@lonemountain - it was Tom Thiel, brother of Jim Thiel of Thiel audio. He hangs out in the Thiel thread sometimes. He's long removed from the business at this point, Thiel no longer exists, he's not selling anything. I'm a fan of both brands and it's funny because both designers have a fair amount in common. Both were piano players. I think I like listening to piano more than anything and both brands excel there. Jim Thiel had wanted to build active speakers but since he was building for the home audio market he didn't because he didn't think he could sell them. I assume ATC builds passive speakers for the home market for the same reason.