Thiel Owners

I use the CODA #8 with the Thiel CS3,7. It was an amp that could drive the CS3.7 to it’s full potential with some degree of finesse. I have had some other amps on the CS3.7, such as the Benchmark AHB2 and a modified LSA Voyager 350 GAN, that both had a bit cleaner top end than the CODA #8. However, overall the #8 was the best on the Thiel.

I also had the KRELL K-300i integrated on the Thiel CS3.7. It is also fantastic on this speaker. My room is not huge so the KRELL XD line stereo or mono would be better yet in a larger room. This XD stuff is CODA level quality, maybe smoother and more low end.

I recently heard the CODA #16 with my preamp CODA 07x on Legacy speakers, at the dealer. The #16 had Benchmark AHB2 level clarity, #8 like power (likely more), and I would have expected it to be smoother than the #8. I did not listen long enough to pay attention to that. The best amp I have heard. It is on my upgrade wish list.

Today, I moved my Benchmark LA4 preamp back in to the office to have it easiy flipped over to the CODA #8. I normally use the CODA 07x preamp but I sometimes miss the pure silence of the LA4 and the increased detail. It is very easy for me to change the 15 foot Benchmark XLR cables I have from the LA4 and 07x into the CODA #8.

@ydjames A lot of Thiel owners use Tube linestage to have a more musical presentation and less glare.

Yes that’s a sort of typical combo people try when they attempt to get the best of both worlds, tubes and solid state.

And it makes some sense. You may have a speaker that just works best with a solid state amp driving it, but want to add a bit of tube sweetness on to that, so you add a tube preamp.

For me though it doesn’t really work in practice, for my particular taste. I really am a tube amp guy, and I find that it’s the amplifiers more than the pre-amps that really impart the tube characteristics most. Since I find my conrad johnson premier 12s drive my Thiels really well, I have no need to change my amp.

However, when I borrowed my friends Bryston 4B3 amp for a while I certainly heard some intriguing things the SS amp brought to the party - even more over-all precision, grip in the bass, solidity and clarity of transients, slightly lower distortion.

However overall I found the sound a bit too stiff, mechanical, edgy and hard, even with my very tubey CJ Premier 16SL2 preamp. I ultimately preferred my premier 12s over the Bryston for the more organic, rich, filled out and spacious sound, while maintaining good punch and drive.

However to see if I can get a bit more of "best of both worlds" I’ve been experimenting in using my Benchmark DAC 2L as a pre-amp. It’s a DAC but also has a fully functioning pre-amp stage (all analog signal). It generally sounded fantastic and close to a "best of both worlds." There was a greater sense of clean, clear sound, transients tighted up, bass tighted up somewhat, sounded really "accurate" yet it also maintained the essential sonic signature of the tube amps driving the speakers - big, meaty, rich, organic, spacious.

So I’ve just purchased a second hand Benchmark LA4 pre-amp - you won’t get more lower distortion/neutral SS pre-amp than that! I hope to try it in my system in the next few days.

But in any case, my sense is that unlike the usual SS with tube preamp, it’s actually a tube amp with SS pre that gets closer to best of both worlds. IMO.

In this case my dream combo would be CH Precision L1-X1 + VAC Signature 200IQ monos.

Don't worry it's not going to happen unless i win the lotterie 😅

Tony's system is beautiful with a pair of CS 6, congrats to him.

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/9188

Thank you.  I am enjoying them very much.