2. amps-preamps
  3. 1333909767

Need info on amp rec. for these Thiel cs2.4's

Ok, this is my last attempt before I have Crutchfield take the speakers back.

let me say that when things on these speakers sound right it trully is amazing. On most other average CD recordings though the speakers sound tends towards the brighter side. I just recently purchased a NAD M51 DAC and it helped and is a first rate piece of equipent - I have a review on Audiogon if your interested. However, while Im generally happy with the speakers I think either I need to change the amp or get a CJ preamp - ET2 (or similar). Im using the NAD to drive the Amp (a Vincent sp331 - 150 @ 8 ohms and 300 at 4 ohms) directly so no preamp at this time. I hooked up my friends 5082 Adcom for kicks and the treble is good there, but there is no space or dimension to the music. Thus my thoughts on changing the amp. Its flat. He also has a VTL 2.5 preamp that helps by the virtue that it is a tube piece and helps plump up the mids while softening the highs (thus my thoughts of CJ preamp). However sticking a piece of equipment in between the source and amp seems like a backwards step.

Im dedicated to at most $3500 dollars to bring the system in line for the hights. Problem is I have nowhere near me that I can go to listen to the equipment before purchase so its all online for me, so I'd need to be able to puchase it that way. Im not a big fan of used but I could go there if necessary.

Some thoughts on amps:

Channel Islands d200 MKII
Parasound Halo 21

Preamp thoughts:

CJ ET-2
Rogue 99

What my thoughts on what the amp should do is be warm, solid state, not emphsize the highs obviously, balanced or unbalanced, and have at leat near if not more that 300w into 4 ohms. I've heard dampening is important with Thiels but not sure what the numbers mean.

Please any thoughts would be appreciated on my situation here.

My urgency in this is I have till May 17th before I need to tell Crutchfield to take them back.

Now I do really like the speakers and I know many people will tell me to do just that - they are so close to being "there"! But let's use that as a last resort on info here b/c I know I have that option.
last_lemming
last_lemming OP
639 posts
 
Ok. Might be sending the ciaudio's back. There are some really good things to like about them but something isn't quite geling here with the Thiels. Maybe I should just sell the damn Thiels! I dunno getting real disappointed trying to make these speakers work. Anyway I'm going to be auditioning the Parasound Halo 21 in hopes to find some synergy. Not sure if it will be there. It seems the speakers need the bass and mid bass to open up to balance out the highs. The D200's went a long way in doing this but carried an edge to the highs I found a bit tiring. I did look at McCormacks like some of you suggested, from Spearitsound.com but I don't think they have a 30 day return policy.

Anybody have any thoughts on the Parasound, I'm not sure it's going to do me any favors in the highs either, or at least bring out the low, but it gets relally good reviews.
doggiehowser
672 posts
 
If you don't have 300 hours at least on the 2.4s, the 2.4s sound very horrible. I remember the agony I went through with the first few months of ownership.

Then one day, the tardiness of the bass went and the highs lost their initial harshness.
last_lemming OP
639 posts
 
Yeah I'm hoping your right. I'm probably approaching 250. I've got about 100 hours of decent loudness playing through them and another 125+ just letting them play at night, though not very loud. So I've got a bit to go

Not doubting your word on them loosening up, but do you think some of that loosening up was you just getting use to them?
doggiehowser
672 posts
 
I don't think so.

I was documenting my impressions at a local forum, almost on a daily basis.

My room then had a bad 50Hz problem so a number of R&B songs were unbearable to me. So that's what I did. I put in a Squeezbox to stream my "problematic" tracks every day.

I even used to "remote control" my home PC to dial up the volume during the day and dial it down before I got home (no one was home but the missus never let me leave the house with the volume as loud as I liked haha).

Anyway, I was very encouraged to read of a similar experience from another Thiel owner in avs forums and his comments struck a chord with me.
djohnson54
396 posts
 
Last_lemming,

In my first post I mentioned wiring the speakers out of phase. If you just swap the +/- on ONE of the speakers and face the speakers at each other in close proximity, most of the sound will cancel (especially with mono material or white/pink noise). You can then play them much louder without disturbing neighbors, etc. Of course you can't enjoy them set up like this but they should break in much faster. Forgive me if you know all of this already or don't have the ability to properly place them for this.

Dick
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