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Opposite of Thiel

Got the bug. Love my new Thiel CS2.4 loudspeakers. Thinking of getting rid of my Eminent Technology LFT-8b planars, mostly because they're so damn big. They do sound glorious, though.

So if I picked up another pair of speakers physically on the size of the Thiels or smaller, what would be a great candidate with a wholly different set of attributes than the Thiels? Here is what I love about my CS2.4's:

-- resolution & detail
-- frequency response
-- ruthless treatment of upstream equipment + recording

So I'm thinking I might want to try something eminently "musical", maybe not full-range, but sweet and euphonic with a broad, deep soundstage and great fun factor. Pinpoint imaging may not be necessary, but I have to say I love that huge soundstage my planars provide.

Amp: Bryston 4BSST2
Preamp: Parasound Halo JC-2
CD: Cambridge Audio 840C
Turntable: VPI Traveler with Dynavector HO MC cartridge

Budget is $5K or less. Some brands that have caught my eye:

Paradigm S2
Proac
Dynaudio

Smaller, narrow electrostats?

Any thoughts are appreciated.
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luna
235 posts
 
I had Thiel 2.2, 2.4, 3.6 for many years. I also had Harbeths HL5S which has completely opposite character. Not coloured but very musical with less resolution. Proac is in between.
salectric
756 posts
 
I used Thiel 3.6 for nearly ten years and then went with Spendor SP-100s. The Thiels were lean and bright, the Spendors were (and are) warm, dynamic and to my ears much more natural. Harbeth and Spendor have many of the same qualities.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,532 posts
 
Harbeth. Maybe Dynaudio.

OHM or other omnis for a completely different kind of presentation, at least in terms of sweet spot and listening flexibility.
phasecorrect's avatar
phasecorrect
2,013 posts
 
Sonus faber, Vandersteen
bondmanp
1,824 posts
 
FWIW, my Ohm Walsh 2000s seem to fit your list of desirable attributes. Check the Ohm web site: Their Walsh lilne offers essentially the same sonics, scaled for rooms of different cubic footage. The top two models are beyond your budget, but the rest will fit. You can see my review on this site, as well as follow-up comments at this thread:

http://learn.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1223044851&&&/Ohm-Walsh-Micro-Talls:-who-s-actually-he

They come with a generous in-home trial period, although you lose the shipping if you return them.

I actually find my Ohms to be very revealing, but in a pleasant way, even with less than perfect recordings.
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