Thiel Owners

beetlemania
Today I had a second audition with AYRE featuring the DX-5 universal player matched to the AX-5 Twenty integrated amp. Only the DX-5 and QX-5 Twenty were changed out- all other gear and cabling remained the same as my first audition. CD and SACD were evaluated as I do not have prior experience with this company's disc spinners.
As always, I begin my session with my long time reference CD Jamie Cullum "Twentysomething". I also end my session with this CD. Comparing selections against the QX-5 Twenty, the DX-5, provided even greater micro detail, subtle and sublime. I have owned this disc since 2004, listened to it hundreds of times (at least) yet there were nuances never heard previously.  Next were my Rock preferences for evaluating systems- Pearl Jam "Ten". Favorite track for such conditions, Oceans.
Listen for the dynamic timpani strikes (clean, clear, musical, sharp contrast). Nirvana "Unplugged- Live in New York" Favorite track, All Apologies. The DX-5 need not apologize for anything here. The cello is perfect and sublime in presentation. I felt a strong sense of Dave Grohl holding back his hard hitting drummer skills for a more delicate approach via Hot Rod Stix in hand. Tracy Chapman "S/T" favorite track, Fast Car.
The beauty of an acoustic guitar was enjoyed without any distortion. The Bass pluck at the end of this song, sublime, not boomy. Natalie Merchant "Tigerlily" favorite track, Carnival. All songs on her debut album are well crafted and recorded. Excellent instrumental separation yet delicate voice and percussion undertones heard. The ending was perfectly clear and cross talk discernable without congestion.
Onto SACD- Alan and myself experienced a hiccup here. He does not own any SACD discs so today was the first time the player had a disc in play. I was able to enjoy (1) disc, Journey greatest hits single-layer (not a hybrid). Kind of Blue single layer, The Police single layer (entire catalog) and Twentysomething would not engage?  The player scrolled the word, unknown, followed by stop in the led display. I did enjoy the Journey disc from start to finish without any glitches. I have always enjoyed the sharp contrast in playing styles from Anysley Dunbar and Steve Smith on songs "Don't stop Believin'" , "Wheel in the Sky". The drums and percussion were very well recorded on these tracks the PRaT is perfect. It is easy to pick up on Smith's jazz drumming undertones built into a Rock structured song.  I must agreed with Beetle regarding the AX-5 Twenty, musical, is the correct descriptor. Extremely musical is a better descriptor. 
This duo is neutral with a touch of warmth. Cold, forward, hot, laid back,
was not appreciated with the DX-5. More to follow on the SACD playback issue.  Happy Listening!

I’ve not heard a DX-5 but am surprised you preferred it to the newer QX-5. Remind me what speakers are in that system? AX-5 has plenty of headroom for my CS2.4s.

Continuing saga on whether to replace my aging but spectacular Thiel 2.4's with something else:  Magicos?  Vandersteen? Von Scweikert?  I dunno, but this decision is going to be made very methodically and carefully.  So one of the more serious audio salons in town received a pair of Magico A3’s last Friday and I went to hear them today. Unfortunately they were in a small crowded room, placed about one foot from the rear wall and directly beside them were a pair of Focals. Tiny room. No way to properly audition these speakers and certainly no way to get any idea of how they image. Driven with good amplification they sounded good but I’ll second one other poster that they sounded slightly dark and I felt there was a relative bit too much lower midrange/upper bass for my taste and in this little room they sounded boomy at times. When the guys learned that I was entertaining speakers that cost several times the price of the A3s they seemed to push the A3s aside. If what I heard was representative of what the A3s can do (I don’t think it is)...they are not the speakers for me. I did think the timbre of instruments was very true to the sound of the real thing. It did whet my appetite for the S3 and the S5, neither of which they had on hand for demo unfortunately. I DID hear a pair of Von Schweikert E5’s which were frankly fairly breathtaking with regard to some of the things those speakers did (driven by a Constellation integrated). I still think I "might" like the Magico’s better...I get the impression (I may be wrong) that some people might find the Magico’s a little clinical but I like that relative high level of detail and texture...its why I like the Thiels. At this point this is really just one old guy’s attempt to my "last speaker." The one thing the Thiel’s do wrong is I believe they compress and distort a tiny bit on full scale orchestral recordings at high volumes. I’m a little curious what the Paradigm Persona 9H’s will sound like on good amplification (I’ve heard them several times now but both times on McIntosh integrated amps...not exactly the kind of amplification you’re likely to use on speakers of that caliber, although I’m hoping they sound fantastic on my Pass/Aesthetix gear. I think I’m probably bound to start going to some of the shows before any final decisions are made. The shop I visited today does have a pair of S3’s on order but my guess is that the S5’s are more likely to be the speaker for me but the proof is in the pudding. No indication when (if ever) they’ll be getting another pair of S5’s in. They do seem think that Von Schweikert and VAC are the two product lines they seem to want to really sell the hell out of at the higher end of the market.  

beetlemania
Me as well. The DX-5 was in stock (non DSD upgrade) form. The extra musical details were amazing. Speakers- Monitor Audio PL 100 II ( 2-way monitor on stands. $5795).  I am sure hoping that the SACD playback is a minor fix, minor issue. I will reach out to Ayre for a consultation. If only Charles (RIP) were still here.  Happy Listening!

pwhinson
Thank You for the update. I am hoping the Paradigm Persona 9H fares well in your system too. I can tell you that something along upper Magico, Vandersteen or Von Schweikert lines will better a Thiel. Keep us posted on your Audio journey.

Happy Listening!