Thank You for sharing your 3.5 story. Which loudspeaker replaced Thiel in your system? Happy Listening!
Magenpan 3.6Rs. It was a huge step up. Earlier, I said that they are at least four times better than the Thiels 3.5s, but I have to retract that statement because I never liked the Thiel midrange or treble. The midrange was always really shouty and the treble was extremely bright, harsh, and fatiguing. It didn’t matter how the speakers were placed. I tried everything from pointing straight ahead to various degrees of toe-in. I could never listen to the speakers without being on-edge. Due to all of this, I consider the Maggies infinitely better.
The Magnepans have a sweet, lush midrange and the highs are super soft, airy, extended, and life-like with absolutely no boxiness at all. The soundstage depth and width kills the 3.5s, and everything just sounds completely transparent and real. The Maggies are just a totally different animal. They also open up more amplifier choices because they are a relatively easy 4 ohm load unlike the Thiels.
The only way the Thiel might have been a little better was in the low frequencies. They could go lower than the Maggies, but I could never turn the volume up high enough to enjoy it without the woofers slapping and the midrange and tweeters pushing me out of the room, so it’s a moot point. I don’t know if more amplification would have helped with the woofer slapping, but they were already getting 400 watts @ 4 ohms, and at the time, I thought it was a much better idea to get different speakers than more amplification.
Making a speaker move paid off big time for me. I’ve had the Maggies for a few years now and they still amaze me. They have been completely trouble-free, but if I should happen to fry a ribbon tweeter or require any other kind of repair, it’s no problem.