Best affordable amp for Thiel CS3.6

I can not speak directly to the new mono-blocks with the Thiels.
I have intalled a couple of them but they were more for show than for go,if you know what I mean.
I feel the other Halo product to be somewhat over hyped and I have not been too impressed with them.
The old standby HCA-2200 was a workhorse and had almost enough guts for the 3.6 but lost some control at high output levels.
The 3500 has been a big surprise to me in that it compares with amplifiers much more expensive without a lot of trade-offs.

The thing I like the most is the overall smoothness and number of things it just gets right. No real glaring defects that I experience and I have listened to it with several pairs of expensive speakers.

I am probably going to end up with something better eventually but have no complaints at all with the 3500 especially considering the price.
Like the Thiels the HCA3500 gives a great bargain for the money.

When my friend got his CS7's we tried both a 2200mkII and the 3500 and it was quite educational as to current demands of a truly difficult speaker to drive. Althought the 2200 never shut down or complained there was just not the sense of ease and breath that more current capability brings.
We listened to several amps,Krell,Levinson,ARC,Plinius,Classe and I remembered the old Levinson ML-3 from systems I had done a long time ago.
The ML-3 was one of the first really high-current designs and could deliver seemingly unlimited power when needed.
Another friend had one and we tried it and finally the cs7 had enough to really handle it.

Although the cs7's are in a large room and the ML-3 is not as refined as some of the other newer amps it handled the big Thiels in a way that could not be matched for the price.

We found another ML3 on Audiogon and that is what he uses still.

The Synergy between ALL of the components is what makes the difference between just good and great sound in my experience and as many have stated already the 3.6 will clearly demonstrate each change for better or worse.

I also have never been as aware of cable differences as with the Thiels and that is fairly hard to exhaustivly compare but worth the effort.

I would listen to as many amps that you can afford but let me know if the 3500 has any real competition at the pricepoint.

I would be surprised.

Good Luck
Ed

Thank you for the detailed response, Ed! I do appreciate your feedback. The HCA-3500 does appear to offer a lot for the money. Now, I just need to find one to audition. I have read elsewhere that the JC 1's are based to a certain extent on the HCA-3500 design, but with noticeable improvements. But reviews of the JC 1 are all over the map. Some claim it is the holy grail, and others call it woefully overrated. Again, without auditioning, I will never know for myself. I may have to keep my eyes out for an ML-3, too, from what you say.

I am hoping to audition a couple of amps on Thursday, including Theta Enterpises and McCormack DNA-225. Sure, that's a big price discrepency, but I am hoping to get a feel for the Theta sound and the McCormack sound. I may be able to hear a Classe CA-301, too.

Tom.

I may be getting out of my "affordable" category, but it looks like I may get a chance to audition some amps from Sim Audio (but not the W-5, it looks like) and perhaps an EDGE NL-10, too. I've heard nothing but good things about EDGE, so I will be looking forward to hearing the NL-10 with my Thiels.

Tom.

If you decide you can afford the NL-10 (used), then you should try to hear the Rowland 201's with your Thiels. Really.

Unfortunately, the closest Rowland amps that I can find are in Cincinnati. About 3.5-4 hours one way. Still, it might be in the cards. Certainly, I have heard good things about them. The dealer that has the NL-10, though, dropped Rowland in favor of EDGE.

Tom.