Non-Ported design and Equalizer make them out-dated. Why is that a strength? In the used market, it brings down the price of some very capable speakers. Now I can use the money I saved to get some better gear up the chain and see what these Thiels really *can* do. Bottom line is that they are fast, clear, and even enough to be this poor man's substitute for Maggies. In my demo, they definitely went deeper than the Maggies, picking up the low %^&-track from "Excursions" on Tribe's "Low End Theory" when the Maggies totally missed it. Also, the Thiels are listenable from just about anywhere in the room, while still being able to cohere (in a relatively large sweet spot) as well as they did when I heard them in the shop. It's nice for this six foor four enthusiast to be able to have a nice stereo image even when I stand up.

They don't have the bass that neophyte audiophiles like may be craving from their Cerwin-Vega days. Not for rocking out so much as grooving. I'm not qualified to really rate the upper bass problems that others have noted. I think they're only bright if you're too close.

This is a review aimed at bargain-basement thrift-shop audiophiles such as myself. I spent an afternoon auditioning the Maggie 1.6 speakers and a pair of used Centaurus Slant Sixes in one of the (to the extent my ear's experience can tell) excellent listening rooms at the local hi-fi place. Two hours spinning everything from Shakti to Tribe Called Quest to Marriage of Figaro made me fall deeper and deeper in love with the planar sound. The drum kit that leapt off my Head Hunters LP and took form in front of me almost had me pulling out the plastic. I gave a listen to the used but clean Apogee Centaurus Slant Sixes- they did nothing for me after the maggies. Buried behind everything else in the used/repair room were some beaten up Thiels. I asked about them- heard the sad history of their mistreatment at the hands of some Doctor's kids-- the grilles were shredded and the dustcaps were dented in, but the teak was still nice and the EQ still around. And the salesman said that they could go for $350. In the listening room, they had a lot of the detail and evenness that I had been digging in the 1.6s and they blew away the slant sixes. At home they have been placed in a challenging listening room, one almost in a corner and the other pretty much in font of an eight foot square opening into the kitchen. The imaging was not quite what it was in the store, but it still held together more than I expected. I think the wide dispersion of the treble makes them great for real-world less than perfect listening rooms like mine. I'm putting about 85 watts of Second-Hand Denon Integrated amplification through them, and mostly listen to my Technics SL 5200 (I like auto return). Even with my cheaper peripherals and amplification (we're talking an Aiwa CD player, folks) I don't find them too fatiguing. Sure they reveal limitations, but it doesn't get in the way of their other revelations-- evenly balanced and defined music that came through even with cheapo gear in my awkward listening room. And, if they've stood up to the almost criminal abuse that it seems like they've been though, the used ones you're probably looking at stand to have a good long life expectancy. I think they're a good choice if your hunting around for maybe your first pair of audiophile grade speakers. Sound best with classical, acoustic jazz, electrified jazz, reggae, rock, hip hop (in descending order)

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only stuff I've demoed in stores as told above.

Very precise sound field. You can tell if the third violin's got his glasses on straight.

I hated my dentist because he had tattooed legs. In Ft. Collins, Colorado, no less! But did that stop him from being the most boring dude ever? NO! And these speakers simply have NO weak points. I love them. Love them. Love them, I tell you! Buy them today. Now. Call the factory. Insist on overnight shipment. You'll thank me and also you'll be divorced within a week.

The clearest, most defined sound field I've ever experienced. I've owned a lot of medium to high end speakers but these are the cream of the crop.

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I had Magnepans that I love almost as much. I hated all the Bose speaker systems I ever heard and they never came within light years of these Thiels.

Clarity of sound, depth of stage.

Need power, lots of clean power if that is a weakness.

