Very detailed and "clean" with good soundstage

Lacks very low bass response

I've owned my Thiel CS1.5's for nearly 5 years now and they continue to amaze me. I've auditioned similarly priced speakers from PSB, Martin Logan, and Vanderstien but I fell in love with the little Thiel's. The CS1.5's lack very low end bass response but there is enough there to be satisfying and its clean and tight. For my setup, I found the sweet spot to be low and center - I lay back in my sofa with very bad posture but I'm comfortable and the sound comes alive! I'll have to try elevating the speakers someday. As someone else has already said, it's important to mate the Thiel's with good electronics. I tried mine with a "high-end" receiver and they sounded pretty average but when I reconnected the CS1.5's to my usual setup the music was clean and transparent again. These speakers reveal a lot of detail and good electronics are a must. Here's my setup:

Cal Icon MkII CD Player or
Adcom GCD-700 CD Changer
Classe CP-35 preamp
Classe CA-200 amp
Thiel CS1.5 speakers

For the price, the Thiel CS1.5's are hard to beat. I've heard that they work very well with tube gear too - I'd love to try my CS1.5's with some CJ gear someday.

Similar Products Used:

PSB Stratus Gold/Silver, Martin Logan Aerius

Detail is excellent--Excellent soundstage--Quality workmanship

Bass on the light side---Somewhat brite at times

I have had these speakers for several years now and have never felt that I was getting the qualiy sound from them that I should have. The room that I have them in I know don't do them any justice but I really don't have a choice. The electronics I use to drive them are a Parasound Amp and a Parasound Pre amp. I use a Rotel CD player. I see that many other reviewers say the same thing about them that I feel and that is that they do seem to be a bit on the the brite side. I just recently hooked up me Sons Definitives DR7 speakers to my system which by the way cost two thirds less and overall I feel the sound from them is better then the Thiels.

Similar Products Used:

Magnapans---Thiel 2.2---PSB---Definitive

I've auditioned the CS 1.5's a couple of times and was pretty impressed. As with other Thiels, they're extremely clean and detailed, and are surprising dynamic for their size. The one big turnoff, however, is limited stage height. It just really blows the sense of realism to hear instruments placed at knee level.

woderful sound with a lot of detail.
Great bass for its size.

Bass has no feeling.

In the time they were at my place i enjoy them very much,it is a great speaker but they mis a lot of feeling in the bass,but they have a very big stereofield.
If the misssing of the feeling in the bass do not bother you it is a wonderful speaker.

Similar Products Used:

totem,diapason,ar.

Detail, detail, detail and wonderful soundstage.

SPL's and no real deep bass, niether an issue for me. I use a sub at times when I want deep bass.

I have Sequerra ribbins that take the top to a higher level, just wonderful using a Pass amp. I don't think you can do better as a bargain if one gets an outstanding amp to drive them, truly a high end speaker.

Similar Products Used:

Manapan's

About a year ago I was in an audio store and the sales staff treated this speaker like it was some kind of 'gimp' they didn't want me to see. I tried many speakers they had in the same price/performance range and they never even mentioned the Thiel which was sitting on the floor . I felt like the American in ' An American Werewolf in London ' when his innocent inquires led to close to the local dark secret ( did they know something ominous ?). They did hook it up , briefly, but spoiled the demo by assuring me I would find it far to revealing and worse it could be BRIGHT . I don't know what it sounded like that day, ...they wouldn't shut up . Well, now it's a year later and I've heard them again in a friends system...,.after my last experience , I had presumed something dire was up with the speakers, why had the sales people been so reluctant ? I thought a ghoustly figure of Jack Nickolson would appear out of the speakers and scream at me..." ..the TRUTH ??? YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH !!!..." .
...instead they were simply magnificent . Full, deep, satisfying sounds with genuine substance . Brass and cymbals like I've heard rarely, and only in much more expensive gear, vocals ? out of this world ( and in your room ), piano ? ...saves the trouble of lugging one into the house . Ry Cooder's new Bueno Vista cd was amazing with these speakers . ,...and all done in an effortless , relaxed presentation that was a joy to listen to ( I wouldn't go out for weeks if I had them ).
On the question of the speakers being bright...,with an excellent source the sound is unbelievable,...if the source is poor, so will the sound be...,...don't you worry about your speakers when they sound great with a sub-par recording ?...Obviously means your not getting the goods any of the time..., ...I'd rather carefully selected the source material, than to never be brought to the top level...,
The assoc. gear used was Krell, Sony ( top ), room 12X14

Detail, clarity, soundstaging, build quality

Missing the very lowest base.

