Upgrade Thiel CS3.6 to CS6??


I am thinking about bidding on a pair of Thiel CS6 speakers in bird's-eye maple, and would like some input from those of you familiar with these speakers. I have owned a pair of CS3.6's for seven and a-half years and I've been generally very pleased with their sound. Can anyone out there tell me what I can expect to gain in terms of sound and performance by upgrading? Do the CS6's have bi-amping/wiring capabilities? My current amp is a Mark Levinson No. 23.5 which is what I plan on using should I get the CS6. I'd imagine that should be adequate as it is capable of delivering 400 WPC continuous into a 4 ohm load. I also have a Mark Levinson No. 27.5 that could be used in a bi-amp setup if the speaker is capable. My listening preferences are extremely diverse and include rock, folk, classical, jazz, "adult alternative".

My other concern would be room size and the restriction to a fairly near-field listening position. My room is somewhat odd in its layout. The dimensions are: 13 feet wide and 22 feet long. The caveat is that the room opens into a foyer and is interrupted by a staircase that cuts off about half of the back wall. In other words, half of the back wall is 14 feet from the front wall and ends at the stairs, while the other half of the back wall is 22 feet from the front wall and extends into the foyer. I hope that made sense. Because of the staircase and foyer, I must sit about 8 feet from the front plane of the speakers. I keep the back edge of my CS3.6's about 30 inches away from the front wall and the center axis of each speaker lies 40 inches from each side wall. The speakers are 75 inches apart when measeured from the center axis of each. Is my room too small to accomodate the CS6's? Please keep in mind that I will likely be moving into a different home in the next 1-2 years (with definite plans for a dedicated larger listening room), so I could live with the current suboptimally sized room temporarily.

Thanks to all and happy listening!!

Mark
mstram
Absolutely! stevecham

I do wonder if the guys as above are still listening to Thiel speakers.
Please post more thoughts and impressions on the 6s and CS 2.4 models.
I was "hooked" after (1) session w/ the CS 2.4
Happy Listening!
stevecham...

Zombie threads are fun.  I've added to threads as old before I realized how old they were and, well, what the hell ...

Each time another member has responded with "you realize how old this thread is?"


Interesting thread bump.  And quite an education in how differently people can see things.

d_edwards for instance saying the CS6 was a step backwards and the worst speaker Thiel ever made was bizarre.  I'd compared it to the various Thiels up to that point and the CS6 was easily my favorite.  I'd first encountered it producing, for me, the best sound at CES, hooked up to some VAC amplification.  I got hold of a pair (while I was reviewing speakers) and  it was the best speaker I ever had in my room up to that point (and still top two, probably only beaten by the 3.7s).    I remember someone close to Jim reporting it was Jim's favorite Thiel speaker (at least before the 3.7 re-design).

Then, truly crossing into the Twilight Zone, jafox raved about replacing Thiels with the Talon Khorus and Peregrine!  Around the same time I also tried Talon speakers and they sounded so bad - so dark and colored - I had to call over another reviewer pal to see if I was crazy.  I wasn't.  They sounded so obviously colored that I had to ask if they were broken (not broken in...broken).  Turns out they weren't broken, that was how they sounded (and I seem to remember Talon speakers measured really poorly...though can't be sure about that memory at this point).

Take home of all this: don't trust other people's opinions, including mine ;-)


FWIW, I always felt that for almost twice the price the CS 6's only provided a bit more dynamic range and ease in doing it,over the CS3.6's. IMHO, one of Thiel's poorer values.
I have actually owned the CS6, also the 2.2, 2.3.2.4 , 5.0 and MCS 1. The CS6 is a great speaker, requiring less amplification than the 7 or 5 series. The 6's have better bass than any of the 2 series, and aren't as difficult to set up as the 5's. The 6's were my favorite Thiel. I found them to image well and offer the most satisfying experience with just a pair of Krell 250 monos as amplification.  My room was 22" by 26", but I had the speakers about 9' apart and sat about 13 feet away. I don't think your room would cause a problem at all. Good luck!