Dalis or Thiels

Good Day-

I have heard the smaller Dali speakers (not sure the model?)
and the very best buy in speakers is very clearly Thiel.
I have enjoyed the CS 2.4 in many systems, except for MAC, I would strongly suggest a home demo to cover your bases prior to any purchase.

The Thiel loves high power and even higher current to play its best. This is the richest -sounding speaker to date.
If you want micro-dynamics and real "timbre" then look / listen no further. Keep me posted and Happy Listening!

I am running 2.4s with a Manley StingrayII and it has plenty of power for these speakers. Much more so than the CJ CAV50 that preceded it. With 4 EL84s per side, this seems to be a "higher torque" design, especially given the 5 Ohm made in house output trannies.

I have not heard the Thiels but my reading tells me that they are very different speakers from the Dalis. Now I may have gotten it wrong regarding the Thiels, but my understanding is that they are a more revealing speaker that will show any deficiencies in your system and sources (cds,vinyl,etc.). If you have confidence that your system is up to the task, i.e. no brightness or other distortion, then they might be what you are looking for.

On the other hand, the Dalis are more forgiving and easy to listen to. They are not detail fanatic speakers, but they are not slouches in that department either. They are very musical and fall a little on the warm, rich side of the sound spectrum. I have owned Dali Helicon 400s and enjoyed them a great deal. I can recommend them.

Can't speak to the Thiel 2.4s (early Thiel models like the 3.5 were terrific but had an overall tonal balance slightly tilted to the treble, so auditioning them was a must because they weren't everyone's cup of tea), but do agree with Tomcy6 that the Dalis are indeed a warm, rich speaker and are a pleasure to listen to, so long as your room is big enough to handle them--i.e., I would not put them in a small room.

This is shamelessly self-serving, but if you end up going with the Thiels, I have a pair of 2.4s (in maple) that I'll be putting up for sale in the next month. If you happen to be within driving distance of Boulder, CO, you could bring your amp and audition them at my house.

Great speakers, beautiful, great imaging... I'm only selling because I decided I wanted to try low powered SET amplification.