Frequency extension good on top and botton, decent bass, very 3D soundstage.

As others have noticed, a notch of hardness in the midrange, especially around female vocals.

Set up my Thiel 2.3’s last night and compared them to my hotrodded Maggie MMG's, outgoing Quad ESL-63's and a pair of Merlin VSM's w/BAM. The Thiels are pretty decent sounding, but there is a slight hardness in the midrange around female vocals, and the midrange’s coherence and ability to resolve is not as good as panels (Magnepans etc) or more expensive box speakers. I also compared them back to back with Merlin VSM’s with BAM. The Merlins are in another league. The Merlins are more musical, more coherent, not quite as 3D but overall a much more pleasing sound to the ear, and they open a much bigger window into the sound. There were subtle details we heard with the Merlins that we never noticed with the Thiels. It really sounds more like a band is in front of you with the Merlins. The Merlins bass also seemed more even and not as bumpy. In fact compared to the Merlins the overall frequency response of the Thiels seemed a little rough and bumpy. The person I bought the Thiels from upgraded to the Merlins and I could clearly hear why. I suspect with speakers like Thiels and Dunlavys something is given up in the quest for absolute phase coherence. However, less is given up with Dunlavy’s, they don’t have that midrange edge. I don’t dislike the 2.3’s but I think you have to choose components for them very carefully. If anything behind them isn’t completely up to par you’ll have cascading un-musicality. I do like the fact that they have better frequency extension over my Magnepans and Quads, and the bass is pretty good in my room. I have some experimenting to do still with placement and possibly a different power amp (I think a good tube amp may be essential). Of course the Merlins are more expensive, and I have to admit when I heard the Thiel 2.4’s the midrange hardness was not present so they may have further tamed that a bit. I don't buy the argument that a high current amp will necessarily tame a midrange hardness, if it's there it's there. One has to partner these speakers with premap and amp that are somewhat laid back, which is why many find that using a tube preamp helps.

Similar Products Used:

Quad ESL-63's, Merlin, Magnepan MMG(hotrodded).

sound clarity and transparency, great soundstage, no coloration

bad mixed and recorded records sound awfull through Thiels

Some time ago I decided to replace my B&W 805 with some respectable speakers. After considering pros and cons of various speakers I decided to try Thiel 2.3 at home. They sounded great, in a different way then BW805 but I was not confident to buy them. And one day I had Thiels 2.3 and Avalon Symbols together in my room and Thiels outperformed Avalons in sound clarity and transparency. Avalon Symbols sounded nasally with strange coloration in comparison with Thiels. So now I am a user of Thiels and I am very satisfied with them. They sound great with my Mcintosh MA6500 integrated amplifier.

Similar Products Used:

Other Thiels

Beautifully accurate, revealing, a clean and crystal clear window into the pure music signal.

Horrifyingly accurate, revealing, a clean and crystal clear evaluation of your componentry. One other, somewhat indirect weakness: I constantly scour my record collection looking for something worthy of the Thiels for critical listening. If it weren't for Bernie Grundman and his Classic Records (200g single-sided 12" 45rpm reissues of lots of wonderful stuff), I'd... well, I'd have a lot less to listen to.

OK, here it is in a nutshell: Thiels are very likely the most accurate speaker money can buy. This is great for those of us who've meticulously culled out the components of our utmost liking from the parade of products to which we are continuously exposed. This is awful for those of us who haven't. A good way to go about it, in my opinion, would be to upgrade speakers first if you're going to buy any other brand. But be warned: if there is a single component, cables and interconnects included, in your system that is not up to par, the Thiels will stand it blindfolded against a wall, give it a cigarette, drop a sword and put an end to it. If you're going to buy accurate, revealing speakers, it'd be a good idea to keep close tabs on what they're accurately revealing. Thiels are not harsh unless your amp is harsh. Thiels are not efficient unless you give them what you know they want, at the very minimum, 60Wpc. Whatever the characteristics of your present set-up, that's what's going to shine through on the Thiels. With my Musical Fidelity A308cr separates and tweaked-out phono set-up, it's sheer bliss. My Thiels are new 2.3's, and they pair up with the Velodyne HGS-II 12" sub I bought for my 1.5's beautifully, though the sub doesn't have all that much to do anymore. I listen without the sub as much as I do with, nowadays. BREAK-IN. That's one thing that could turn off folks borrowing a new pair of Thiels for home audition. There's a lot going on in that crossover network! Don't bail on new Thiels until they've played moderately for at least 150 - 200 hours. Then give 'em a good, hard listen for a couple of weeks, and send 'em back to the store. I dare ya. Let's see how long it takes ya listening to anything else before you haul ass back to the store to grab the Thiels.

Similar Products Used:

.5's, 1.5's

Quality life-like sound in ALL areas. Unmatched construction, 10 year warranty. NOT A HARSH SOUNDING SPEAKER. allows your high quality componets shine through.

