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Amp for Thiel CS1.5?

Hi again folks,
Well I settled on purchasing a set of Thiel CS1.5 speakers to upgrade more to 2-channel from HT. I may live with my Outlaw 1050 powering them for a short time but know I'll need a separate amp from what I've read.

Thiel's website seems to strongly suggest getting an amp that will double the wattage as the impedence halves. Getting something close to this will probably narrow the field of contenders.

My biggest constraint is what I can spend on an amp right now. I can probably swing around $500-600 for the amp.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Just from reading I've wondered about a 70 or 100 watt from Classe, or that a Rotel might be a stepping stone until I can swing something nicer.

Thanks,
Chris
hi4head
czbbcl's avatar
czbbcl
1,752 posts
 
Hi4head

I wouldn't let doubling down conern me but another amp to consider would be McCormack.

Chuck
unsound
7,338 posts
 
Chuck, the McCormack is a good recommendation. For someone new to this using the "doubling down" criterion has a lot of merit. The 1.5's hang around 4 OHms and drop to 3 Ohms.
czbbcl's avatar
czbbcl
1,752 posts
 
Unsound

The point of my comment, and I apologize for not saying this earlier, is that one should be more concerned about sound quality and system synergy. Obviously the number of watts required is a function of room size and acoustics as well as the type of music and sound level required.

Another amp that did a pretty nice job with my Thiel 3.6's was a B&K st140 I believe was the model number. A friend let me borrow his until my new amp came in and this should fit well within your budget.

Chuck
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
Main concern would be how large a room you've got. If on the smaller side (appropriate for these speakers), even a decent push-pull tube 50-watter could sound better than many affordable SS 100-watters (that's the experience I had with my 2.2's in a smaller room), depsite the fact that tube amps don't "double down". Point is it's going to be the sound quality of what watts you do have that matters most, not the specs, and these speakers will please much more at your budget if you trade off high power for higher-quality power.
calbrs03
184 posts
 
From my experience with 1.5s, Classe CAP 100 was a good match. But Thiels use a lot of power, even small Thiels, even in small rooms I now use a Musical Fidelity A300--260w @ 4ohm--and a small REL sub. The sub really helps with power management. The speakers aren't working so hard to distribute all that fine wattage. In fact, I could really go down in power. So, if you still have a powered subwoofer from your HT, use that with the Thiels along with your Outlaw--not sure what that sounds like on Thiels--and wait a bit until you have the money for a quality power source, because, like you've probably heard, Thiels will reveal every mistake you've made upstream. Best of luck.
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