Build me a killer Rock/Metal Rig for 1K

David, I would love to buy your speakers from you. That said, I belive the system I recommended from the available items for sale on Audiogon in the above post and some of the latter suggestions for items not currently available would make you happy. All of the items mentioned were bargains that competed fairly well against more expensive competitors when new. The amp appears to be new. If you look at the origianl list price of these items and compare them with the origianl list price of your speakers,you'll see that their not out of their league. BTW, the price of the Muse amp has just been reduced and if you could swing a bit more money (perhaps spending a little less on the CD player (Marantz?) you might be able to go for the Muse 150 mono's (300 Watts into 4 Ohms)that are also for sale. You might be able to put the Thiel's equalizer between the CD player and the amp. Unfortunatley I don't know how this would effect the signal with regards to input and output impedance and drain on the signal strenght level. I would strongly recommend talking to Thiel before embarking on this. To do this you'll need a CD player with a high quality volume control, high output, low output impedance going into short low capacitance interconnects into the Equalizer into short low capcitance interconnects (if the equalizer doesn't have a captive cable)into an amp that is very sensitive and has a high input impedance and between 100 and 500 Watts into 4 Ohms. BTW, at the risk of offending many here on Audiogon, I don't think it's necessary to have a tube preamp to have good sound with the Thiels. The best set up I ever heard with Thiel 3.5's was completely solid state (I'll admit it wasn't an inexpensive system). If you previously enjoyed a low powered Pass amp, perhaps your not the headbanger we all seem to think you are. I'm sure a lot of the advise given here has been done with that perception. Don't get too frustrated, there are always solutions. Keep us up to date on your decisisons. Good luck and good listening.

I thought you could get more for them...before you sell...get a clear idea of what road you would take if you had the money for them.

Are you going to take the same money and buy something else? If so, what? What will be "better" than the Theil's for $800ish?

If you combine the sale money with other money you have saved what then? What speaker and then what approach on the rest of your system?

Are you sure you have to have a "tube pre" and are you sure you have to have seperate pre and amp?

Are you sure your budget is only $1000?

I would answer these questions first.
1. budget...how much do you have to work with all together, is there any flexibility and if so how far will you stretch?

2. Do you have to have tube-pre and seperate amp? If not, you probably can find solid state seperates that fit the bill or an integrated that takes you where you want to go. (also, an integrated saves you the cost of a pair of interconnects) Sim Audio Moon I5 ($1200-$1350 used).

3. If you forget the above and decide to sell the speakers, what them? $800? What can you buy that is better for $800? Will you combine other money, if so, it will change the whole dynamics of what you are doing. AN ASIDE: I am not saying these are "better" than the Thiel from a purest stand point, but given your situation here is what I think. If you go to change speakers, look at the PSB Stratus Gold (or Gold "i")...tons of ROCKIN Speaker(does well with finnese also). Goes down to mid thirties (literal chest slamming), plays very loud without losing focus and is reasonably priced. Can get the old Gold (not i version) for $600 to $800 and you can get the latest "i" version for around a $1000 (should be one on AGON now). I owned the old Gold and sold it to a best friend 2 years ago and they still are one of the best values in full range speakers you can buy (he still owns them, still likes them, still likes me). In my house (12x19x8 LR), when cranked, just using a top line receiver at the time, I could literally shake the house and slam you in the chest with the right music. Also, they are VERY VERY easy to match, run about 89db or 90db at 8 ohms so you don't need a lot of power to carnk them. I started out with a little 30 watt receiver (20 plus years old) and then graduated to a flagship Yamaha and then beyond to the "true" high-end stuff (although I am still amazed at how good some of the "cheap" "junk" is...it will often take you 85%-90% of the way). Each change I made they responded well and sounded better. Highly recommended. (since then I have owned Sonus Faber Gauneri (10k), Kharma Ceramique 2 (11.5k, JM Lab Minis (8200)...and have tried many many more, because I am good friends with a dealer, and the PSB can hold their own. I have asked myself many times if it really was worth 10 and 20 times the cost? Very subjective but I was lucky and only paid $500 for my PSB...you do the math, that is a lot of supporting equipment and/or a lot of music.

Let us know what you deicde, I am curious and hope the best for you.

charles

I reached deeper into my dirty jeans and pulled out a wad of cash.
on order is a Electrocompaniet AW 74 fully ballanced dual toroid high current class A bias Thiel slayer!
The check goes out tomorrow!!!!
Questions I can find answers to:
Its 75wpc @8ohm...what is the wpc at 4 ohm and wpc at 2ohm? Ive read the amp is 30 amps per side.What does that mean? Is this amp a good choice for my Thiels 3.5's?
I was told I wouldnt be able to find a tube pre with remote within budget.I scored a Audcom AP-110 with remote,upgraded auricaps and NOS Teleffunkns for $200 shipped! retail is $400 + the cost of the caps and the tels which are included in the price.'
This pre will hold me until I can upgrade.
Does anyone have any info on Audcom?
I still need a CDP or SACD player.
I am interested in the DVD Panasonic DVDA310 that was offered to me by hifiguy.I tried to get a hold of you hifiguy but your address didnt work.
Any other suggestions on a good CDP or Sacd player in the $200-$300 range? The Panasonic DVD does look good though for the money.
I want to get this rig built by next weekend.
I need 8 but preferaby 10 feet of speaker cable and 1 meter rca interconnect and 1.5 meter RCA interconnects.
Whats a good choice for these. Time to beg.....Unsound has offered to send me his monster speaker cables on loan.Could anyone offer me some interconnects to borrow or buy at a good price until I can afford to upgrade the cables and wires? Im trustworthy and any loan will be returned per agreement.I, of course will pay all shipping fees.....my goal is to finally have music flowing in my house again.
I want to thank everyone for the awesome efforts you put into this thread!! I will remmber you all and hopefully I can be of service to you in the future as you were to me.Im proud to be associated with such fine people.
Thank you
Dave

sorry,its the Electro AW 75

David, the Electrocompaniet gear should sound wonderful with the Thiels. I think your unit puts out 120 (?) watts into 4 Ohms. While they don't quite double down, they are stable to 2 Ohms, they should have no problem with the Thiel 3.5's 4 Ohm load. The Electrocompaniet sound is warm and velvety with out any hint of bightness. They remind me of the much more expensive Mark Levinson gear. In addition they have a rather high input impedance which should make matching a tube preamp quite synergistic. While I'm enthusastic about your choice in amps I wonder if they have the power to provide you "A KILLER ROCK/METAL RIG" with the Thiel 3.5's. The Thiel 3.5's "real" power recommendation is 100-500 watts into 4 Ohms. While it's obviously a rather crude recommendation, the old cliche' in HiFi to double the the manufacturers minimum power recommendation seems to have worked for a lot of people for a long time. As for the Audcom, it's a bit of an unknown quantity (quality?) and there lies the rub. Yes, I've seen the ads but with out personal experince I wouldn't make a recommendation. Just because it has tubes doesn't necessarily make it good. I hope it all works out for you.