NONE (I'm not just saying this without giving it some thought!) I know a lot of people write great reviews only because they are stuck with a product, and they simply want to say nice things because they own it. As you can tell from my review, if I did'nt love these speakers, they would have gone back like all the rest.

I auditioned many speakers in my own home before I decided on the Thiel 2.3's. I tried Martin Logan's, JM Labs, B&W, Monitor Audio, Energy Veritas, Vienna plus many more speakers in dealer show rooms. Many of these speakers had great aspects, but none of them could match the over all quality of the Thiels. These speakers have great highs, mids and powerful controled bass. I listen to all kinds of music from jazz to electronic to classical to rock, and these beautiful speakers handel it all. I was not only looking for speakers that could deal with all my music, but also needed speakers that could deal with theater application. The Thiels handel theater duties better than I could have ever imagined! I will complement these speakers with a Sunfire sub and never look back and wonder "what could have been. the build quality is another area where the thiels blow away the competition. I have never seen a speaker in the 4,000 price range that could even come close to their quality construction. I would guess that the margins at Thiel are less than at their competitors, because they are obviuosly putting more time and care into their cabenets and drivers. If you are into this crazy $$$ hobby, you obviously care about quality... dont miss out on the Thiels. When you hear these speakers you know that you've moved up to a new level of performance. I suspect that I will be a Thiel customer for many years to come. JOB WELL DONE THIEL... KEEP IT UP!!!

Similar Products Used:

See review for list.

Outstanding soundstage and transients, natural voices, strong bass response.

Sound is harsh and metallic unless paired with high power, high current amplifier and high-end speaker cables.

For those who have read through the reviews of the Thiel 2.3 speakers on this site, exasperation would be a reasonable reaction. Are the 2.3s excellent transparent speakers, or are they harsh, grating overdesigned speakers that hide behind a claim of "accurate" reproduction? I purchased a pair of demo 2.3s about three months ago, and here's the bottom line - these are terrific speakers, but only if you already have, or plan to purchase at the same time, a high quality, high current amplifier that is rated at least 200 watts rms continuous into 8 ohms. Unlike so much else in high end audio, the 2.3's need for associated electronics is actually grounded in physics and electrical engineering, not in the fancy of an audio reviewer or a "golden-eared" audiophile (otherwise known in the trade as a "sucker" or a "goldmine"). The Thiel 2.3s use first-order crossovers and a concentric midrange/tweeter with a mechanical crossover - essentially a high tech whizzer cone. The design is also inefficient, and presents a complex load to the amplifier. What all this means is that the 2.3s are capable of producing an astonishingly stable soundstage and very fast transients, but at a price - they need VERY clean power, and lots of it, or they sound harsh and metallic. I listened to the Thiel demos in a high-end dealer's showroom and was delighted by their clarity and imaging. I noted they were being driven by a McIntosh MC202 power amplifier, but figured that the NAD C270 I had at home would be sufficient - I was wrong. When I got the 2.3s home, I was deeply disappointed - all the faults mentioned in prior reviews were in evidence - harshness, boxiness, limited soundstage and metallic overtones. I contacted Thiel to ask if the problem could be room interaction. Thiel's response was direct and candid - I needed a high current amplifier. After looking at several options, I decided to go with the conrad-johnson MF2500, because it has a reputation for "smoothing out" bright or harsh speakers. So I brought one home, hooked it up, and ... My jaw dropped. These were not the same speakers I had listened to a few days earlier. The high end was smooth, voices were natural, and the soundstage was rock solid with a strong center. The moral to the story - Figure on spending a total of at least $5500 for the combination of speakers and amp.

Similar Products Used:

NAD C270 Carver M1.5 Bryston 4B

Accurate. Detailed and open sound without listening fatigues. Excellent soundstage and imaging. Tight bass. Sweet midrange and highs.

The Thiel 2.3s have been in my systems for 2 years. After numerous upgrades to the front end electronics, and updating the coaxial driver for midrange and treble, I felt that I am ready to comment on these beautiful speakers. If I had to use one word to describe these speakers, it would be "accurate". They simply disappear and let the music shining through without any added coloration. The details and dynamics are definitely among the best. These speakers allow me to hear a lot of the inner details in the recordings that I could never hear before, such as some inhalation from the back rows of an orchestra. The soundstage is big, if not huge, and it is truly 3D. I positioned these speakers well away from the walls, and resultiing presentation is slightly laid back. Imaging is also very impressive -- each player gets his/her own well-defined space on the stage. This could be the result from an excellent phase coherence. Bass is tight and fast, but maybe not the deepest at this price range. Human voice is beautiful and very realistic--the lack of treble/midrange crossover helps! I''ve compared it with several other speakers, and concluded that 2.3s are of the best value. Paradigm studio 100v2, for example, has deeper but not tigher bass. But Paradigm''s imaging is much poorer compared to the Thiels, it blurs the boundaries between the players, and makes the players sound much bigger than real. B&W Nautilus 803 doesn''t have the rich layers that Thiel presents. ProACs are too "rounded", which may please some listeners but not others. The closest speakers to 2.3s, in my opinion, are the JMlab Utopias, which cost more and sound better. The Thiels can benifit a lot from better electronics. I started with solid state preamp and power amp, and was quite satisfied. But the Thiels really amazed me after I changed the preamp to a tubed one. The extensions on both ends become smoother and truly effortless. The old coaxial drivers that I had before upgrading were also good, but not as excellent. They did sound a bit bright on the highs, therefore need more careful equipment and room matching. The new coxial drivers deliver sweet and beautiful highs without losing any resoluation. All the current products should have the new drivers built in already. 2.3s with old coaxial drivers deserves a 4.5 rating, and with the new ones, they are definitely worth 5 stars.