These are really great speakers. I had a pair of the older and larger CS2.2 but they were just too large for my 11 x 17 room and I sold them but I never got their sound out of my head. These CS1.5's are perfect for my room and there is a big improvement in soundstaging over anything else that I've owned. I feel like I'm hearing things in my records and CD's that I've never heard before. There is a bit less base than with the CS2.2's but I don't feel like I really miss it.
I'm using;
Odyssey Stratos Amp
Audible Illusions L1 preamp
Marantz 6000OSE CD player
Panasonci 91K DVD player
B&O 2400 Turntable
Thiel CS1.5

Similar Products Used:

Dunlavy, Thiel CS2.2, Tyler, B&W, NSM

small footprint, very attractive, easy to move

small soundstage, BRIGHT, veiled, not for rock fans

I really wanted to like these speakers...i like compact,
easy to maneuver, attractive speakers and these seemed
to fit the bill. I didn't use top notch equipment...B&K
202 and preamp, onkyo integra CD...B&K doesn't give you
the ultimate in resolution, but it has a tubelike quality
and certainly isn't identified as bright sounding, but
these speakers are BRIGHT, too much for my taste. I also
found myself needing to crank up the volume to get decent
sound. I like to listen to music at low levels, yet i still want the music to sound dynamic. For me, the mark of a
good speaker is one that sounds good at all levels. I didn't
get that with the 1.5s. In fact, i felt the music was
compressed, even veiled. I kept wanting the speakers to
release the music. I found myself switching back to my
trusty Signet 280's. The 280's at $700 seemed so much more
musical and satisfying. I just couldn't get emotionally
involved like i could with my Signets. One other big
complaint...the Thiels weren't versatile enough...i like
a speaker that sounds good on all types of music.
So, what I'd do? After about 7 months I traded the Thiels
for a pair of the PBN Montana SP IIs. I didn't have a
PBN dealer in my area so I bought them based on reviews.
I figured they couldn't be worse than the Thiels. Luckily,
the Stereophile reviewer was right on. I've been thrilled
with the Montanas...they sound great on all types of music, they're dynamic, sound great at low volume and are not
bright, just natural and easy. I still love my signets
and will never sell them... it's funny how expensive components, high price and fancy technology mean nothing
if you don't get the "box" right. The Thiels score a 10
in looks, but i'll take the Signets anyday. Some may blame
the Thiel's brightness on the metal tweeters, but the
Signets also have metal tweeters and they sound so balanced and open....I've owned quite a few speakers and auditioned many more and maybe my current amplification (Classe) may
have mated more favorably with the 1.5s, but if i'm going to plunk down $2100, i want to be able to listen to my
whole CD collection, not just folk music and small jazz
combos.

Similar Products Used:

Signet, Vandersteen, PBN Montana, Martin Logan, Proac,
Totem

Clear, beautiful imaging. Elegant. Extremely well made.

A bit weak on the bass side (add subwoofer, wa-la).
Placement VERY important!

After reading almost all of the reviews here before posting, I decided to point out the characteristics of the Thiel 1.5 speakers that I definitely have noticed in my 2+ years of listening to mine. I mainly listen to electronic-rock-jazz with a dash of classical, country, techno, space!
1> They will quickly show you the quality of the recording you are listening to. Bad recordings sound very BAD. Great recordings do for us what we all crave. That intoxicant, music... on a cerebral level!
2> Speaker placement is VERY important with the Thiel 1.5s! They need to be at least 1-foot from a back wall, and at least 3 feet from a side wall if possible.
3> Lower bass response is somewhat lacking. I personally have a 100-watt M&K powered subwoofer added, which makes a WONDERFUL combination!
4> Can seen a bit "bright" at times, but I blaim this most probably on the recordings.
5> As someone else pointed out, these things can suck some power. They can't be cranked as loud as some other speakers.
But then, they crank plenty loud enough! I am running mine with a Adcom 5500 power amp.
The sub-woofer addition made a big difference, but they sound great alone. My sub has an adjustable gain, and I run it mild so as not to overpower the Thiels.

Similar Products Used:

Klipsh, Definitive Tech, B&W, Martin Logan

Very detailed, good soundstage, tight mid-bass

Lacks very deep bass

I auditioned PSB Stratus Gold/Silver and a similarly priced Vanderstein but the Thiel CS 1.5's stood out as the "cleanest" sounding of the lot. Yes the PSB's had deeper bass but they lacked the detail and soundstage of the Thiel. The Thiel doesn't go quite as low as some of the other speakers but there's adequate bass response for its size and the bass you get is tight and well defined. In comparing build quality, the Thiels win hands down. I've had my CS 1.5's since mid-1994 and they're still a current model in Thiel's product line 7+ years later. Why mess with a winner?! My current setup:

Adcom GCD-700 CD changer
MSB Gold Link III 24/96 DAC
Conrad-Johnson PV-14L tube preamp
Classe CA-200 power amplifier
Thiel CS 1.5 speakers

You need decent electronics to drive the Thiel's. I tried an Adcom amp as well as a "high-end" Sony ES DTS receiver. They just didn't cut it. My Classe amp does a great job with these Thiels.

Similar Products Used:

Vanderstein / PSB Stratus Gold & Silver