Thiel Owners

dancastagna

An incredible system in the making!

Those amp(s) are heavy hitters to be sure. You have a tough decision my Audiophile friend.  All Amp(s) are special in their own way. At this level of price-performance, take time to visit dealers/retailers to audition.

Of the considerations listed, I have only auditioned Mark Levinson and D'Agostino models.  Each were matched w/ corresponding pre-amps (same brand). Very musical and powerful. Endless current for driving a Thiel loudspeaker.

Over on Audio Asylum, John Ellison, drives his CS 3.7 with Parasound gear exclusively. Read up on his postings if interested.

I cannot comment on the Krell Trio 300. It certainly has the specs to drive a pair of CS 3.7 loudspeakers.  Keep me posted on your findings.

Happy Listening!

Dan - that is quite a system you’ve got going. I have no direct experience with your prospective amp models, but note that they all look great for current delivery and the brands pass the sniff test. But you knew that. Good work.
I have two general thoughts: power supply and the 1.7. I’ll address system power later.

I have observed that the CS1.7 may not be as advertised. Jim had his CS 1.7 nearly ready to go when he died, which then simmered behind the 2.7 in the last few years of Original Thiel outsourced product development. New Thiel changed the 1.7 design significantly, replacing Jim’s first order crossover with "high order" (probably 4th), and introducing a 2db/decade slope down from bass to treble - a standard PSB-type crossover. I also read that the tweeter sports a "new voice coil and re-designed motor". That sounds suspiciously like a normal overhung tweeter, again standard industry fare available from suppliers, whereas Thiel’s underhung drivers were made in-house. The underhung motor exhibits an order of magnitude less onset transient distortion and a completely symmetrical push-pull linearity - albeit at the expense of greater manufacturing cost, lower efficiency requiring a larger magnet, and greater hazard of burn-out due to voice coil geometry. I don’t know whether the woofer also opted for a "normal" motor rather than Jim’s design specialties. I have queried Rob for further insight. In the past he said to me of the 1.7 "It’s not Jim’s work".
The 1.7 caused a parting of ways for the first team of New Thiel which included Steve DeFuria, a long-time industry insider who had collaborated with Thiel over its entire life-span. Steve objected to New Thiel calling the 1.7 a "Coherent Source", the application of a house curve, and allowing reviewers to represent it as a first order, phase coherent transducer. Notice that Stereophile among others never reviewed the 1.7 - I’ve been told that they didn’t want to play New Thiel’s game. I am not disparaging the performance of the 1.7. I am told that by conventional standards applied to normal speakers that they have been called "more refined than previous Thiels".
Do any of you here in Thiel-land know how the CS1.7’s step response looks?

To correct the record: Rob says the 1.6 and 1.7 use the same moving system in the tweeter and the only difference is that the 1.7 has an additional bucking magnet.

tomthiel

Thank You for the history lesson on CS 1.6 vs. CS 1.7 models.

Happy Listening!

$500 - I want them but can't justify it.  

Thiel SCS4T tower speakers For Sale - US Audio Mart