Thiel 2.4s vs 2.4 SE sound quality?

If you can afford it, all reports (including my friends who've heard them) point to the 2.7s being a real step forward.

I had the 2.4SEs and to be honest, the improvements were small.

But the 2.4SEs to me represented decent value.

You could get a similar set of outriggers (brass vs aluminium) for the 2.4s and a similar finish for the regular 2.4s (birds eye maple etc) but this would have put the price significantly higher up than regular 2.4s and very close to the SEs.

Plus you don't get the custom finish that's specific to the SEs nor would you get the upgraded boutique caps that comes with the SE. That makes for an improvement. And you don't get the limited edition signed/numbered plates that you get on the SE.

But the jump from using the new 3.7 coax is not subtle.

Thanks for the reply, Doggie. The 2.7 might ultimately be the best option, although the standard 2.4s are quite good, especially from a sound and value perspective.

Yes, there are good deals to be had for the older 2.4s. I'd recommend getting the 2.4s if you intend to trade up.

I still kinda miss my old 2.4SEs (I traded them in for the 3.7s) but I think being the last speaker that Jim Thiel launched, it has a special meaning for me.

I was contemplating exactly this when I bought my Thiel's last year. In the end, yes, the SE's are a little better than the standard 2.4's, but only by a very small margin; I just could not justify the additional money.... More than anything else, they look nicer.... sound-wise, you'd be better off spending that extra money on source/amp...

Sorry, I check the forums every few months nowadays, but this may be of interest to some.

I've had 2.4s for years. When the SE came out, I called Thiel and asked them which brand/model 'boutique capacitors' they used where in the crossover. They change out the two capacitors that are in series with the coax driver (27 & 13 uF), from standard issue Axons to Clarity Cap SA. So I one-upped those and got matched-pairs of the next Clarity Cap model up, the ESA, and bypassed them with Vishay MKP 1837 as per the 'humblehomemadehifi' site. Total parts cost from PartsConnexion was ~$130, and accessing the crossover is easy as was soldering them in.

Obviously I couldn't A/B them anymore, esp as it took probably 200hrs for these giant caps to settle in and sound their best. But I can say that the speakers have never sounded better, and it does allow the coax to be all it can be, with far less veiling than the stock caps -- if audio memory serves. I can't swear to it, as these are the only caps inline with a driver, and they're matched to <1%, imaging improves too. Not a bad mod for a couple hours and $130.

Having said that, unless you're a Thiel junkie, I'd certainly buy used 2.4s (with outriggers if you want) and then throw in even better caps than the SE uses for a whole lot less money than getting one of the 150pairs of SE. And if you somehow think the 2.7 is a great deal at $10K, I can assure you it's a far better coax than the 2.3/2.4 units.

TMI

Another vote for the CS 2.4, it has a very rich-sounding presentation to these ears. Should be a nice upgrade from the 2.2 as the OP indicates.

Happy Listening!

A follow up;
The CS 2.4SE is even sweeter than the standard 2.4 (if you can imagine it).
So, I bought a pair earlier this year. Happy Listening!

I'm seriously considering a pair of 2.4's. I currently have a pair of Meadowlark Swifts, and want to move up the resolution and frequency extreme chain. 

My only issue is that I listen very much in the nearfeield, and I've read that the Thiels need room to coalesce. If so, this is a deal breaker for me.

Does anyone have any insight?