I’ve had the same speakers for 21 years now — Thiel CS3.6s — and have been very happy with them. In that time, I’ve made numerous changes to my system (mostly Naim electronics) and don’t feel these speakers have ever limited my system — which is detailed, has PRAT, and also very good imaging.
I don’t listen to many other speakers since I think it’s kind of meaningless doing so using other electronics, cables, etc. in a different room — and it’s almost impossible to get large heavy speakers to demo in my own room.
I guess I’m an audio dinosaur, but when I do (infrequently) hear other systems, I’m rarely thinking that WOW this sounds so much better than my own system.
Is there anything wrong with sticking with what I know works and getting “off the merry-go-round” — or am I an official audiophile dropout?
What’s wrong with having a great sounding system that you’re happy with and not obsessing 24/7 about whether or not I can impress others with my system.
I would venture to say that you are not 100% content with your current speaker setup, otherwise there would be no motivation to post this message. I think secretly you are hoping a bunch of us will chime in with things like, “Life is too short, so don’t limit yourself.”. Or maybe, “There really is no ‘I’m finally there’ moment in audio, so who are you kidding?” Even yet, “Hell… 21 years!? That’s ROI X 5! Go treat yourself to something shiny and new for crying out loud!”.
Problem is shiny and new isn’t necessarily better. Once you get to where you believe your system is “there” for you, then I’m not sure it’s necessary to keep searching. BUT that audiophile curiosity is always there lurking in the back of my mind…
How much can you spend? Those Thiels are nice but there are quite a few amazing speakers out there.
Find a Magnapan dealer… immerse yourself in them… find a Focal dealer and get off on the detail and dynamics… on and on.
Being an audiophile doesn’t mean you are never happy. Those folks are just dopey to me. But it is fun to explore a new technology or check out stuff a tier or two above where you are.
or you might consider having the surrounds refurbished as I’m sure they are quite dry and fragile at this age. Perhaps they have a crossover update that could take them to the next level.
I have the CS-6 and have had the crossovers re-capped which made a huge improvement. They sound great but that does not mean that something else might either be “better” or give enjoyment in the hunt. It is hard to tell without bringing anything else into your room-a real pain. I don’t know how PSA can send out their new offerings when ready for test drives at over 100 lbs each.
MARKH: Curious how you had ur Thiels recapped. Did u ship them or take out the crossovers yourself? Even the new Thiel service guys don’t recommend shipping the speakers due to size and weight.
Or if the desire to help others warms your heart…donating to your favorite charity is always a kind choice to those who may be less fortunate than ourselves…
I am very fortunate to have a local genius who came to my house(Chicago suburb) removed the crossovers then re-installed after recapping. Yes, these units weigh about 150 lbs. each.
MarkH - you’re fortunate having an “in-house” tech genius!
A few weeks ago I asked Rob Gillum (former Thiel employee now doing service on Thiel speakers) about a crossover update but none is available; he would replace worn components with the same parts - but that’s still good news. Problem is I don’t think I’m capable of removing the crossovers and then reinstalling them myself - but I’ll deal with that problem if there’s a problem with the crossovers.
My tweeters need to be rebuilt so I’ll take care of that and then see how things are afterwards.
