Thiel Owners

Hello everybody.

I would like to ask your opinion on the crossover update of my CS3.5.

I have already ordered (and am awaiting delivery) two 8.2uf ClarityCap CSAs, which will replace the two equal capacity Solen polypropylene caps installed in the tweeter’s cell (these are the two units to which - following the precious advice of Tom Thiel - I want to allocate the largest budget).

The doubt concerns instead the replacement of the two electrolytics in the woofer cell. As you may know, in the latter there is a 66uf electrolytic cap (branded "Versa-Tronic") and another 24uf electrolytic cap (also branded Versa-Tronic). These two capacitors are bypassed by a 1uf polypropylene (Solen) and a small 12pf polystyrene.

Now, as the two electrolytics mentioned above have come to the end of their service period I would like to replace them.

With which units do you recommend replacing them, having to replicate the overall capacity of the two groups of capacitors (that is 25.012uf (24uf + 1uf-12pf) and 67.012uf (66uf + 1uf ​​+ 12pf))?

Thanks to everyone who will want to advise me!

magnet7 - Others here might help you find your best brand fit. Here’s my broad input. Those woofer electrolytics are in shunt (shaping) resonance circuits which are the least sonically important. The Solen 1uF bypasses are very good. The styrene ultra-bypasses are extravagantly good. Those woofer shunt circuits are least worthy of expensive audiophile electrolytics.

On the other hand, the caps in the midrange circuit are of greater sonic importance. The 100uF electrolytic mid feed cap is worthy of the best cap you can afford, perhaps a ClarityCap 250 volt (or $higher) CSA with a very good 1uF bypass and then decide by ear to keep or toss the styrene bypass. Similarly the 100uF mid shunt.

The tweeter also has a 100uF electrolytic feed, which is at least as important as the midrange.

Short story, concentrate your budget on the upper drivers. I suggest looking at Nichicon for those woofer shunts. (high quality pro-level audio cap.)

jafant  - Thanks for your response!

After looking at all the Thiel models on https://coherentsource.wordpress.com I can see why the CS 2.4 would be considered the sweet spot, the most modern model before the price starts doubling. 

I know this is a hard / subjective question to answer, but I'll ask anyway :) If I go from my 03s to something like the CS 2.4s, what can I expect? Will it sound like a completely different speaker/a huge jump in performance or just a nice refinement of what I already have?

As for my system: I'm guessing it's rather basic or maybe even "crude" to what others have on here, but I have a good ear and find it highly enjoyable to listen to. 

I  play mostly high quality recordings / files from a MacBook Pro feeding a Schiit Modi Uber DAC then to a Rotel 1052 receiver (100 wpc) out to the 03s.

Jeff - here's a lesson from Thiel history. All our products shared the same goals of flat frequency, phase, time, and dynamic response. The family signature is quite similar between models. Also, along the time-line, new technologies were invented and incorporated, so a newer product will always be more sophisticated than prior ones. Higher model numbers get you more bass. In your particular case, you will sacrifice bass extension and power going from your equalized, sealed 10" woofer to the 2.4's reflex 8" woofer. (Unless you weren't equalizing your 03.) The 2.4 is a highly mature product, whereas the 03 is the first generation of its format. Huge difference in subtlety and sophistication, but very similar family resemblance.

Notes about your 03. Only 500 pair were made before the upgraded 03a (2500 pair.) Your 03 is the base on which Thiel succeeded. Its phase/time coherence was unique and the equalized bass was unusual and powerful. They earned immediate distribution and reviews in Europe which seeded interest from east coast US dealers - and the rest followed. The 03 is quite rudimentary compared with later models, but in 1978 it shone quite brightly.

    
tomthiel - Thanks for the history, makes good sense! 

BTW, the 03s I have (SN 0287, 0288) have a round 2.5" port below the woofer on the left side.