I would love to see such a list of 'best Thiel amps'. But I am not current on the market offerings beyond the usual suspects listed in this forum. I know that "best sound ever" at the 3.7 introduction was the new biggest and best Bryston.
Yes, I meant Classe in general. When I was paying attention, they had one circuit topology executed at different power levels and passive component qualities. They were (and probably still are) a high current design. Dave Nauber, president of Classe, is a long-time Thiel associate and could speak knowledgeably about how their amps drive Thiel.
As to what to look for, the 2-ohm current requirement behavior is the major Thiel problem. After you limit the field to those amps that can, the rest becomes personal taste and opinion. As a personal story, I fell in love with Tim de Paravicini's Esoteric Audio Research amps in the mid 80s on the CS3.5. We set it up at CES to considerable delight of the pre-show manufacturers walk-around. However, some badass bass showed that it couldn't control the back emf of the equalized woofer. We abandoned it and most other tube designs. The point is that I would look at EAR's tube or solid state amps because they have such gorgeous delicacy, and ask the hard questions about driving near 2-ohm loads - show EAR the load curve. I would also look at PS BHK-300 for similar reasons. In fact, I'll be auditioning a pair of those later in the fall. My must have factor is a current source designed for that load. The rest is preference.
Yes, I meant Classe in general. When I was paying attention, they had one circuit topology executed at different power levels and passive component qualities. They were (and probably still are) a high current design. Dave Nauber, president of Classe, is a long-time Thiel associate and could speak knowledgeably about how their amps drive Thiel.
As to what to look for, the 2-ohm current requirement behavior is the major Thiel problem. After you limit the field to those amps that can, the rest becomes personal taste and opinion. As a personal story, I fell in love with Tim de Paravicini's Esoteric Audio Research amps in the mid 80s on the CS3.5. We set it up at CES to considerable delight of the pre-show manufacturers walk-around. However, some badass bass showed that it couldn't control the back emf of the equalized woofer. We abandoned it and most other tube designs. The point is that I would look at EAR's tube or solid state amps because they have such gorgeous delicacy, and ask the hard questions about driving near 2-ohm loads - show EAR the load curve. I would also look at PS BHK-300 for similar reasons. In fact, I'll be auditioning a pair of those later in the fall. My must have factor is a current source designed for that load. The rest is preference.