thiel cs3.6

vpolineni · « **on:** 15 May 2003, 02:12 pm »

hey everyone..
I just bought a used pair of these that haven't even finished breaking in. I plan to match them with some odyssey xtreme monos and probably the tempest pre-amp. Wires will either be groneberg or possibly analysis plus. Can anyone comment on these speakers and recommend any other speaker cables/interconnects that go well with these? thanks in advance.

Xi-Trum · « **Reply #1 on:** 15 May 2003, 04:18 pm »

Well, the Thiel is what got me into hi-end audio. But watch out for its metallic tweeter.

The Odyssey extreme monos are getting good reviews around here. On the Tempest, you may want to audition and compare it with other preamps before making your final decision. The ones from manufacturers on this forum would be a good start. Look at the Bent, AVA T7, or IRD LL-Purist. I have the Bent. I highly recommend that. I'm hoping to audition the LLP from IRD soon.

vpolineni · « **Reply #2 on:** 15 May 2003, 04:21 pm »

xi-trum, have you heard the tempest?

Xi-Trum · « **Reply #3 on:** 15 May 2003, 05:41 pm »

No. But I know others who have heard and compared it to ones I know. Your best bet is to try them out. Keep what you like and send back the others (if you can). Don't assume anything and get locked into one brand.

KeithR · « **Reply #4 on:** 15 May 2003, 07:52 pm »

Tip: Get a tubed preamp.

Xi-Trum · « **Reply #5 on:** 16 May 2003, 12:17 pm »

Get tubes if you don't mind the maintenance and the ever changing sound of its aging. Also, it's great if you consider tube rolling as a sport.

BlackCat · « **Reply #6 on:** 16 May 2003, 02:32 pm »

I have the Odyssey Extreme monos. I source them through a passive preamp - a Monolithic Audio PA-1. The system sounds great. I've only heard the Theils at a dealership, but I did get an extensive listen as I was auditioning CD players through them. The system was an all-Rega setup driving the Theils. They sound very nice, although I was sitting quite close to them (about 4 feet), and the Rega power amp is not in the same class (power-wise anyway) as the Odysseys. You know what they say, it's all about synergy, and I think the synergy between the Theils and the Odysseys should be quite good. One thing to note is that a lot of folks consider the Theils to be a bit bright, a common "complaint" about B&W speakers, which I have. With the Extreme monoblocks, I have never thought my B&Ws have been bright, so maybe this would also pertain to the Theils.

KeithR · « **Reply #7 on:** 16 May 2003, 05:29 pm »

Quote from: Xi-Trum

Get tubes if you don't mind the maintenance and the ever changing sound of its aging. Also, it's great if you consider tube rolling as a sport.

On a preamp? Maintenance? I had more problems with my Stratos than any piece of tube gears (blown fuse, and not a big problem for sure but more of a nuisance)

doug s. · « **Reply #8 on:** 16 May 2003, 05:56 pm »

tube pre is a must for *any* speakers, imo!

for s/s amplification, i like the electrocompaniet stuff a lot. great detail, accuracy, dynamics. no grain at *all*. plenty of current; which is what the thiels need. an aw75dmb worked great on my thiel 3.5's, when that was the main set-up chez-sedon. but now that i've gone to tubed amplification, i dunno if i could go back to solid state there, either...

i did put the thiels back in the main rig a coupla weeks ago, to humor psychicanimal, who was paying a wisit, & my recently-acquired mesa baron tube amp drove 'em quite well. i could be wery happy w/a mondo tube amp like that, on thiels. and, i understand the 3.6 is an easier load on amps than the 3.5's...

doug s

BikeWNC · « **Reply #9 on:** 16 May 2003, 06:02 pm »

I'm using a tube preamp with Odyssey Extreme Monos, the Symphonic Line Der Erleuchtung. It's a great match. The only 'problem' I have with this pre is waiting for it to warm up before listening. About 1/2 hour.

Andy

audiojerry · « **Reply #10 on:** 16 May 2003, 07:01 pm »

Quote

Get tubes if you don't mind the maintenance and the ever changing sound of its aging. Also, it's great if you consider tube rolling as a sport.

That's the argument that the silicon based lifeforms always seem to use
as one of their justifications for solid state.

Tube preamps will run for years on the same few inexpensive tubes. Mine has been going strong without a problem for 2 years. But the sound is constantly changing as the tubes age ( RIGHT

) My amp has been going just about as long on the same set of tubes.

Well made tube gear (Marantz, Dynaco, etc) from the 50's and 60's are still going strong.

Brad · « **Reply #11 on:** 16 May 2003, 07:46 pm »

Not to mention that Xi-trum doesn't keep ANY component long enough for tube life to be an issue......

Maintenance??? Sorry honey, I'll be changing the brake pads and the oil in the tube amp this weekend - no time for chores..

Xi-Trum · « **Reply #12 on:** 18 May 2003, 01:49 am »

The aging process is slow so you won't notice it over a short time. Try comparing aged tubes (after maybe 6 months of frequent use) with new fresh ones. Anyone who says that tube sound doesn't change over time either doesn't know it or is lying.

Brad, I had the CD-1 for about 2 years. Maybe that's a short time for ya. But I went through 4 pairs of tubes.

Audiojerry, do yourself a favor and put in a new pair of tubes to see how crappy your 2-year old tubes sound.

tkp · « **Reply #13 on:** 18 May 2003, 03:09 am »

Tube aging is greatly depend on how the tube gear is designed and built. Two of the things that age or damage tube fast is heat and sequencing between the heater and the plate voltage.

In the case of the CD1, the tube is encasing inside the chassis. This was done to prevent dust from messing up the transport section of the unit and to prevent outside vibration to cause microphonic through the tube. The bad part about this is that the tube is operating in a fairly hot environment so aging occurs a lot faster.

The heater part of the tube needs to be on about 30 seconds before the plate voltage is applied to prevent shock to the tube. Old tube gear has tube rectifier for the plate voltage and tube rectifier takes time to heat up hence a natural delay of turning on the plate voltage with respect to the heater (which is AC in most cases in the old days so there is no need for rectification). Most tube amp/preamp has the tube exposing outside to dissipate heat to prevent fast aging.

Audiojerry was right to say that tube gears can operate for years with minimal aging and Xitrum was right to say that tubes inside CD1 ages fairly quick

.

vpolineni · « **Reply #14 on:** 19 May 2003, 08:23 pm »

thanks to everyone for all of the responses.
At first, I will not have a preamp because the xtreme mono's will wipe out my budget! However, my source has volume control so I will directly plug that into the mono's. Is this method ok or will I risk the chance of damaging my amplifier and/or the thiel's?