Thiel Owners

hi guys,  well i went and heard the Magicos (the ones that sell for right at 30K) and they were very very impressive.  they were driven by VTL electronics and they were streaming using a Berkeley DAC.  the sound was amazingly clear,  like a set of quads but with upper and lower frequency extension.  the level of detail and articulation was amazing and i had to ask if the REL subs were on (they were not),  as the bass was so good.  truthfully if money was not an issue,  i think i would prefer them over the Thiels but not 100% sure about that.   there is something about the way the 3.7's do music that is captivating in a way that these were not.  But i think we get used to a certain sound and we have to retrain our ears.  Kind of like driving a new car as they all feel and handle differently.  The thing is,  i did not come home and find my system lacking or disappointing.  In fact,  i enjoyed it just as much so there you have it.  if i were looking for new speakers,  Magico along with Joseph Audio,  would be on my  short list, along with the upcoming speakers from PS Audio,   but for right now and for years to come,  i will still be a Thiel guy.

@ronkent Thanks for the report. I'm not surprised. I don't consider Thiels the best available but I do consider them the best at their price points. They "punch well above their weight class". IMO, models like the CS3.7 and 7.2 just miss the ultimate tier of performance. If Tom Thiel is able to design hot rod kits for the CS3.7 (it's on his radar but he is working on older models first) I expect the performance to rise to that next tier. I suspect a 3.7 with an upgraded crossover will be sonically competitive with models costing ~$50+K (I'm thinking stuff like the Vandersteen 7 and Vivid Giya).

@beetlemania  you are welcome.   this sure is a fun but challenging hobby.  I agree with your statements about punching above their weight class.   The Magicos are so well designed with one of the most rigid cabinets on the market and   I think one reason they sound so clean is that there are no colorations imparted to the sound by the cabinets.  The Thiels i am thinking,  have more cabinet resonances and nothing will change that.  Changing speakers is such a pain (selling and shipping the old ones for example) that i probably will be keeping these for many years.  the crossover upgrade sounds awesome but i for one am not qualified to go in and change everything so i guess that it is not in my future.  thanks.

@beetlemania  PS:  i am sure you have told us,  but what speaker do you have.  

The Thiels i am thinking, have more cabinet resonances and nothing will change that. Changing speakers is such a pain (selling and shipping the old ones for example) that i probably will be keeping these for many years. the crossover upgrade sounds awesome but i for one am not qualified to go in and change everything so i guess that it is not in my future.

Tom Thiel has an idea for identifying cabinet resonances and, possibly, addressing them. Stay tuned. In the meantime, the CS3.7 is not too bad in that regard:https://www.stereophile.com/content/thiel-cs37-loudspeaker-measurements
For comparison, here is a $50K Wilson (Wilson makes some of the very best cabinets in the business): https://www.stereophile.com/content/wilson-audio-specialties-alexia-loudspeaker-measurements

If you are not comfortable building new crossovers, I imagine there will be a couple of options depending your confidence level with a soldering gun: 1) Rob Gillum can build and install these, altho' that means shipping or personally transporting your speakers to Lexington; or 2) the CS3.7 boards appear easily accessible: http://www.theaudiobeat.com/visits/thiel_audio_carries_on.htm
(assuming that panel isn't glued on), so you might have Rob Gillum build the new boards, ship them to you, and you would only need to replace the boards. Alternatively, you could have someone local do this last bit (friend or technician at a local shop). But temper any excitement you might have - Tom is unlikely to have a solution for the CS3.7 until next year.

I have the CS2.4SE, now with Mills MRA-12 resistors over the OEM sandcast resistors. This was a worthwhile upgrade! I have ordered new bypass caps and will build entirely new boards later this year.