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PSB or Thiel? nOrh??

Hi all. I'm looking at upgrading my Infinity-based home theatre/"stereo" system. My taste is primarily rock (I'm a Rush fanatic), but my music collection contains alot of jazz, classical, country, and just about everything else you can think of except rap. My 5-year old Overture 2's are nice, but I suspect I can find better sound without spending insane amounts of money. ("Insane" - such a relative term...)

Of course, I spend as much time using the system as a home theatre as I spend listening to 2-channel music.

After doing alot of reading, I'm thinking PSB Stratus Goldi or Thiel 2.3 as the mainstays of the new system. I have no dealer near me to listen to any Thiel speakers, so I need the sages' advice before I buy.

For years I've read about nOrh speakers - does anyone have any experience with them? For the price of the used PSB's or Thiels I could pick up new top-of-the-line nOrhs.

I'm open to other suggestions in the 1k-2500 (used or new) price range.

Thanks!
aggielaw
milo
58 posts
 
Try to audition before buying. To my ears, the PSB speakers and Thiel do not at all sound alike. I find the PSB to be more authoritative with good bass while the Thiel are very detailed. If you've heard and like one of these, I'd guess that you would not like the other pair.
Good luck, Dave.
mlauner
250 posts
 
thiel needs lots of power but excellent sound. psb good all
round less power required a bit more wooly and less control
than the theils.
krazyaudio
11 posts
 
Greetings Aggie!
I love my Thiel 3.5's! but they require far above average equipment to truly bless them! I listen to all types of music.....Keith Richards ..."main offender".....Pink Floyd.."the wall"...classical....jazz...Above all...remember!!do not waste your money and buy new!!! I never never never do!! I paid $600 for my Thiel 3.5's, they sold new for almost3k!. Sure they are not new...but in excellent shape! and....reference grade equipment, if it is truly..like the thiels(Rated A in stereophile)...is always great and your enjoyment will never decrease, because you really know the quality of your cd's and everything else...keep the best...burn the rest!!To me , there is nothing like a reavealing system and by the way...I looooove tube equipment! and if you look around...there is a strong revival of tubes!(not that they were ever dead!) Hope this helps you!
Rol
pops
2,275 posts
 
Hey Krazy, you've got excellent music tastes!
tombowlus
416 posts
 
I agree with the above comments, and I think that Milo stated the comparison fairly succinctly. I would add that the Thiels will have significantly more midrange and detail than the PSBs. There is another thread comparing PSB and Thiel which you might want to check out, and I posted some additional thoughts on both brands there. I am a Thiel owner, but I have helped several friends pick out speakers, and two of them chose PSB (with several others going the Paradigm route, which you may also want to consider, if you like PSBs). Ultimately, if accuracy and detail are paramount to you, the Thiels are the way to go. However, being a rock fan (and a bass player!), I will say that if you get the CS2.3's, you will most definitely want to get a good sub (REL, or the new DD series from Velodyne come to mind). I recently auditioned a pair of CS2.4's, and while the detail and focus was incredible, I really felt that they were lacking in low end. Same goes for smaller Thiels (although surprisingly, the SCS3 has deeper bass extension than than either the CS1.6 or the CS2.4). My father-in-law has a pair of CS.5's which I helped him pick out, and let me tell you that a pair of .5's with a good sub can sound darn good!

Personally, I went for CS3.6's, because I preferred their more full sound to the more focused sound of the 2.4's. I have one SCS3 for a center, though I am considering picking up two more (or one more, and a MCS1) to round out my HT system.

Hope this helps, Tom.
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