Thiel Owners

yabe1951
I will second the ARC Ref3 pre-amp. I, too, had the pleasure of meeting Don Hoatson (R.I.P.) of The Listening Room back in 2012. A very fine Gentleman of Audio.

I found the sound quality of his rooms outstanding from a minimalist approach. Entry level Straightwire cabling and hardly any room treatment(s).  At that time his space was in a medical plaza.
Happy Listening!

sdl4
Second - going with separates, choose a tubed pre-amp and solid state power amp.  Aesthetix, ARC, B.A.T., Conrad Johnson and ModWright are the front-runners for consideration.  Have fun!
Happy Listening!

cascadesphil
Thank You for citing your pre/power combination. On other Audio forums, ModWright is a favorite amongst Thiel speaker owners.Dan builds beautifully sounding gear.

Happy Listening!

Happy Friday! All

Hi Thiel 'Goners.  Just thought I would chime back in after a reading the new thoughts about cables.  I have been running my 3.6s, via ARC LS 26 pre  and ARC DS 450Ms monoblocks, with a limited number of speaker cable options starting with BJC Beldons.  I was just starting out a couple of years ago with this component match and discovered a new pair of Tara Labs TL 2/14 for a reasonable price on Amazon: $300 for 6ft pair (no longer available).  Once installed I noticed quite a bit more warmth, bass girth, and less treble fatigue than the BJCs.  I am a concert violinist by profession so treble resolution and general overall warmth are important to my ears.  Later on last year, after consulting with the Cable Company, I was encouraged to try some Tara Prime RSC 2s however they were beyond my price point at the time: about $700.  My recent compromise purchase this year was a pair of gently used Tara 8 ft Vector 1 RSCs: luckily found on A'gon for $375.  These are much larger, separated cables and I can't  believe what a difference even from the TL 2/14s!  Imaging, definition, soundstage, dynamic range, and timing have all been enhanced all without sacrificing warmth.  I  have also had Tara Vector 1 and Prime interconnects throughout my rig for some time now and absolutely love the sound!