Thiel cs3.6 Floor Standing Vintage Audiophile speakers originally £4K Amazing

Thiel 3.6 Floor Standing Pair of speakers. The drive units are time aligned, and a 3 way design. The sound is very cohesive, the X-over is extremely natural and so the sound is very well balanced, and gives and excellent even dispersion, so very good sound off-axis. So although the speakers are now 25 years old they sound great. I've been testing them with a little Krell Integrated amp, and they work well, though I'm sure the sound would be better with a more powerful amp. The nice thing about the sound is the are very agile, and cohesive, so things like piano come across really well, like you can see the pianists fingers at work.

Although large speakers they have good depth to bass, but won't overblow. These speakers are for someone who likes a great sound - and doesn't want to pay too much. The speakers are : 1230mm tall, 425mm deep, 320mm wide. The speaker cable enters from under the bottom, with cut out at rear. 4mm Bannana, spare or bare wire.

Might suit a new trendy bar that want to set up a cool Vinyl based hifi system, as they have the 70's look. Here is a copy of review from Stereophile magazine. Choosing a loudspeaker can be difficult. Although it is easy to be seduced by a certain model's special qualities, that exceptional performance in one area is often at the expense of other important characteristics.

Go with high-quality minimonitors for their spectacular soundstaging, but give up bass, dynamics, and the feeling of power that only a large, full-range system can provide. If you choose an electrostatic for its delicious midrange transparency, you may have to forgo dynamics, impact, and the ability to play loudly. Pick a full-range dynamic system for its bass and dynamics, but lose that edge of palpability and realism heard from ribbon transducers. The inherent tradeoffs in various designs make it difficult to find a loudspeaker that does everything well. This ideal loudspeaker may not quite reach the pinnacle of performance in individual areas offered by other designs, but its overriding virtue is that it comes close in all areas.

The Thiel CS3.6 is such a loudspeaker. It provides a very high level of overall musical performance and has no serious flaws. Although the CS3.6 may not have the imaging of the Ensemble PA-1 Reference, the bass extension and precise LF articulation of the Hales System Two Signature with a Muse Model 18 subwoofer, or the liquidity of the best electrostatics, it nevertheless approaches the best performance of each of these designs without their inherent sonic tradeoffs or cost. In addition, the CS3.6 is surprisingly inexpensive for the superb performance it offers. The Thiel CS3.6 proves that you can have it all.

Technical description The CS3.6 is a medium-size floorstanding loudspeaker with the familiar Thiel sloping front baffle. In fact, the 3.6 looks very much like a smaller version of Thiel's flagship CS5, which was reviewed in June 1990. The three-way CS3.6 uses a 10" woofer, a 4.5" midrange, and a 1 metal-dome tweeter.

A 10 passive bass radiator extends the CS3.6's LF range, replacing the sealed-box loading of its predecessor, the CS3.5. Unlike the 3.5, no LF equalization is used. As with all Thiel loudspeakers, the crossover is a true acoustic first-order (6dB/octave) type. A black grille covers the drivers and curved baffle; the cabinet is available in a variety of wood veneers.

My review samples were finished in amberwood (footnote 1). A single pair of five-way binding posts on the loudspeaker's bottom panel provides signal connection. Thiel believes that bi-wiring can cause detrimental interaction between the cable and loudspeaker, and therefore offers only a single input (footnote 2). Three carpet-piercing spikesone in front, two in backcouple the CS3.6 to the floor. All the drivers in the CS3.6 were designed by Jim Thiel and built to his specifications by Vifa in Denmark.

The metal-dome tweeter, the same unit used in the CS5, features a long excursion (±1.5mm) and has a high resonant frequency (27kHz). This driver is crossed over at 3kHz to the 4.5 midrange driver, which features a unique design that is the subject of a patent application. The midrange's diaphragm is constructed of two cones of different shapes. The outer diaphragm has a greater flare, creating a pocket of air between it and the inner diaphragm.

