Piego P-10 or big Thiels?

This is a shot in the dark, and I recognize that Thiel's balance is tilted towards the treble in most of their earlier models, but I will note that long ago when I owned Duntech Princesses, not a particularly bright speaker by any means, I was troubled for a while with a very slight upper midrange/treble glare similar to what you're describing. It turned out that the culprit was the Purist Colossus, original version, speaker cable that I was using, which had just a small touch of extra presence/energy in that area but was otherwise a great-sounding cable in my system. This particular characteristic is not present in other, later (and pricier) Purist cables I've heard, nor with the Dunlavy speaker cable with which I replaced the Purist. If there's a way for you to borrow another set of Purist cables, say Proteus or one of their newer lines, it might be worthwhile to see if and how much the cable is contributing to the problem you're experiencing before you do your speaker upgrade.

I can't give you a direct comparison - in fact, I've never heard the Piegas. I will tell you, however, that I have noticed the same thing with that particular Holly Cole track. Let me explain:

I used to have a pair of Hales Concept 2s which, like the Thiels, have a sloped and contoured baffle and require that you sit a bit further away in order for the drivers to integrate.

Recently, I listened to the Thiel 7.2s and included "I Can See Clearly Now" in my listening. Gone was the sibilance. In fact, there was NONE of the harshness that people commonly associate with Thiels. There was, however, tons of detail, a HUGE soundstage that was as airy as I've ever heard. Of course, the electronics were quite superior ($70K worth of Krell Reference) and all Nordost Valhalla cabling was used. In addition, the room was pretty large (20X25?) and the listening distance was probably 12-14'.

I don't know if you've heard the big Thiels, but I'm surprised that they don't get more attention. Perhaps its' due to the company's undeserved reputation for making "bright" speakers. Those days are long gone. I know this is probably considered sacrilige, but I preferred the 7.2s to the Sonus Faber Amati Homage that I listened to on the same visit and in the same room. And, in case you get the wrong idea, I'm not a detail freak. I'm more of a euphonic, tube kind of guy.

Finally, speaking of tubes. I don't know what you think about your BAT gear, but I also heard (at a different store) a pair of the CS6s driven by BAT VK60 monoblocks. The bottom end was not very authoritative, but the midrange up was just heavenly. Perhaps in your medium-sized listening room, the BATs would provide adequate power. Plus, with the used prices, they're an absolute STEAL!

Good luck. Let us know what you end up doing. Hopefully some others will be able to provide insight regarding the Piegas vs Thiel.

Hi
I am not familiar with the Thiel's, but at the prices I have seen lately for the P-10's I would have to say they are the best bargain in all of audio.
Regards
Carl