Thiel Owners

I would like to get back to a popular topic about which budget solid state amp will match up adequately with my Thiel CS 2 2 speakers which I bought back in the early 1990's. I play them every day in my HT setup which is powered by a 6 year old Denon AVR x4200W which puts out 125 watts into 8 ohms and 165 watts into 4 ohms with more distortion per specs.  I will play cd's and I have an older Thorens TD 145-MK II from 1979 which I use the 2 channels for the higher wattage.  I Know using the Denon in full 7 channel HT gives maybe 78 W rms per channel which is probably not adequate.  I have been looking at the the new Emotiva Basx-2 which seems to have good reviews.  I am also checking out used, much older gear, many of which I had used with the Thiels back in the 80's and 90's but don't remember the pros and cons I had.  These include original Bryston 3 B, Adcom GFA-555, small Parasound for extra surround channels, Chiro, which I found to be nice sounding, but sold because they went out of business. I also had B&K, Dynaco ST-416 with extra capacitor unit and HK Citation Series, but these were way before I had the Thiels.  I originally had the CS 2 model, but sold them and upgraded when the CS 2 2 came out at Sound Components in Coral Gables, S Florida.

I am only considering solid state at $500 +/-  I have speakers in a family room 20 deep by 16 ft wide into an open kitchen.  I don't do much serious listening anymore and don't play them too loud. Flooring is all tile and there are no sound treatments.  My speaker cable is original Striaghtwire Maestro, power cords are original Shunyata Sidewinders with all going into an original Clean Line VansEvers PLC with 8 assorted outlets. I have the Denon going into the power amp outlet for maximum power. Thanks in advance for any advise.  I have been following this thread for many years and have learned a lot through it.

@vair68robert - Actually, your comment made me go back and check how watts and thermals work on resistors.  Appreciate that, and felt it was something I missed.  Thankfully Tom was able to chime in.  Secondly, I did pick up Mundorf 100uf electrolytic capacitors since they were on sale, but was before your suggestion to check the sizes.  There is a noticeable size difference and not sure they will fit properly on the original PCB.  It's likely a throwaway effort if the end result is going film capacitors.   

Didn't have much luck finding a CS2.7 crossover photo just to see the layout and the 1uf capacitors.  I also remember the same folks in this topic mentioning the higher voltage was better.  Someone, and can't remember who, had 2xx volt capacitors and didn't mind them.  Very curious to hear what voltage you go with and ultimately what you think of the Purity capacitors sound .

jafant - You asked earlier about the sound after doing the SE capacitor update.  Instantly, it was clearer and continued to get better since break-in.  T-Bone Burnett, Allison Krauss and Robert Plant's album Raising Sand, track 7 "Trampling Rose" has kicked my system in the backside along the way.  When her voice goes high, I have heard it muddied and seemly off tone.  When switching to Neotech OCC interconnects, it finally cleared up enough at the very top notes and with the SE kit, the vibrato could finally be heard as clear as day.   Since there was a lot of discussion around amps earlier, I am using a Classe CA-2200 with some older Audioquest Midnight II cables.  Cables will be updated either during or after this project.  

audio1326

Welcome! Good to see you today. Thank you for citing your System. 
Now, to address your query. Are you considering keeping your system on the Vintage side?  If so, I found Adcom and Bryston 3B ST quite capable. Bryston really shines with an ARC Ref5 SE pre-amp. You already have Straight Wire to round out this sweet combination.

The Panel has a few CS 2.2 fans and owners, stay tuned until those guys chimes in to address your query. I look forward in reading more about Musical tastes.

Happy Listening!

I  was hoping to keep the Denon AVR and use the 2 channel amp to power the main front Thiels for 2 channel and in a 9 channel HT setup. If not much of a difference in sound, I will not add extra amp. Denon will provide over 150 w rms into 4 ohms per specs,

audio1326

if the Denon is made in Japan, you will be able to achieve the set goal. AVR and Receiver made in Japan have quality innards. What genre(s) of Music are you enjoying?

Happy Listening!