This structure is said to be stronger than a single diaphragm of the same weight. In addition, the lowest resonant frequency is higher than with a conventional diaphragm. The result is reportedly flatter frequency response and less energy storage in the diaphragm. The midrange also employs an innovative mechanical structure, including a short voice-coil in a long magnetic gap. This reduces non-linearity at high excursions caused by the voice-coil leaving the gap. The entire assembly is mounted in a cast magnesium basket.

Footnote 1: Thiel uses farmed wood veneers exclusively. Footnote 2: Thiel also believes that a single run of high-quality cable is better than two runs of lesser cable. Further, they often don't hear a benefit when bi-wiring their loudspeakers.

Finally, bi-wiring offers the potential of degrading the performance if users try bi-amping with amplifiers of different gains, orperish the thoughtif an external crossover is used. The CS3.6's woofer is unusual in that it uses a metal diaphragm. The anodized aluminum diaphragm has higher compressive strength, resulting in more of the energy in a transient attack being converted to sound rather than compressing the diaphragm material. The metal diaphragm also raises the driver's resonant frequency (to 2kHz).

The woofer's motor structure is designed to overcome nonlinearities created by traditional implementations. A specially shaped pole piece reduces the difference in magnetic field strength at the gap front and rear, resulting in lower distortion. The passive bass radiator, mounted just above the woofer, couples low-frequency energy inside the cabinet to the outside, much as a port does in a reflex system.

Hallmarks of Jim Thiel designs have been sophisticated crossovers, and the CS3.6 is no exception. The 25-element network, implemented with 38 components, not only provides first-order low-pass/bandpass/high-pass filtering for the drivers, but also corrects for driver-response anomalies.

The crossover also has a notch filter at 2kHz to attenuate the woofer's fundamental resonance at that frequency. Nearly all the capacitors are polypropylenethe few electrolytics aren't in the signal pathand all are bypassed with custom-made polystyrene and film types. Inductors are air-core types wound with low-oxygen wire. The enclosure is no less impressive. A 3"-thick front baffle is mated with 1"-thick sidewalls and back panel, reducing cabinet resonances.

Five internal horizontal braces further add to the CS3.6's enclosure rigidity. Cabinet vibrations can be a major source of coloration in dynamic loudspeakers; the acoustic output of a vibrating surface is a function of the surface's excursion and area. Given the very large wooden panels in big loudspeakers, it's easy to see how even small excursions can create audible artifacts. The cabinet-radiated energy is not only spectrally colored, it is also delayed in time. These effects induce boxy colorations and smear transient detail. The sloping front baffle aligns the drivers' outputs so that their outputs arrive at the listener's ear at the same time. A major design element of the CS3.6 is the curving baffle and flush-mounted drivers. These techniques eliminate any sharp edges near the drivers, reducing diffraction.

Diffraction is a re-radiation of energy, typically from cabinet edges. This re-radiated energy, delayed in time by a few milliseconds, combines with the direct signal to generate constructive and destructive interference. This can be seen as tiny ripples in the loudspeaker's frequency response. Diffraction also seems to blur image focus, reduce soundstage depth, and make the listener aware he is listening to loudspeakers and not music. The CS3.6 is clearly the result of a Herculean design effort.

The custom-designed drivers, elaborate crossover, and sophisticated enclosure all point to a serious effort at advancing the loudspeaker art (footnote 3). The overall result of these techniquescustom drivers, sophisticated crossover, and careful attention to the cabinetis extremely flat frequency response.

Indeed, the CS3.6 claims a typical response of 30Hz-10kHz ±1dB. This is the range of virtually all musical information; if the claim is confirmed, it represents an extraordinary achievement. Finally, I must comment on the CS3.6's beautiful build, solid construction, and elegant appearance. The high level of craftsmanship in the CS3.6 is readily apparent.

