I think I've made up my mind


After having auditioned the following :

1. Avantgarde Uno G2 + Audio Note SET amp/Pathos Twin Towers integrated amp
2. Magico V2 + Soulution 720 pre + 710 power amps
3. Sonus Faber Elipsa/Wilson Sasha + ARC Ref 3 + Ref 110
4. Thiel CS3.7 + Parasound JC1 pre + JC2 power amps

...and after weighing all factors like room interaction, degree of difficulty of setting-up, value for money, magazine reviews, and comments posted here and AVguide.com....

...the winner is: Thiel CS3.7 + Parasound JC1/JC2!

Now for the cables. MF and JA of Stereophile noted that the specs of Parasound show ultra-wide bandwidth and high-current capability which reminds me of Spectral amps. Therefore, would MIT Magnum MA speaker cables and interconnects be a good match? Anyone has any other suggestion? Thanks.
jtein

Showing 1 response by pops

Congratulations on the 3.7's! I have owned 3.6's for 10 years and would lean towards a 3.7 if I ever got the serious itch to move to something slightly different. However, I have auditioned many speaker systems and have learned once the Thiel sound gets in your blood its hard to move on!

I have auditioned and owned tons of cables, more than I would like to admit. Although they are system dependent (you can view my system here) I have found Analysis Plus Pro 9 SC to be a match made in heaven for me. They allow my system to deliver a coherency from top to bottom with a full and satisfying midrange - something many speakers cables cannot achieve with Thiels. They are also virtually impossible to beat for the money. However, all tastes are different, systems are different and cables while a vital link/component are system dependent, you will have to piece that last link together with auditions. Hopefully some of the advice on this thread will help get your further along than scratch - Jim and Unsound both have great suggestions. Jim nailed the Magnum description from my experience and I have used both Goertz and Straightwire and lived with both for a while. Goertz and SW are also great bargains in the performance/price ratio. But as you know there are a lot of choices! Good luck.