Another vote here for passing on that pair. The market on used 3.6s has dropped over the past few years (I overpaid for mine six years ago). For a few hundred more dollars, you can probably find a pair that is fully functioning. Good luck.
Thiel CS3.6 with issues: take the chance?
I am considering purchasing some used CS3.6 from a dealer. I auditioned the speakers and it seemed to me that the drivers were all working fine. One of the passive radiators looked as if a cat had had a brief go at it with its claws -- maybe a dozen scratches, one or two amounting to a little gouge, but there were no obvious punctures. On audition, I noticed that one of the speakers -- the one with the scratched radiator -- seemed to have a lower gain than the other. Instruments seemed to be predominently coming from the other speaker (the amp being used had no balance control, so assume equal output to each speaker). This was especially noticeable with cymbals and voices, but overall balance was maybe 40/60 left/right. The salesperson confirmed my impression, and said they would look into seeing what was up. They report that they suspect a crossover issue, and that they do not want to chase it down and repair it themselves. Their tech is mostly in the field to do installations,and it is not worth it to them. They are offering me the speakers as-is for $900. I am pretty well lusting after them, but do not want to get them unless they can be put exactly right (in a way that I will confident of) for an amount of money I can live with. So I am asking advice,
Specifically,
1) Should I be concerned about the scratched passive radiator?
2) How many crossovers are there -- two in each speaker or one complex network in each? I imagine the former.
3) Would you trust a reputable speaker repair place to diagnose the problem and/or repair the complicated crossover?
4) Should I repair all crossovers if one of them needs repaired?
5) Should I have the service tech simply remove and send the crossover to Thiel for repair?
6) Is there anything else that might be the culprit here?
Please forgive my verbose questioning. I could tell from the audition that if these were made to work correctly, i would have found the speaker for me. I currently have CS 2 2's, and while I love them, the 3.6 has everything they do, but greater dynamic range and bass control, depth and most importantly authority.
Any help much appreciated.
Specifically,
1) Should I be concerned about the scratched passive radiator?
2) How many crossovers are there -- two in each speaker or one complex network in each? I imagine the former.
3) Would you trust a reputable speaker repair place to diagnose the problem and/or repair the complicated crossover?
4) Should I repair all crossovers if one of them needs repaired?
5) Should I have the service tech simply remove and send the crossover to Thiel for repair?
6) Is there anything else that might be the culprit here?
Please forgive my verbose questioning. I could tell from the audition that if these were made to work correctly, i would have found the speaker for me. I currently have CS 2 2's, and while I love them, the 3.6 has everything they do, but greater dynamic range and bass control, depth and most importantly authority.
Any help much appreciated.