Listening The CS3.6 displaced my reference loudspeaker, the Hales System Two Signature, during the auditioning. I've had the CS3.6es set up for about two months, using them to audition other components and for pure listening pleasure. After some experimentation, I placed them 48" from the rear wall and 34" and 24 from the sidewalls. The listening chairwhich puts my ears at 36was midway between the loudspeakers and 10' back.

It didn't take long to realize that the CS3.6 needs a beefy solid-state amplifier to sound its best. The VTL 225W Monoblocks sounded extremely good in the mids and trebleto the point of being a synergistic matchbut didn't have the low-end control and current output the CS3.6es seemed to demand.

I thus ended up using the Mark Levinson No. 23.5 for virtually all the auditioning. Ancillary components included a heavily modified Well-Tempered Turntable and Arm resting on a Merrill Stable Table. The AudioQuest AQ7000 (and, later, the AQ7000nsx) cartridge was amplified by a Vendetta Research SCP2B, which fed an Audio Research LS2B line stage. A 20' run of balanced AudioQuest Lapis provided connection to the No.

Digital sources included the Mark Levinson No. 30 processor fed by the No.

31 transport, the Meitner IDAT, and a Meridian 263 processor (to be reviewed next month). I used a single run of AudioQuest Sterling from the No. 23.5 to the Thiels. Footnote 3: There are many more design touches I haven't gone into. For a full technical description of the CS3.6, see Thiel's excellent and comprehensive technical paper, available at no charge from Thiel. My main point for comparison for the CS3.6 is the Hales System Two Signature, with which I have become intimately familiar. It was apparent on first listening that the two loudspeakers shared some very special traits, but also some significant differences. My first reaction upon hearing the CS3.6es was an enthusiastic Yeah! I began enjoying music immensely from the first moment with the CS3.6esalways a good sign. They had a fundamental musical rightness that was immediately apparent. The CS3.6es' overall tonal balance, dynamics, and soundstaging were all first-rate. Moreover, there was a distinct impression that the CS3.6es were providing a transparent window into the playback chain and the recordings. This is clearly a remarkable loudspeaker.

The CS3.6 had an amazing degree of control, punch, and depth in the bass. Kick drum had a satisfyingly powerful impact, with a sudden attack and equally fast decay.

It was the antithesis of soggy, slow, or blurred. Reproduction of electric and acoustic bass was full-bodied, rich, and had a terrific sense of power and drive. There was a beautiful "purr" from bass guitar lines that formed a solid foundation for the rest of the music. The CS3.6's fully fleshed-out bass and excellent dynamic capabilities combined to produce a driving "can't sit still" rhythmic involvement in the music.

Electric bluesBuddy Guy's Damn Right I've Got the Blues (Silvertone 1462-2-J), Robben Ford's Talk to Your Daughter Warner Bros. 25647-2, or any Stevie Ray Vaughanreally cooked through the CS3.6. In this regard, I rate the CS3.6 better than the Hales System Two Signatures, even when the Signatures are augmented with the Muse Model 18 subwoofer. No, the Thiel won't go as low as the Muse or play as loudly, but the CS3.6 had a weightier midbass and greater rhythmic involvement.

That midbass, however, came very close to being a bit overblown. If the Hales erred on the side of precise articulation at the expense of weight and fullness, the CS3.6 was right on the edge of being too fat. I wouldn't begin to characterize the CS3.6 as bloated or distended, but the midbass could begin to intrude on the music ie , making the listener aware of its presence apart from the musicon some recordings. Careful placement, a good room, and considered choice of associated components can ameliorate this tendency.

