Thiel Owners

audio1326 - we live with what rooms we have.

Complex geometry with openings into other rooms are challenging. My previous studio (shown on my virtual system photos) was such a room. L-shaped in the corner of a 30x48' second floor with bleed to both the 54x48' area below and attic space above. I don't have Finite Element Analysis in my toolbox, so I worked it throughout a year (or more) to excellent results. I can answer specific questions from that experience among others. You will be the best judge going forward - it would be daunting for anyone else to offer opinions on such a complex space.

Point of caution (information) regarding the GFA amps. The original 535, 545, 555 are Nelson Pass, high current, etc. etc. The next generation (series II) are not. They only share the case and name. They are well-considered and sometimes preferred, but note they are similar in name only. One reason I chose the original 555 is because Jim Williams / Audio Upgrades does such great upgrade(s) for very reasonable cost.

I found a 555 and a 545 already updated that I am looking at. I prefer to not hassle with shipping such a heavy amp for the mods. Do you feel that the 545 is enough, I checked my db meter and 75 to 85 with 95 db peaks is what I measured. I like the trigger on-off of newer amps. I found the Parasound 2125 v2 with 235 watts into 4 ohms and 35 amps current delivery on-sale for $829 which buyers compared to the older Adcom, but said they preferred the Parasound. Only problem is no one was using them with Thiel speakers. Any thoughts on getting new Parasound instead of 35 year old Adcom? I will check with my electrician about a dedicated line or 2 since I think my utility room, porch outlets and part of kitchen share same breaker. Thanks for looking at this on a late Saturday night and getting back to me.

I can't comment on which amp would best fit your circumstances and orientation. And I don't know the Parasound. I would always go for the larger Adcom. I will have two 555s, they bridge nicely. You do want a dedicated Audio circuit, and upsize the feed wire while you're at it.

tomthiel

Sound advice as always. Thank you for fielding these queries.

Happy Listening!

Thank you for the info Tom! I measured the room and have corrected values: 15' 10.5" wide by 19' 8" long plus another 6.25" on all sides above the treatment. Ceiling is 10' 8" and the treatment on the walls stops 30" below the ceiling.

I typically listen at low levels, have not detected the bass splat, but I can't speak for the room's more youthful customers. I'm not sure what's required to setup the outboard crossover or what benefits I could expect besides better behaved speakers at high levels.

As for the subwoofer question, it sounds like the biggest issue will be room modes requiring tunable treatment to address? I might try it since I can either return the subs or locate them to other places if it's not an improvement here.