I used to sell both Vandersteen and Thiel but own Magneplanar 1.6 QR's. They are all very good speakers and I agree with most of the comments noted above. The Vandersteen's are easiest to drive, the Maggies and Thiels are less efficient, with the Thiel being the most difficult load on an amp. All three benefit from proper room placement but the Maggies are most critical being a dipole. I personally prefer the sound of the 2ce over the Thiel 2.3. You'll have to hear a set of 1.6 Q/R properly set up to believe how good they can sound.
VANDERSTEENS vs. THIELS
Dear audiophiles, I'm getting ready to buy some new speakers after 25 years of using AR10pi's. I've narrowed my choices to Vandersteen's 2Ce, Thiels 2.3, magneplanar 1.6. Please give me your thoughts on reliability, accuracy, other comments. I will power them with Onkyo m-504 amp (150w/ch) and use rega phono and cartridge,some CD's on a Denon 370. Thanking you in advance hififile, (aka: Bennett).