BUT, where does such a move leave the line / other products, niche reputation, etc?Yes, tough decisions and I have no business armchair quarterbacking Thiel's choices. Speaking of the CS5, I recall reading on AudioAsylum that Charles Hansen regarded the 5 as Thiel's best model with the 3.7 a "close second". I'm curious to hear a pair.
I just took a look inside my CS2.4s. It was easier than I imagined (I was worried about getting the radiator back in) although a contortion is required to remove the radiator. From Rob Gillum:
To access the crossover, you must remove the passive radiator screws and let the passive radiator drop into the cabinet. It can be rotated 90 degrees, and removed while servicing. To re-install the passive radiator, you can place your fingers at the surround, pressing outward to hold in place while re-installing the screws that hold bit in place.I discovered that the 33uF cap on the woofer is only 100V, not 630. This opens up the 33uF CSA 250V as a direct replacement, no bypass needed to get the correct capacitance, and for only $75 for a pair. I guess I could add a 0.01 ultra if I want to go crazy.
Also, I think I have room for most of the options I'm considering on the coax board. If I wanted a 10uF Supreme to match a 18uf CSA, however, I might have to mount the board a bit lower as that cap is 4cm longer than the CSA. From the top edge of the 28uF SA as seen here: http://www.hifishock.org/gallery/speakers/thiel/cs2-4se-2-thiel/
there is about 18 cm to the cabinet wall (just past the bottom of the board as seen in the image). Most of my Clarity options should fit with a bit of stacking. Additional protrusion into the cabinet is moot given the fiberglass bat on the two boards. The extant 14uF SA abuts the 6mH coil but I imagine the coil's orientation prevents deleterious interference. In my case, I will need to place a cap even closer to the coil although probably a shorter cap that should provide a gap to the coil.
Also, the boards easily unscrew from the cabinet and there is enough slack in the wiring to provide extra room to access the leads. Finally, it doesn't seem like a huge project to take everything outboard altho' I think I can fit everything internally. Looks straight-forward. Maybe I'll do this project sooner than April?