Similar Products Used:

B&W Natilus 803 & 805, JMlabs Mini Utopia & Mezzo Utopia, Paradigm Studio 100v2, Dynaudio contour 3.3, ProAc response 2.5 and 3.8.

The speaker THIEL CS 2.3 is impressive. Her have the bass very controlled , the medium very nice is trasparent, the high sweet, but the max. is the into focus the music, the definition the instrument.

The contact is difficult for istallation the cable rigid

The Thiel CS 2.3 is insert in my personal system.
I have this configuration :
1) Amplifier Krell kav 300 I
2) Cd TEAC VRDS 7 only used as mechanics
3) Conversion AUDIO ALCHEMY DDE 3.0 with HDCD
4) Cable the signal AUDIO NOTE in silver
5) Cable the power is the MIT terminator 2.

The experience is very fantastic. The sound is clear , the soundstage is place perfect. I put the new cd supernatural the SANTANA , the yellow jacket, the dire strides , the pink floyd ...... I up the my chair for the surprise the new magic sound. The speakers is disappear in the room .( Is truee is important the cable MIT TERMINATOR 2 for the sweeted the high ) .
I have listen totality cd in my personal book.
I are return children, with the wish the uncover the new music. ( my precedent configuration is compost of:
1)amplifier AUDIO NOTE P2SE
2)preamplifier AUDIO NOTE M2 line
3)speaker Impulse H6 [ UK speaker ].

Ok Jim Thiel , CS 2.3 is passed .

Similar Products Used:

B&W 802 Natilius; Thiel CS 3.6; for the high sweet the martin logan Sequel

Tight bass, great vocals, good imaging

System matching necessary. Requires a "dead" room to not sound bright. Not very efficient.

This is a follow up to the review I posted on 11/27/99. After getting the 2.3 to sound great in the showroom with the Wadia 830 and Plinius 8150, I bought all three pieces. Although the sound in the showroom was some of the best I have ever heard, the sound in my home was not even close, not even enjoyable. The showroom was rather "dead" sounding whereas my home is very "live". My room has many uncovered windows and is part hard wood floors. The effect this had on the sound was to make the tweeter take over and music sounded very bright. I think Thiel voiced these speakers to be totally flat in an anechoic chamber. Unfortunately I do not live in one and in addition to needing the right equipment to sound great, you also need the right room. The store had a 30 day refund policy so I took the 2.3 back and bought the Silverline Sonatina. Very happy now. The 2.3 is a good speaker, but you have to have everything just right for them to perform.

Similar Products Used:

Silverline Sonatina, JMLab Electra 915, Nauilus 803, Hales T5, Meadowlark Heron

Wonderful mids & highs. Beautiful wood cabnets in a varity of finishes. Matched well with my existing system.

Bass a little lacking for Hometheater and some music.

Brought these home to demo in-house with my existing system:

Sony DA30ES
Pioneer DVD414
Phase Tech Center & Surround
Dual Phase Tech 10 subwoofers

Wow! These really matched-up great withe my system. My only issue is that you would not want to own these without a really kick'in sub. Outside of that, these things are the next best thing to being there....

-Scott

Similar Products Used:

Thiel CS1.5

Great midrange and vocals, accurate and lively bass, great imaging, music never sounds boring, good treble with the right amp and source.

system matching necessary

I have auditioned these speakers for many hours on several different types of electronics. A couple of the reviews below say they are too bright or made their recordings sound bad. When I listened to them on an all Adcom system (their best stuff) I would agree, as I found myself getting fatigued and turning down the volume because the "recording" was harsh. But...get these babies on the right system and its pure magic!!!!!!! I borrowed a Wadia 830 CD player from one store, a plinius 8150 integrated amp from a second store, and took both to the store where I originally heard the 2.3s on the Adcom stuff. Talk about a night and day difference! The Thiels were now completely non-fatiguing, not bright at all, and this combination produced the the best I have ever heard. All of my recordings now sounded much better than I knew they were. I listened for 2 straight hours to 15 different CDs and everything sounded great, no fatigue even at high volume. This equipment got the same excitment out of the midrange and bass, but unlike the Adcom stuff, made the treble sound just as good. This shows how important it is to match equipment well.

Similar Products Used:

B&W, JMLab, Hales, Magnepan, Aerial, Lynn