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| The Thiel CS3.7 |
Meeting Thiel Again after 10 years
In this age of social media, where a lot of people reconnect with old friends using Facebook, Twitter, and other sites - I have been surprised how life's twists and turns over the decades have a lot of people in circumstances different than you'd expect. A couple will have done quite well - one of my old High School friends, for instance, keeps posting the places all over the world she and her family have been traveling. It's a lot of fun to live that Jet-set lifestyle vicariously. Some haven't done as well, scraping by. Most remained in the middle class. Many have a very different outlook on life than they did when they were younger, some haven't. Nothing like a few miles on the odometer to shake things up. It is sometimes kind of fun to see how things ended up.
I do have a point - this is related to Thiel Audio. I first became aware of Thiel when I heard them at a local shop,
The Sound Concept, in late 2003. I was so bowled over by them that it was instant love and purchased them that same day (and their competition was a roster of high end: Focal, Magnepan, PSB). We have lived with a pair of Thiel CS2.4's since. But after 10 years, it was time to check out how things in the speaker-world had changed, so it was time to check in on Thiel, and their highly regarded CS3.7 released in 2008.
Wow, have things changed there as a company - that friend we all have that has rocky fortunes with ups and downs -
that's Thiel. On top of the audio world for nearly 30 years, with a dynamite lineup, they got hit hard by the 2008 recession. With the death of Jim Thiel, the technical force behind their speaker designs, in 2009, the company struggled with both a poor economy and a shaken customer base. Kathy Gornik, widow of Jim Thiel and President of the company, struggled to keep Thiel moving forward (releasing a refreshed CS1.7 and CS2.7), but eventually sought an investor, who acquired Thiel earlier this year (2013). The investment company announced that they were keeping to the key technologies of Thiel
[Ed note from Oct 2014 - Not anymore], and releasing a fleshed out product lineup. It is rare that a company in boutique audio survives the death of its founding technical vision, so Thiel is the exception so far, but despite their likely survival, it's a safe bet, that if we come 'round to see Thiel in 10 years, it will be a very different company. Since we feel a different Thiel is far better than one that goes defunct, we really and honestly hope they have continued success and carry the technologies to new levels.
We love our CS2.4's
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| Behind our dog, sits our pair of Thiel CS2.4's ... our main transducers for the last 10 years |
We don't make any bones about the fact that we really like our speakers. A speaker in many ways is the primary window into the music you listen to. While source is very important, a loudspeaker is by far the biggest limiting factor. The Thiel CS2.4 window is neutral enough that we can easily hear the subtle shift associated with changing cables out, and the sound of a new component.
Like many things audiophile, they make big demands, but reward richly when the demands are met. If you supply them with an amplifier that can deliver 150W or more without strain, you will get a coherence, and clarity approaching an electrostatic speaker, with the dynamics and drive of a cone speaker. If you prefer a touch of warmth, an amp noted for "warmth" will give it to you. If you prefer a "cooler" presentation, the right amp would do it. The only mistake you can make is to short change the speaker, at which point it will sound harsh, strident and hollow. A nicety I had learned after 10 years of ownership also, is while there are better placement options than others with the 2.4's, they are generally not as fussy about room placement as many speakers. We found them easy to live with provided you gave them enough power.
While they aren't perfect - and they have their fussy needs like anything else - they really can grow with your system This is a large reason why we like them.
Finding De-Mo
In the ten years we have owned the Thiels the local and national audiophile landscape has changed. Many bricks and mortar stores went out of business 5 years ago, with the survivors operating out of their homes and online, or carrying a very much reduced inventory. Thiel lost their representation in our hometown in the chaos following the economic collapse. And while it appears that stores and shops are starting to expand again, it is definitely at a smaller scale. The upshot is that in the region of Western New York State, there has been a thinning out of bricks and mortar shops - and in the transition, Thiel went missing.
When we were trying to seek out Thiel, we had hit a number of difficulties. It looked like it would be long drives (5-8 hours) to far-flung places for a sound demo - and that just didn't set very well with us. We both get precious few weekends that are completely free, so not only does it make it logistically difficult to travel, we generally couldn't go if we wanted to.
Just as we were about to write the Thiels off, we got a phone call from one of the principles of the defunct shop we bought the 2.4's from - apparently they had decided to pick up the line again at the shop he works in now. We were elated in being able to hear the latest from Thiel - so we set up an appointment to hear them.
(Next - Part 2: Listening Impressions of the Thiel CS3.7)
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