Thiel Owners

I recommend getting the Benchmark AHB-2 into your auditioning mix if you can. Once I latched on to its clean, quiet capability, all the way to 1/2 ohm load, I have gotten hooked. Just sayin'

Questions regarding tweeter replacement & driver polarity.

I recently discovered that one of the tweeters in my Thiel 03s is outputting at a diminished volume. In order to troubleshoot I swapped the tweeters between the 2 speakers and the problem persists with the same tweeter, so it’s not the crossover or something else. I looked online and found what appears to be an identical tweeter (Audax brand, the original is Polydax, see link at bottom of post). Has anyone had experience with these replacement drivers? I’ve also found vintage Polydax drivers on eBay but I’m concerned about their wear and tear/condition.

On another note (sorry if this is a silly question): All 3 drivers in my 03 should be wired with the same polarity, right? In my exploration I discovered that the woofers are wired out of phase with the mid and tweeter. The woofers where removed at one point for re-foaming so maybe they where reinstalled in error.

https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/audax-soft-dome-tweeters/audax-tw025a1-12x9-1-textile-dome-tweeter-with-ferrofluid/

Gotta second Tom's Benchmark rec. That's all you need and the end of the story. I run all Benchmark with my 3.7s. It has completely reoriented my ideas about endlessly looking for the right tweak/cable, amp and etc. Of course, I used to do that.  But it seems like such a weird waste of time now, not to mention money.  All these people looking to color the sound in just the right way. There may be yet new caps and resistors for the speakers, but that's another story.

@tomthiel   I know you have a lot of experience using the Benchmark AHB-2 with Thiel CS-2.2 speakers, and I'm hoping you can answer two questions about the AHB-2:

1. Are you satisfied that the AHB-2 has sufficient power to drive the 2.2s with ease in stereo mode under any real-world listening conditions in a medium sized room?

2. Do you know what kind of distortion profile the AHB-2 has in relation to second and third harmonics compared to higher order harmonics?

Distortion profile is an issue that Nelson Pass has studied a lot in relation to Class A and A/B amps, and it is also being discussed in relation to Atma-Sphere's new Class D amp that uses GaN-FETs. The Atma-Sphere amp is supposed to have the sweetness of a tube amp with lower distortion, greater transparency, and better masking of higher order distortions. The Atma-Sphere amp has similar power ratings to the Benchmark amp at both 8 and 4 ohms.

Jeff - you may be in for a big treat! If your woofers are indeed mis-wired, that wreaks havoc with the phase coherency of the whole system. The most certain way to get it right is to get a 6 volt battery (lantern) or 9 volt is OK for woofer with a short-duration test. Connect + to + and the cone should move outward. If wrong, change the leads. I think your 03 woofers are Eminence and I would love to know the model numbers on those. Likewise for the mids and tweeters if you don't mind.

Regarding tweeters, I (seem to) recall the 03 was Polydax and the 03a was Audax which may have been an upgrade or a merger, etc. Rob at CSS may have a more definitive answer. Stay away from an old tweeter. They wear out via fatigue of the tinsel leads. Let us know what you learn.

The silliest question is the necessary one unasked.

TT