Opposite of Thiel


Got the bug. Love my new Thiel CS2.4 loudspeakers. Thinking of getting rid of my Eminent Technology LFT-8b planars, mostly because they're so damn big. They do sound glorious, though.

So if I picked up another pair of speakers physically on the size of the Thiels or smaller, what would be a great candidate with a wholly different set of attributes than the Thiels? Here is what I love about my CS2.4's:

-- resolution & detail
-- frequency response
-- ruthless treatment of upstream equipment + recording

So I'm thinking I might want to try something eminently "musical", maybe not full-range, but sweet and euphonic with a broad, deep soundstage and great fun factor. Pinpoint imaging may not be necessary, but I have to say I love that huge soundstage my planars provide.

Amp: Bryston 4BSST2
Preamp: Parasound Halo JC-2
CD: Cambridge Audio 840C
Turntable: VPI Traveler with Dynavector HO MC cartridge

Budget is $5K or less. Some brands that have caught my eye:

Paradigm S2
Proac
Dynaudio

Smaller, narrow electrostats?

Any thoughts are appreciated.
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Showing 2 responses by zd542

"Used Vandersteen Quatros (cloth model) maybe?"

I don't think that would be a move in the right direction. The Quatros are much more detailed than the Thiel. You may not notice it initially because they do have a fuller sound.
I agree with Yashu. I had the Proac Response 2.5's myself and recommend them highly. It sounds like the type of speaker that you are asking before in your original post.

Also, I want to add to my first post for clarification. My post kind of sounds like I'm not recommending the Vandersteen's because they aren't good in some way. Nothing could be further from the truth. Vandersteen is my favourite speaker. The OP asked for a speaker that was the opposite of his Thiels. The only point I was trying to make is that they are not the opposite. The Thiels do share some of the same characteristics. That's all I meant to say.