Thiel Owners

@oblgny , While the Thiel's and the Magnaplanars have an uncanny resemblance when it comes to transient response (though the Maggies are planars they are still techically dynamic speakers), and the Maggies though more coherent than most, are not quite as coherent as the Thiels, but the dispersion characteristics are very different (point source vs. dipole).. Both would make my short list. You might want consider Magnaplanar's new subwoofer with dispersion characteristics that are meant to compliment the Maggies.

@unsound. Your points regarding the existing similarities/differences between Thiel and Magnepan are, as usual, spot-on.  Obviously, since Tom was buying the CS 2.4’s we had to hear them. (I’m still with the Belles 250i Hybrid Integrated) After all, I am a 100% positive feedback member here. 

I played an Alison Kraus live CD unencumbered, just the Musical Fidelity unit, no DAC. And the Thiels were perfect. Damn, I love treble. Just for the heck of it we then listened to the MMG’s - again, just the CD player, no DAC involved. I then involved the sub at my preferred setting. 
 

In this context I will state that the 2.4’s were more articulate in the highs than the MMG’s were, but not with a margin that could make them look bad. Tom made a particularly memorable statement regarding how we perceive the upper registers or the lower ones shortly after this, and it hit me right between the eyes. 
 

I err toward appreciating, or paying more attention to the high end. My tolerance for bass response is probably well below most people’s, meaning that unless the speaker is woefully lacking in it, I can - for the lack of a better description - forgive it. My brain makes up for it in some manner. The Thiels bottom out @ 36hz, the MMG’s @ 50hz. The REL I’m using goes down to 30hz. My employment of the sub can probably best be described as minimal. I do like, and I do appreciate bass, but Thiel taught me well about articulation in both treble and bass. 
 

I will follow your suggestion to audition the new Thiel sub. I have had a previous less than satisfactory experience with their DWM bass panel when I had the 1.7 model. It was…awful. Apart from adding too many additional cables, it added zero to the sonics in total. Meh. 
 

I am slowly rebuilding my main setup. I will not be selling the Belles 250i Integrated. I had to sell my Pass Labs X150.5 amp due to a financial need at the time, an act that I regret to this day - which IMHO - was the best amp for Thiel. Articulate amp? Meet articulate loudspeaker. The Belles could probably use a checkup, and I’m looking for a tech for that purpose as we speak. 
 

I just added a Pro-ject cheap seats turntable mated to a Pro-ject DS tube phono stage, along with an Aurender N100H 2TB music server. My next mission is to look for a DAC that will complement the Aurender since the cheap seats Jolida FX Glass DAC is dated. 

@oblgny, I'm a bit surprised that you seemed to prefer the Thiel treble to the Maggie treble. The Thiel's have gotten some criticism for their treble response, where as the Maggies quasi-ribbon has recieved some cirtical acclaim. I think the Thiel's criticisim has been a bit unfair, as many of the competitiors roll off theirs, where as the Thiel's more accurately offer what it's presented with. I think most of the problem is with the recording techniques. Often times we see photographs of recordings with microphones directly above the violins or inserted into the lid of the piano. With that said, I might have a slight preference for the Maggies in that regard. But..., prefer the gestalt of the Thiel's.

I think you meant to post that you'd like to audition the Maggie {sic} sub.

@unsound. Oops, damn typos. Yes, I meant I will see if I can find a local dealer with the new Maggie sub. Unfortunately, my very local shop, Audio Den, is no longer carrying Magnepan, so I’ll probably have to make a trip into Manhattan. 
 

Re: your statement about my preferring the Thiel over the MMG treble wise. The Thiel was definitely “brighter” to my ears, but by no means was that a slight against the Maggies. 
 

I have to agree with your observation on recordings - everything matters in the final cut. As I was awaiting for the Aurender to complete downloading almost 1 TB of my music files, I more or less binged on Ani DiFranco on my Mac desktop. (I have my files on a portable SSD drive)  I’ll have to dive into who produced/engineered these albums because they sound excellent. I really dig DiFranco as a musician. 
 

Cheers!

Happy Friday! ALL