Thiel CS 1.5 vs Linn Katan

i have to say that i have never heard a decent thiel until the 2 2 model and higher

dave.

darn, so it doesn't sound like a good trade up. My rig's like this:
Audible Illusions L-1 Tube preamp
Jolida JD-100 CD Player
Linn LK-85 Amplifier X 2
Linn Katan Monitor Activ
REL Acoustics Storm Subwoofer
Harmonic Technology Truthlinks Interconnect
Linn K-400 Speaker cable
Virtual Dynamics Power 2 Power cord
PS Audio P-300 AC filter
The setup is very nice, but now looking towards a larger speaker to fill up the sound more. On the weekend, I heard a great transmission line 3 way IMF Studio Reference monitors and loved the way that the bass hit you in the chest. My friend then turned on a set of classic Rogers LS3a and I loved the warmth there in the vocals. Linns are known to be clean and analytical and the bass I find to be dry an even thin at times. Anyone want to recommend some larger speakers? I was thinking of going to a set of Totem Mani2's, not larger but much bigger sound!

On the larger (and bigger sounding) side of monitors, you may want to look for a used pair of Tyler Acoustics Linbrook Signatures... New, they are sold direct from Tyler at about 3K, but they can be found used under 2K. These have top-notch SEAS Excel series drivers, and they get down to about 35HZ.

---Dave

great system though the linn mini monitors are musical. but somewhat 2 dimential. the thiel 2.2's are musical and 3d. the thiels just disappear as if the music presented to you is just right in front of you. i have never heard any other loadspeaker do this so well

good luck
dave

I owned a pair of the 1.5s a number of years back and I did not like them too much. As noted by others, they always sounded thin and they were not very dynamic. On the other hand, I like the Katans even less than the 1.5s. They are veiled and two-dimensional compared to the Thiels and you can do much better for the money. The Totem Mani-2s are considerably better than both the Linn and Thiels (IMHO) but, of course, they are also considerably more money. You will also need a good amp for the Manis with, at least, 100 wpc. You might also want to consider the Totem Tabus or the Model 1s - also very good and considerably more effecient.