Very cool Tom!
I first heard Thiels on tubes at CES - in the VAC room where Kevin Hayes was using Thiel CS6s. I was completely entranced by the combo. Not being able to afford VAC and already having good experience with lower priced CJ amps, I sprung for the big CJ Premier 12 monoblocks, tried them with the CS6 and there was that magical sound I'd heard at the show.
But then, I tend to prefer certain tube amps on most speakers. I've never been able to settle in for very long with an SS-powered system.