s that I actually took them to a local furniture restorer guy to have them looked over, to freshen them up for selling (very minor signs of wear on them). As I was loading those beasts in to my car to get them to the furniture guy, I said "that does it, these things are just too big, good riddance..."
But then while they were in the shop I continued to audition speakers and nothing grabbed me. When the 3.7s came back they looked gorgeous, like new, fresh out of the factory. Continuing to audition stuff has only made it sink in how special the Thiels are so I figured I would keep them and still consider a smaller speaker (like the Joseph Audio Perspectives), essentially having the peace of mind of not having let the Thiels slip through my fingers. The fact the 3.7s have become so rare on the used market is also a major factor.
Now I have the 2.7s as well, figured I’d choose between them and the 3.7s, but the fact they sound different, both great in their own way, and the fact I found the 2.7s in my most coveted, rare ebony finish, makes THEM hard to part with as well. This is why I always end up with too many speakers.
BTW, my 3.7s are currently set up 8 feet apart, 6 1/2 feet from the listening position (7 feet if I recline on the sofa), facing almost straight ahead.
I’ve just been re-visiting the tech literature and interviews with Jim Thiel about all the ideas, advances and work that went in to his speakers, especially the 3.7. It really helps explain why I can audition newer speaker models of other manufacturers, even really highly lauded ones, and still come home to be all the more impressed by the Thiels: there was just so much original thinking by Jim, such a persistent dedication towards refining a specific goal for 30 years - the special design of the woofer system for lower distortion, the new rippled-but-flat midrange unit, the bent wood design of the cabinet etc. Virtually everything designed and made by Thiel. No wonder you don’t get what the Thiels do from other manufacturers, and there’s every reason to expect the novel design of the Thiels to remain competitive if not advanced for many years to come.
The mid-bass on down in particular blows my mind because it separates itself from the crowd so distinctly. At least in my room, I get the most pitch perfect, holographic, non-speaker-like bass I have ever heard by a long shot. I frankly would not have believed that level of bass transparency and control was even possible before hearing these things, given it’s such a problem with most other speakers.
I also think Jim just finally nailed the coaxial mid/tweeter design in the 3.7. The idea of coaxially mounting the drivers is great in terms of having the signal arrive at the right time no matter where you sit.
I’d listened to other phase/time coherent speakers - Dunlavy - and owned Meadowark speakers which were first order crossover/time coherent as well. But those designs, especially the Meadowlark, did suffer from the traditional problems of lobing/interference - a weird suckout in the first order crossover design that made for a phasey sensation when moving my head especially vertically.
In previous Thiel speakers - e.g. the CS6s I had and others - though better, they still had this residual coloration, a bit of a hollowness in the upper midrange sometimes, especially depending on seating height.
The 3.7s, I’m supposing because of finally being able to mount the tweeter within a flat mid driver, seems to have totally banished that issue.
The midrange is so pure, and so coherent right through into the treble, with no noticeable dips or tells, over a wide seating area.
It’s hard to shake the Thiels once you are used to them; other speakers will tend to be revealed as more colored. I even remember when I first heard the 3.6s at a dealer. Aside from the better than normal image specificity and density and transient believably, there was a distinct impression that everything was lined up as it should be, without emphasis, producing an overwhelming impression: "this is what the original recording actually sounds like." Similar to the first time I heard the Quad ESLs (within their range).
Anyway, it’s good to have a Thiel owner thread where we can rave about Thiel - sort of like having close family who will listen to you talk about your kids :-)
