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Thiel 3.6's vs. Vandersteen 3 sigs

Looking to upgrade. Currently have Vandersteen 2ce's which sound great, but have slight bass. So, I had to get a Velodyne FSR 12 to compensate, but this is not a really good match, I know. Anyway, I miss the bass that my old Thiel 03a's had by themselves. I'm guessing that Thiel 3.6's may cover all bases well. I'm not familiar with the VD 3 sigs, just hoping that they would cover the low frequencies better. Of course, the other option in to get the Vandersteen sub and keep the 2ce's. By the way, the speakers are powered by a Moscode 600 with a Rogue Audio 66 Magnum preamp. Any suggestions?
bdunne
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
If you like the 2CE sonic signature you should certainly try the 3A Sig, they produce more bass and have a better midrange. The Thiel's sounds quite different from VS, I'm not sure they would make you happy if the 2Ces are your cup of tea, but for the bass.
chadnliz
3,736 posts
 
Thiel speakers are analytical, harsh and unforgiving, go for the Vandy.
jameswei
883 posts
 
The Thiel 3.6 bass goes pretty deep, but it is very well-controlled, such that you may feel it comes across somewhat lean, especially after the Vandy 2CEs. The mids and highs are good given that used speakers have been broken in. The highs are not as sharp/harsh as some of Thiel's subsequent designs.

Remember also, the 3.6 has earned a reputation as a difficult load, with impedance dipping to below 3 ohms at certain frequencies. Your Moscode 600 is known to be capable with difficult loads (one powered a vacuum cleaner at a CES?), so this should not be a problem.
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
Hey Chad, not exactly sure where you stand on the Thiels, can you be a little more specific?
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
Either the 2CEs or the 3Asigs with the Vandy sub is a virtually seamless transition, IF you use good filters. The only way I could tell that my subs were on, was to pull the plug. I've moved on for other reasons, but if you like the VAndy sound odds are you will NOT like Thiels. And the Thiels are much more fussy about upstream components.
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