Build me a killer Rock/Metal Rig for 1K

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.

Unsound- Thanks again for all your help.You are a CLASS A audiogon member for sure. I wont have a 'killer' rock/metal rig but Im sure I'll be pleased.Besides according to one member here,one needs thousands of wpc to be a head banger so I guess few here will ever have such a system :~) re:audcom preamp. hey,its a start and a cheap way to have tubes and remote.Its a gamble but for the price and the mod. and the telefunkens its an interestingbuy.I can get by on some cheap wire for now but I still have no source! Its fun shopping here,so much to choose from but confusing as heck!

How about ANYTHING beefy with a great treble control?!

I am glad to see you go with the Electro. I don't know about the AW75 but I owned the AW60, as mentioned above, and have heard the AW120 and Nemos and they all have a similar sound so I suspect the AW75 will also. Now, the 75 is the amp you can bridge for 220w right? If so, you can save for a second one, bridge them and use them as mono blocks running 220 a side. That ought to rock.

Don't know the pre amp so I can't say. However, if you don't like it after a bit, you could try and different approach and sell it and the amp and buy an Electro integrated. Just a thought.

Cheap wire. How cheap? Nordost makes a inexpensive speaker wire that runs about $120 a 8 ft pair, if I remember right; it is called Flatline Gold Mk II. Both my kids use it.

Do you need interconnects too? I assume yes. If so, you will need two pair right? [source to pre and pre to amp] or is there something else in the chain? Again, with Nordost you can go with either Solar Wind (about $110 1M pair retail) or Blue Heaven (about $200 1M pair). Used? Blue Heaven is around $100 (currently one pair for this on AGON) and Solar wind, if you can find them, should run under $100.

There are others, but if this fits your budget, I think they will mate well with your system. Need to know how much you want to spend. If you can't find what you want, email me because I have an inside track to several lines (Nordost, XLO, Tara Labs, Analysis Plus, Van Den Hul, Harmonic Technology, Magnan, and...I don't remember them all but this is enough, right?)

Good listening, let me know what happens.

charles