Thiel Owners

jafant,

Please continue to keep us up-to-date on your cable search. I have to admit that I have not had much luck with Synergistic Research for interconnects or USB cables in comparative demos I've done in my system. However, I know others who love SR wire in their systems, especially when using the more expensive SR offerings.

tomthiel,

I am always amazed at the depth of your knowledge of areas in audio where my knowledge is so much more superficial. I'm looking forward to the possibility of upgrading my CS 2.2s when options are available. As I mentioned earlier, the 2.2s are doing a great job of keeping up with some amazing changes in my streaming system, including adding an Innuos Phoenix USB reclocker that just arrived yesterday. 

I've looked at the Morrow speaker cables several times but never taken a chance on ordering them. It seems like all of their models use the same set-up of lots of insulated small wires, with the more expensive models simply having more wires. It's never been clear to me how to decide what the right match for wire density is in my system - so I don't decide. My speaker wire runs are too long (8m) to take a trial lightly, so I haven't.

My current (from the 1990's to today) speaker wire is Straight Wire Encore in a 24-ft pair, but I'm planning to install Cardas Parsec soon. After several comparative trials, I've been using Cardas Clear Reflection balanced interconnects and Shunyata power and USB cables. I can't afford to use the higher-end Cardas speaker cables in my 8m runs so I've chosen the more mid-range Parsec as a compromise. I like that the Parsec uses Star-quad geometry, high-quality Cardas copper, multiple small gauge Litz wires, and even some of the "matched propagation" strategies from the more expensive Cardas wire to equalize timing of the conductors and dielectrics. I've wondered if this focus on timing will especially matter for Thiel speakers.

tomthiel et al,

What are your thoughts on this paper from Townshend Audio about cable technology. Would seem to fly in the face of everything we - or at least I - know or believe about speaker level cable:

http://www.townshendaudio.com/PDF/The%20Sound%20of%20Music%20and%20Error%20in%20Your%20Speaker%20Cab...

Then, on a separate topic... going back a few pages (I don’t get here as often as I’d like), you were commenting on the development of “coherent source” in various Thiel models over the years. During your discussion, you referred to second order crossovers being used in the SCS series. Would that include our beloved Powerpoints? I’m crushed! Although I can’t argue with the results.

sdl - knowledge is lovely stuff, but never enough. At 72, some seeps in. I have used my 2.2s as my main playback tools for my whole professional life. I love them, but they will get better, similar to the improvements in beetlemania's 2.4 upgrade. Old Thiels age well and die hard.

I like Cardas, have evaluated some samples here, and like them a lot. But so much history with Straightwire precludes jumping that gunwale. Their focus on timing should matter a lot for Thiels. Tell us what you learn.
8M is a long way to run. I have that run for my 'far end' 3.6s to compare my nearfield 'corner launch' system under test to the mid-far field 3.6 reference. I'm getting best results with the OCOS (doubled) coax which is comparatively immune to cable run length. Have you tried an amp close behind each speaker with long interconnects? You could use Mogami, etc. pro interconnects as a trial. I could send you a pair for trials.

Carry on, there's always more to come.