arvincastro...
I am also a BIG fan of the 3.5's.
As to your comments regarding how these speakers reveal flaws up and down the chain, particularly with digital formats, I can only state that the existing issue is not the speakers.
So far as tossing "vintage" separates at them to improve everything, I have had a Threshold 400A amp mated to a BAT tubed preamp and the results were very good. (I've tossed a pretty good amount of stuff at my Thiels, in fact.) My favorites? For amplification, hands down Pass Labs. (X150.5 model) For pre-amps? I really believe that Audio Research and Thiel are great matches. I like having tubes in my preamps for Thiel. ARC just has this "punchiness" that I like. LS3 and LS3b (tubed) models can be found on here at VERY fair prices. And they can still be repaired if an issue ever arises.
I actually sold my Threshold fairly cheap because the meter lights weren't working - or so I thought. Turns out I wasn't throwing enough power to the speakers. (3.5's) As unsound, another member here and a wealth of things regarding Thiel overall related once, the 3.5's are one of the easiest models to drive. For the record, I always left the bass equalizer in operation. A few members have offered that they sound better without it, but I disagree. The speakers were designed to have it in use, so who am I to argue with Jim Thiel's design?
Pass Labs, even pre-owned, can be expensive. I've had two X150.5 amps, paying a little more the second time around than the first, approximately $2500. A bargain, given how well Pass mates with Thiel. It just DOES for me. I have since moved back to a BAT integrated with identical power ratings to the Pass Labs, and it's working out fine. Pass Labs integrated are difficult to find on the pre-owned market. The INT150 has been discontinued but appears once in a while on the Renohifi site - a retailer I can highly recommend. Mark is a gent and a good businessman.
I am currently selling my 3.6's because I miss the 3.5's so much. I am hoping to find a local pair of 3.5, or perhaps even a pair Maggie 1.7's. I have a soft spot in my heart/head for both these brands and what they do so damn well.
I forget to whom I offered the guts of the last pair of 3.5's I purchased here. The cabinets were pretty rough and both midranges were inoperable, so I gutted them and keep the raw drivers, crossovers, bass eq, and grill hardware. The midranges LOOK fine, but they're dead - still repairable at around $300 apiece. The woofers and tweeters are in fine condition, 100% operational. Sequential serial numbers were on the cabinets as well.
Anyone willing to pick them up is welcome to them free of charge.