In addition, the CS3.6 didn't quite have the Hales's pitch precision and tautness in the bass when used without the Muse. The bass was remarkably uncolored, however, without a trace of boxy coloration. Left-hand piano lines were even and well articulated, and male voice was free from congestion and chestiness. Overall, however, I greatly enjoyed the CS3.6's full bass, its ability to present the steep attack of kick drum, and its terrific rhythmic qualities. The CS3.6 had another quality that struck me: the impression that the loudspeaker was so uncolored that I could "see" back into the recording chain. The CS3.6es were a transparent, crystal-clear window on the signal fed to it. Naturally miked recordingsRed Rodney's Then and Now (Chesky JD79) is a good examplehad an immediacy and "you are there" impression that was uncanny. It was like taking one step closer to the musical event. The CS3.6es made it easy to visualize the recording studio or acoustic environment and the position of instruments within it. Mike Garson's The Oxnard Sessions, Volume One (Reference RR-37), with its wealth of spatial information, constituted another example of how the CS3.6es could transport me into the recorded acousticparticularly with the LP version. This remarkable transparency had its drawbacks, however. The CS3.6's extraordinarily low coloration and high resolution made any imperfections in upstream components all the more obvious. This is not a loudspeaker meant to be driven by mediocre sources, preamps, or power amplifiers. For a reviewer, this was a great advantage when evaluating, for example, D/A converters. But for long-term musical enjoyment, the CS3.6's resolution could make you less satisfied with your electronics and sources. The CS3.6's need for a clean signal was exacerbated by its flat tonal balance. There was no common sonic signature imposed by the CS3.6 that could be combined synergistically with certain electronics to produce a euphonic result. The CS3.6 gives poor electronics nowhere to hide. Consequently, I found the CS3.6 better with analog source than digital. The forwardness of (most) digital could push the CS3.6 over the brink into the realm of ruthlessly revealing. Many loudspeakersincluding the Hales System Two Signaturehave a slightly recessed midrange that mitigates the forwardness and upper-midrange glare of digital sources. Not the CS3.6; what you put in is what you get. In one respect, this is what one should demand from a loudspeakerthe truth.

On the other hand, some listeners may prefer a more euphonic (read "colored") presentation. Similarly, the CS3.6's treble was clean but revealing of source imperfections. When used with analog or topnotch digital, the CS3.6 had a quick, detailed, and pure treble. Cymbals had just the right amount of brassy sheen without degenerating into white noise. The two components of a cymbalthe low-frequency, gong-like portion and the airy, delicate sheenwere well-balanced, contributing to the CS3.6's natural treble presentation.

The typical tendency of metal domes to sound hard was not apparent in the CS3.6. Instead, they had a nice sense of air and detail without sounding analytical. Moreover, the treble was very well balanced in relation to the rest of the spectrum. The CS3.6 had less top-octave energy than the Hales , but slightly more in the upper mids and lower treble. Overall, I would rate the CS3.6's treble as the cleanest and best balanced of any dynamic loudspeaker I've auditioned at length. Previous Thiel models have, in my opinion, been overly bright, aggressive, and analytical, particularly in the treble. When mated with most solid-state electronics, this resulted in a less than musical presentation. This trait, however, has been greatly ameliorated in the CS3.6. Although the CS3.6 couldn't be described as sweet, laid-back, or soft, its treble presentation was vastly superior to that of previous Thiel models, particularly the CS3.5. The CS3.6's uncolored presentation, transparency, and image focus combined to reveal a remarkable feeling of palpability, particularly in the midrange.

The CS3.6's ability to reveal slight differences in tonal shadings and inner detail made the music more lifelike, less canned. There was a greater sense of "guitarness" to recorded guitar, a more palpable impression of "pianoness" with piano. This degree of resolution and accuracy would be outstanding in any loudspeaker, never mind one as relatively affordable as the CS3.6.

The feeling of precision provided by the CS3.6es extended beyond their tonal balance to their spatial presentation. There was a superb sense of soundstage focus and tight image delineation. Instruments and voice occupied specific points in space rather than sounding spread over the soundstage. This characteristic contributed in part to my earlier observations about "seeing into" the recording chain and original acoustic environment. The ability to place the musicians in the acoustic was exceptional.

There was a stunning sense of the loudspeakers disappearing, leaving only the music. Further, the presentation wasn't confined between the loudspeakers, instead extending well beyond their lateral boundaries.

