2. speakers
  3. 1073350194

Thiel speakers... one more try

As you guys may already know (since I post here every other week), I'm shopping for speakers. I currently own a pair of Dynaudio Audience 120, which are too small to give me the bass and upper-bass response I need for my favorite music style, progressive electronic music, very loud I must add.

After going to alot of shops here in Sao Paulo, Brazil, I found a store which had the PSB GOLDi and the Thiel 2.2 (with crossovers upgrade worth $2000 from Thiel) for sale, at basically the same price range. The thing is that the Thiel has been discontinued in 1997 and the PSB GOLDi he has is brand new, still in the cartons, latest model.

After going there three times, I decided the Thiel suits me better. But I tested the PSB in a very very BIG room, very tall, with a nice Harman Kardon receiver in stereo mode and Burmeister CD player. The Thiel was tested with a hefty Threshold amplifier, but with a poor Technics pre-amp and a lousy Marantz DVD player. Considering both had disadvantages, I considered that the Thiel was better off due to the generous amplifier and the good acoustics of the room, which was almost perfect (the guy has two stores, one for new equipment, and the other for used ware)

What I liked about the Thiel was that it had a very defined and confident upper-bass and midrange, and while the PSB had a very tasty low-bass, the upper-bass was not tight at all, and something was clearly missing there.

I'm gonna use either of these babies with a Mccormack DNA 0.5, Mccormack TLC-1 and Adcom GCD-750. I already tested the Thiel with the Mccormack and it was very good.

Considering most say the PSB would be easier to drive. Considering it had so many disadvantagens in my auditions, like acoustics and electronics. Considering I fell to the Thiel. Considering that the PSB is $2200 new in the US, and a used Thiel runs for $1200 in Ebay. Considering that I would never be able to sell the Thiel for a similar price in Brazil and that the PSB is much more sought after.

With all of these, what should I do, give the PSB a go, because of the newer technology and better market value; or take a chance with the Thiel, which could satisfy me for years more, or become a burden.

Opinions please?

Thanks in advance
jmabe
glen's avatar
glen
714 posts
 
Close your eyes and trust your ears
plato
1,543 posts
 
Jmabe, I've heard very good things about that particular Thiel model so I'd probably buy the 2.2s. If you liked them in the showroom you'll probably like them more at home.
They're a good brand and model and will always have resale value. And chances are good that if you hit a speaker you really like you won't have the urge to change them every six months... Then you'll be changing your associated gear instead. :)
rtn1
535 posts
 
I have Thiel's, love them, and recommend them under certain circumstances. I am not sure I would recommend them to you, though. I simply don't think electronically generated music sounds very good on them. Although they are capable of delivering clean sound and speed, they are far too revealing. You might be drawn to all the new sounds you never heard before on your CDs, but you might end up finding the whole performance somewhat flat. The bass extention may not be low enough for the music you like. I understand your options are limited, but you may want to take another longer listen.

Rob
jmabe OP
34 posts
 
Thank you for the support.

Rtn1, Thiel to me sounded pretty good with electronic music. Just as good as I wanted, and quite more than I ever expected.

Plato, good to know the Thiels have a good reputation, I was really confident on that matter.

I decided to contact the dealer and ask him to setup both for me to listen under the same conditions. But the resale value is still buggin' me.
tombowlus
416 posts
 
If the Thiel's sound better to you, then I would pick them up. As mentioned above, trust your ears and don't worry about resale. From a potential buyer's remorse perspective, would you rather have that niggling sensation in the back of your mind that you should have picked up the PSBs when (and if) you decide to trade up or sell your speakers, or do you want to have that niggling sensation that you should have picked up the Thiels every time you listen to your PSBs?

Also, Thiel has tremendous customer support, even for used/discontinued models that may be out of warranty. So long as the speaker has not been abused, they may very well take care of any problems you might have.

Good luck, and trust your ears!

Tom.
More to discover