Thiel 2.3--bright or harsh ?

I had a simular experience with the 2.3. I would not call them bright per say. It was more like the upper mids were very forward and in your face. I made a felt ring and put it around the mid/tweeter which helped smooth out the sound somewhat. Has anyone else had trouble with these drivers failing? I had terrible luck with them. I had 2 pair come appart within 6 weeks! The surround came loose where the voice coil couples to the midrange. It was horrrible --the tweeter was still working just floating there and would buzz when it struck the midrange. BEWARE these speakers and not meant to handle a lot of power. Thiel did replace them under warranty. After I got them replaced the second time I sold them and bought B&W Nautilus 804's. I have had them for about a year and am really happy with them. The Thiels bottom end may be better but IMHO the 804's sound so much more musical better balanced and effortless that it was no contest. Sad to say as I have always had respect for Thiel products and I feel that their early designs were way ahead of the competition.

I have a pair of Thiel 2.3's with the new upgrade, they sound better with the upgrade. I auditioned your same setup. Did not like at all. I also auditioned pass labs x-150 and x-2. Loved it - bought em. I never really liked the rega. Try the adcom gcd 750(budget), Wadia, Sony SCD, much better choices.

If you haven't sold your Thiels by now, try changing your speaker cable first. I cannot tell you how important speaker cable matching is to your speaker. If you want to audition cables, I recommend the Cable Company. They will send you burned in cables to audition for very reasonable rates which can be applied against a future purchase. Dial 1-800-FAT-WYRE. Just for your info - a close friend had Theil 2.2s for many years and used Purist Audio Design cables to great advantage which yielded a smooth non-glare sound with terrific imaging. Of course, he also had Audio Research tubed preamp and a SS Audio Research amp.

I do not know the specs of the Krell KAV 300i nor have I heard it connected to the 2.3s. That being said, Thiel 2.3s require a high current amp. I have heard these driven with a Forte amp and preamp (class A electronics; 50 WPC!!! but high current)and they did not sound bright or harsh at all. Classe, integrated amps included, is also a good choice. Also heard these with Krell separates (I don't recall the models) and they didn't sound as good as the previous mentions. Cables may be a good first choice before you change your entire system. MIT cables may work. Hope this helps. Good luck. Dave

I think the problem is in your amp. My experience with a Thiel/Krell combination has not been good. I felt the sound was too harsh. I currently have a Thiel/Classe/Cardas combination which does not at all have any harshness to it. The Cardas Golden Cross cable are an excellent match for Thiel speakers. If you can afford them, The Cross model works well also. I have also heard McIntosh amps with the Thiel and think they have an outstanding sound.