This was true only on recordings that called for it; the CS3.6es' spatial presentation varied greatly depending on the recordingas it should. In addition, the CS3.6es threw a very strong, stable, and tightly focused center image. The sense of depth was superb, but didn't have the last degree of distance between the front and rear of the soundstage heard from some other loudspeakers, including the Hales Signature Twos. This is perhaps due to the CS3.6es' more upfront midrange presentation (by comparison), a trait that seems to reduce the sense of depth. Nevertheless, the CS3.6es' space and depth were more than adequate.

Dynamics were exceptional by any measure. There was a suddenness to the music that made many other dynamic loudspeakers sound slow and compressed.

Playing the drum track from the second Stereophile Test CD revealed the CS3.6's superb dynamic capabilities. There was an immediacy of the impact that accurately conveyed what the live drums sounded like. Incidentally, the CS3.6 was excellent at revealing the tonal differences between the lower toms, something that very few loudspeakers can claim (footnote 4). The entire spectrum was quick and clean, but what most impressed me about the CS3.6's dynamics was the bass punch. Many fast loudspeakers are lean; others with a full bass tend to sound slow and fat.

The CS3.6, however, combined bass weight with transient snap. This is perhaps the quality that most endeared me to the CS3.6the weighty bass presentation, combined with a fast attack and decay of bass drum, infused music with rhythmic energy and drive. Music in which the drummer uses two bass drums (the Dixie Dregs' Rod Morgenstein, for example) was particularly revealing of the CS3.6's ability to present each bass drum's attack and keep the two instruments from converging into a sloppy mess. Some products under evaluation make it easy for the reviewer to find fault with them; their shortcomings are readily and continuously apparent throughout the auditioning.

With the CS3.6, however, I had to look hard to come up with criticisms. The CS3.6 is not only exceptional in all the specific areas described, but the overall musical experience it provided was powerful, expressive, and immensely involving. Conclusion I can say without reservation that the Thiel CS3.6 is a remarkable loudspeaker.

It is extraordinarily uncolored, providing a transparent picture-window view into the music. Its exemplary tonal balance, superb spatial presentation, and excellent dynamics combine to produce a compelling musical experience. Moreover, it is significantly more musical than earlier Thiel products, with a smoother treble balance and less aggressive presentation. The CS3.6 is a loudspeaker I could easily live with on a long-term basis.

Not all listeners, however, will like the CS3.6's immediacy and high resolving power. This definitely isn't a loudspeaker for those who prefer a softer-than-life, or unfocused, perspective.

The CS3.6's primary shortcoming is a tendency to be ruthlessly revealing of imperfections in source and upstream electronics. The loudspeaker's high resolving power works as well on musical information as it does on such electronic artifacts as glare, grain, and hash. Careful selection of the highest-quality associated components is required to get the best out of the CS3.6. Overall, however, I found little to criticize in the CS3.6.

It does many things well, and has no serious flaws. Indeed, it should be considered by those considering spending twice this amountthe CS3.6 is that good.

What more can one say? Footnote 4: JA blew up one of the CS3.6es' midrange drivers while playing this track at a very high level in an attempt to unmask the errors introduced by DCC's PASC encoding. The first few production unitsincluding the review samplesused a different glue on the midrange driver that could cause failure at high playback levels.

Fortunately, Thiel had included a spare driver with our review samples. The item "Thiel cs3.6 Floor Standing Vintage Audiophile speakers originally £4K Amazing" is in sale since Wednesday, October 10, 2018. This item is in the category "Sound & Vision\Home Audio & HiFi Separates\Speakers & Subwoofers". The seller is "chriscornflake" and is located in London. This item can't be shipped, the buyer must pick up the item.

Brand: Thiel
Audio Inputs: Banana Jack
Model: cs3.6
RMS Power: 100-500W
Type: Floor-Standing Tower
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Speaker Design: 3-way
Configuration: 2.0 System
Sound Quality: High Fidelity (Hi-Fi)
Connectivity: Wired
Colour: Walnut
Manufacturer warranty: None
Unit Quantity: Pair
MPN: cs3.6