Now that I've read through this entire thread (!!) I feel it's probably okay for me to chime in a bit more about my 3.7 impressions and my set up. Let me start, however, by saying how great it is to read so many passionate posts about Thiel speakers and accompanying equipment. And as for the OP, I'm convinced you're either an amateur museum curator of Thiel 2.4se speakers or the ghost of Jim Thiel himself, just doing his best to keep the legacy alive. Regardless, I'm glad you reached out to me and clued me in on this great thread.
Regarding my own system, first let me say how surprised I was to see I'm apparently alone in my use of a pure Class A amp to drive my Thiels. Not that I'm opining one type is better than the other - I just find it interesting there aren't more owners out there with similar set ups. My Accuphase A50 is rated at 50/100/200 at 8/4/2 ohms, so it has oodles of current to deal with the 3.7s. Mated with my tube preamp (a Cary SLP-05), I'm in sonic bliss regardless of the situation. My music tastes vary from rock to jazz to classical to country - really, just about everything - and I've never found my system wanting. In terms of describing the sound, I think the best description I can give is how it makes me feel when I listen to something. For example, while reading this thread I was playing Thelonious Monk's "Solo" on vinyl, and I could literally feel him banging on the keys as if he were punching each of them with his fingertips. The music from these speakers just grab you without ever wanting to let go. Like most of you, I've listened to many speakers, but to me these are the first "box" speakers I've heard that literally almost disappear. As someone else pointed out, it's similar to what I experienced when listening to Maggies, but with (IMO) better soundstage and speed. Simply put, it's just a helluvah speaker.
There's a lot of talk about cabling here. I do believe it makes a difference, but to me it's in the fractions and not whole percentages. That being said, I'm not as bold as prof - I run my system fully balanced using cables from Acoustic Zen and Wireworld.
I also use a subwoofer. It may not be necessary for 90% of the music I listen to, but there are occasions when I'm glad it's there. My sub is a REL Stentor III with the crossover set to 32hz. I use REL's speakon cable which is directly connected to my amp's speaker terminals. Is it perfectly seamless? All I can say is nobody has ever been able to tell that it's on, so I'll take that as a sign that it's properly dialed in.
Last thing I'd like to add is how great it would be to hear more about what people are listening to on their Thiels. As much as I love to geek out on the audiophile stuff (and trust me, I do), I also love being turned on to new artists or albums that others have discovered. So when you're talking about your Thiels, please try to throw in a word or two about what you're currently playing. Just my two cents, of course..
Cheers,
David
