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
@sdecker
FWIW, the CS2.4SE did away with the 1 uF bypasses on the coax feeds, ie, full 14 and 28 uF in single caps rather than 13+1 and 27+1. I am aware of a third-hand report that a 1 uF bypass can have a deleterious effect on SQ (supposedly better to go either higher or lower values for bypass caps). I don't have any information on whether this is related to Jim Thiel's decision to do away with the bypasses. But, clearly, he preferred the sound of 14 and 28 uF Clarity SAs over the original 13+1 and 27+1. CSS apparently has 14 and 28 uF SAs available although the ESA are supposed to be a step up from SA.

My modded boards have 14 and 28 uF values in single Clarity CSAs, the 14 uF bypassed with a 0.1 uF Multicap RTX and the 28 uF bypassed with a 0.22 Multicap RTX. The bypasses improved the "jump factor" and added, maybe, a smidge of resolution.

Buying these parts from a retailer, I would probably get 10+3.9 uF (and a 0.1 bypass) and 18+10 in 630 volt Clarity. Maybe CSA for the bigger value and CMR for the smaller value (for maximum SQ) or all CSA (to save money and space). Jantzen Alumen is said to mix well with Clarity, also.

Regardless, I highly recommend replacing the 2.4 resistors with Mills MRA-12s. You can replace the sandcasts on all boards for about $100. Money well spent. Sonic Craft carries all the correct 2.4 values although you have to mix and match from among the older Mills and newer Vishay-Mills.

Anyhow, thanks for posting about your ESA upgrade a few years back. That gave me courage to try my own mods - and I'm super happy with how it turned out.

@beetlemania

I do remember PMing a couple AG members about my specifics after I posted about my experiences. Were you one?

All your thoughts are well-taken. I perhaps wasn't clear on a couple points you expounded on. Thiel's 1uF bright yellow film bypass caps I didn't touch. I chose the 250V ESA caps for size to fit in the existing XO space for the prior caps.

At the time, at least with the suppliers I looked at, the ESA wasn't available in a 13uF, so I piggybacked a 3uF with a 10uF. The 27uF was stocked. So I never considered assembling what I could to do away with the existing 1uF film bypasses and go to 14 and 28 -- which would likely have required using different 1uF bypasses as ESA wasn't available in 4 or 28uF. I honestly haven't investigated other caps that might work in the XO since then, and I'm sure what you used are a result of deeper research and wider availability of good XO caps since my 2011 upgrade.

What I referred to as ' bypasses' are 10nF, the Vishay-Roderstein MKP-1837 that Humboldt Homemade Hifi (??) recommended for every XO cap application.

My audio friends at the time recommended changing out the XO resistors too, and I promised I would do on my second round, which hasn't yet happened :-(

Can I attach a picture to my posts, or only via a weblink to a photo-sharing cloud service?
@sdecker
Nope, I didn’t PM you. I’ve owned my 2.4s for only about two years. Tom Thiel coached me through most of my mods. I replaced every part from the binding posts to the driver hookup wire. Sounds glorious. 
sdecker

I share your sentiments upgrading from a stock CS 2.4 to the CS 2.4SE model. Dave Garretson was one of this thread's early contributors on the benefits from using Clarity Cap OEM parts. Having spent much time w/ the 2.4, 2.4SE, 2.7 and 3.7 loudspeakers, soundstage is not a problem.

Happy Listening!
2nd Note;

I would like to hear a pair of CS 2.2 and CS 2.3 models for comparison to the CS 2.4 loudspeaker.  Happy Listening!