Thiel Owners

So happy that there is actually an active Thiel community out there. I bought a new pair of the model 2 2s way back in the early 90s but quickly traded them even-up for a used pair of 3.6es. I have never regretted doing so.

Recently I upgraded my amplification by adding an Audio Research Ref 3 preamp along with a full Monty refresh of my McCormack DNA 1 (now Ultra Platinum). I have discovered that really good tube preamps work well with Thiel (prior was Audio Research LS 9). The McCormack DNA 1 with the Plitron transformer- wait for it- can "transform" Thiels. The amp can dump current far beyond what is necessary to control the 3.6es. Steve McCormack should be recognized along with Pass, Bascom King and Dan D'Agostino et al. as a Hall of Fame amp designer. 

Finally, cables matter more than I thought. Power cords are Shunyata Alpha HC (C-19 on ARC Ref 3) and ICs are Audioquest Columbia balanced XLR on all ins and outs.

The Thiels dutifully reported every change I made. The system is warm, musical, revealing but absolutely none fatiguing. It provides a large and detailed sound-stage and a "coherent" presentation of the source material. Yup, poor recording are not sugar-coated, but the good stuff is really, really good. I think that there are now "better" loudspeaker systems with more modern technology available, but make no mistake: Jim Thiel made a major contribution to the art and science of speaker design that has stood the test of time. His speaker designs are relevant, correct in concept and execution and timeless. Thanks Mr. Thiel.   

Hi guys - just back from the soundboard voicing masterclass in Denver. Physics rules the technical arts. I'd like to affirm these recent comments about the 3.5 and the progress of Thiel's models in general. As this inner circle understands, the goal did not change. Each model approaches the same goal of translation of the input signal into acoustic output without degradation and within its constraints, which are primarily bass and power. The 3.5 was the 5th iteration of the model 3, and with it came a leap in magnet geometry in the woofer and midrange. Subtle distortions were reduced by an order of magnitude. The 3.5 also saw the final form of the styrene x tin foil 1uF bypass cap and refined the ratios and form of compound bypass nano-caps. These technologies were, to my knowledge, not used by anyone else at the time.

The 3.5 was a clean, settled design which would have run longer, but for the advent of peak-intensive music. Wilson's Audiophile Recordings, complete with uncompressed cannons, along with other exhibition-style recordings simply over-drove the 3.5, well beyond what vinyl / analog ever could. The 3.5 drivers were by far the most robust we had ever used and we replaced, by far, more of them than any other model. That led to ported bass in upper models which, I believe, Jim developed extremely well. His alignments produce proper augmentation without the B&W bump and dump. But, as 3.5 fans know, the ported alignment introduces more phase shift and steeper low-end rolloff for a less natural result.

Each generation of each model makes incremental progress, led by its new driver development and then shaped by its enclosure and crossover implementation. The 3.5 was a breakthrough product and still holds its own today, nearly 35 years on.

I thank all of you for your continued appreciations.

I'm definitely of the opinion that old Thiels are great and I'm not sure how much better the new ones are when it comes to just enjoying music.  I love the overall character of Thiels and as has been said, that hasn't changed too much over time.