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Thiel Owners

Guys-

I just scored a sweet pair of CS 2.4SE loudspeakers. Anyone else currently or previously owned this model?
Owners of the CS 2.4 or CS 2.7 are free to chime in as well. Thiel are excellent w/ both tubed or solid-state gear!

Keep me posted & Happy Listening!
128x128jafant
thielrules
160 posts
 
My recommendation would be
1. Carefully check your mid-range drivers with the willingness to discover cracks in the surround ring. It is common after 10 years of regular use with the equalizer that signs of deterioration develop, according to Rob G.. if you are fortunate and your mid range are fine, consider extending the lifetime by coating the surround ring with glue.
2. Get the second amp for Bi amping. Decoupling the woofer from the rest protects the mid-range from the eq that is applied to the bass. The sloop of the filler is only 6db, so the mid-range is getting some of the extra bass. This decoupling also increases the impedance and an easier load on the amp. The biamping is vertical, so you can place the amp near each speaker, have short cables and the amp can compensate for a higher load in the base channel by the lower load from the mid-high range.
This is an easy and affordable improvement that increases the lifetime and Sonic qualities of the 3.5.
3. Check the eq carefully. Static electricity can blow out some transistors although for later eq this was fixed. You need the eq to get the best out of the 3.5. If your eq is needing repair or your mid-range needs replacement, it makes sense to switch to digital crossovers as I did and shape the mid-range to your system and compensate for differences in sensitivity of the speakers. You also create the opportunity to mitigate room effects. I have successfully done this with a minih dsp opendrc da8. The specs are only average but as far as I can tell, no Sonic weaknesses in the audible range.
unsound
7,332 posts
 

I've been using my 3.5's with eq on full boost in a moderately large room (15' ceiling peak) and play music at the volumes which were intended, scaled back for domestic room size, in other words; fairly loud on peaks, with an amp capable of 500 Watts (and double that for a couple of minutes at a time) per channel into their 4 Ohm load for many years now, without a hint of problems. Though, I do wish they could play even louder on dynamic peaks with less strain. My 3.5 midranges drivers were rebuilt by Thiel shortly after I purchased them. The previous owner used what IMHO was an underpowered receiver to drive them. Again, no problems since.

Not using the eq would be an anathema for me. Even on steadily loud rock music, I would use the eq at least on the 40 Hz setting. With more lowered tuned 5 string basses and synthesizers being used, there's too much music below 70 Hz where the eq kicks in to compromise without it . That coherent sealed box deep bass is part of the reason I like the 3.5's so much. Without it, I might have kept my old CS 2's. I still prefer the 3.5's  to the later Thiel offerings, except of course for the only other sealed box Thiel's; the CS 5i's. The amplifier requirements for which are the only obstacle towards my ownership.

That  up to 12 dB eq boost might seem a bit extreme, but it is mitigated somewhat but the concurrent rise in impedance.



unsound
7,332 posts
 

@thielrules, while I agree with what you've posted, I think there are few things to consider.

The 3.5's as supplied only have single amplifier inputs. What you are suggesting is not possible without modifications to the speakers, which could depreciate their resale value. Sending a separate signal to the eq and then to the woofers, and a separate signal to the rest of the drivers could present a time lag to the woofers compared to the other drivers. Time is after all really what makes speakers like Thiel different and special. Of course in the digital domain it could be compensated for fairly easily, but in the analog domain, well that might take someone like Jim Thiel to figure that out. Also, 6 dB may not be much compared to say what a port rolls off, but it still is rather significant. That 6 dB is per octave, and there are two octaves to cover.

jafant's avatar
jafant OP
19,883 posts
 
Thank You for chiming in to assist arvincastro -

Happy Listening!
tomthiel's avatar
tomthiel
1,685 posts
 
Unsound - Regarding impediments to CS5i ownership, I am confident we can address the primary shortcoming quite easily - and that the amplification problem would be reduced significantly. The impedance drops to 1 ohm in the deep bass and doesn't rise above 3 ohms till 200 Hz. That severe bass load drains the amp of ability for transient response in the upper bands. By adding a second input for the 3 woofer/ subwoofer drivers, we can sequester the "amp problem" to the bass.
From history: Jim was aware of the problem and the solution. His personal make-up caused him to avoid the fix due to the potential chaos of cable and amp interactions in the field. However, if you used 2 identical amps with identical cable runs, you could successfully vertically bi-amp each speaker with its own channel for each band. As was mentioned earlier, each amp could sit close to its speaker so the 4 cable runs would be less expensive.

While in the XO we could easily upgrade some caps and resistors if desired.
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