Thiel Owners

thanks to those responding to my posts about the drivers failing.  both times it was the midrange part of the driver that failed but of course the entire unit had to be replaced which is not hard to do.   the first time was only about two months after i had the speakers so it may just have been defective from the get go.  the second time was about two year into use and by then i had acquired the fantastic PS Audio BHK amp, so i know it was not clipping from lack of power.  I play them loud but not really ever above 85 db as measured by the app on my phone.  i played the older Thiel speakers just as loud an had no problems with the 2.4's for the seven years i had them.  i had the 2.2's for about 16 years and did lose one tweeter but that was it.  I do have one backup just in case,  but wonder how long Rob will be able to take care of us.   

Beetlemania,
The Les Pauls you mentioned are mine.I was going to sell them to go back to B&W,but decided to hold on to them for awhile?Now I have B&Ws upstairs and my 3.7s downstairs.Working well this way!My B&W system is more for movies anyway.

Thiel Audio used to suggest only using "Endust" for keeping cabinets clean.

The veneers have a bit of a perfumy smell, presumably from the previous owner's home and I have a sensitive nose. I might start with just a damp microfiber cloth. I'll look at Endust and some other options, thanks.

Hey guys,

I’m chiming in at somebody’s request (after having mentioned Thiel speakers in some other post). I’ve started my hi-fi journey listening to my dad’s Altec Lansing A7’s. I’m 35 now and that’s what I grew up listening to until I was 10 or 12 when that system was disassembled and the Altecs were sold to help us go through a financial crisis here in Brazil.

The first system I could put together many years later was built around Thiel SCS 4 bookshelves. I had a budget (though very nice) Xindak integrated amp, Synergistic Alpha Sterling X2 speaker cables and interconnects, a cheap Musical Fidelity M1 DAC (that’s still with me for I don’t care much about digital) and a Music Hall 9.1 table, with the Project Carbon tonearm, a Dynavector Karat D3 and a Hanss phono.

The SCS’s were replaced by 1.7’s shortly after their launch, the Xindak was replaced by a BAT VK-300x integrated, and later on, quite quickly, they were replaced by 2.7’s in a great deal.

Also gone was the integrated in favor of a VK-53se and VK-255se. Organic cables (Argento’s bottom line) also replaced the Synergistic entry level ones, and the front-end was also progressively upgraded from the Music Hall to Kuzma Stabi S and then Kuzma Stabi Ref with the 4 Point tonearm and a Transfiguration Phoenix S cart.

More recently the BAT’s were replaced with Zanden’s lovely 3100 pre and 8120 power and now it’s time to see the Thiels go...

I very much regret Jim’s passing and everything that’s happening with the company. I’ve never owned any loudspeaker other than Thiel up
to this point, but I’m settling with Magicos now for the lack of a Thiel option to upgrade the 2.7’s.

Unfortunately, they’re not up there with the best anymore (Magico, Rockport, TAD and Tidal, in my book), but I’ve had many many enjoyable years with my Thiels and contrary to what’s somehow spread, I never found them overly bright, harsh, or cold.

Much on the opposite, the Thiel and BAT pairing has been wonderful, very warm, laid-back and authoritative. I have always been impressed by Thiel’s soundstaging, resolution, transparecy and well-controled bass.

I wonder how the 2.7’s drivers would sound with top-notch internal wiring and crossover parts, as well as in a quieter cabinet, but I guess I will never have this answer and that’s a shame. They have been a great company for the last 4 years or so, firstly because I loved them, secondly because I had to spend so much (say 3 or 4 times their price) to have a meaningful upgrade that it really took me a while to move forward for obvious reasons.

They will be collected by my dealer this week (as part of payment for Magico’s S5 MkII) and I’m sad to see them go. I would have loved to have them replaced by something that never saw the light of day due to Jim’s passing.

Incidentally, would anybody know if he had something in the oven like a 7.3?

Thank you guys and long live to your Thiels! I would keep the 2.7’s if I had the means (and the space) to build another room and system. They would be paired with BAT’s amps or some warm SS. I heard them powered by Pass gear (X.250 and the two chassis pre-amp), by the way, and didn’t like it at all. There was a LOT of slam, punch and resolution, but images were artificially supersized and the sound was overall fatiguing and not as refined as with BAT gear.

They work well with Zanden gear, though not as nice as with BAT in the long-term. Thiel's coaxial driver is a bit too hot with the Zanden. Argento cables (I have the Serenity line) works like a charm!!! 

Best,

Luiz