I consider myself an upper middle class audio enthusiast that always tries to get a bang for the buck. As a professional entertainment journalist and author, music is a very important part of my life it being vynil, my favorite, or CD/DVD the medium of choice, the quality of sound is of utmost importance to me. When I had the opportunity of purchasing a pair of pristine CS 3.5 at Audiogon, I jumped at the opportunity and it has paid off. Thiels speakers carry a 10 year warranty, no questions asked, and it is nice to purchase an 8 year old speaker that is still under warranty. There is a reason why, the construction of this speakers is first class all the way. It is difficult for speakers this size to actually look good within the minimalistic standards of today, but the Thiels look like class and wont hurt your decor, a plus with the wife after the initial shock. The sound is where these speakers will win over your companion, my wife took a listen and our argument ended right there. She loved them!!! These are not speakers that you will be moving often, they weight in excess of 70 pounds, you better make sure that you set them right from the beginning. I found they work better away from the walls, but the changes are minimal, these speakers can actually be set up once and forget about them. Their strengh lies in the depth of the soundstage. You can actually pinpoint each instrument, and the conjunction of bass, treble and midrange is marked and never muffled. It makes for powerful and easy listening that is not overbearing, but actually quite soothing for such a large speaker. I spend a lot of my time listening to music in order to write reviews, these speakers are very critical and something that is not recorded properly will be exposed dramatically, as well as the overall flaws of your system. If you dont mind being critical, then these are for you. They would help you appreciate your investment in quality electronics, I am way over $25,000 already, and will expose what needs to be changed. The same in recordins, the great ones will shine, the bad ones you will only listen to once. Who could ask for anything more.

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Too many to mention.

seamless delivery, openness,imaging ability,...these speakers do not exhibit the "boxiness" associated with most other speakers of the enclosure design. These speakers are perfectly suited for "critical-listening", such as jazz and classical,orchestral music, that-is if your system is very-well thought out.

power hungry! if you are used to the sound of traditional "pop" or rock and roll speakers, then these may not be the right speakers for you. they are much too-reveiling, and will magnify any imperfections in your system or recordings. After purchasing these speakers, some of my cd's are no longer "listenable",because they are just that good! also, they do not exhibit a great deal of dynamic range in the upper bass region, but these speakers have plenty of bass down low... it's just not exaggerated like other speakers that you may be used to.

These loudspeakers are very cosmetic appealing, and the design was obviously ahead of it's time. The first thing that jumps out at you is these speakers' ability to become invisible. that-is: they do not colour the music, and they immage wonderfully! If you have a surround sound set-up, you will find yourself disabling that function to just listen to the thiels!These speakers are of definite audio-phile level in quality,and performance, and thus will magnify any weaknesses in your system. If you can find these speakers used... buy them! I've auditioned several brands in the 3-5k range, and I just keep comming back to these thiels, which I purchased used in pristine condition for $1150.00

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Adcom, Yamaha,Klipsch,Phase Linear,Infinity.

Imaging, Clarity, Soundstage, Presence, Ability to dissapear from the room, Very attractive, Price/performance.

Power hungry, Revieling of weak link in your system,"but that might be a strength too!". Nothing else!!

There the finest spkr you'll find under $5000 PERIOD!!! I have heard the best and for my money these have been outstanding performers for years and for years to come! I cant say enough about the service from Thiel "AWESOME" people!

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Adcom 5802 Yamaha,Luxman,Denon,Sony

These this sound unblievable, they are also the best looking speakers out there ecspecially in black

There not so great with some rap or heavey metal becase there highs are a little to high. They also make weired little bit of noise when have them on video

I love the speakers they are beutiful, they just look great. These speakers must have been way ahead of their time because the drivers still work fine and look great after 10 years. The only things that i dont like about these speakers is they go almost to high and bright in the highs but that just makes them sound awsome with the voice or pianos and other intruments. The thing this sterio was missing was more bass so i ordered the svssubwoofer and believe me that really strengthened this stereo it just sounds almost perfect and just rocks the house and sounds good at the same time which i can't get over because most of this stuff is 10 years old exept the sub. The other thing I love is this company has a ten year warrenty on there stuff and the will also go beyond that if that see that it is just manfacture defects That mean they will most likely replace it even after ten years

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just car stuff and a little sony 200 watt sterio

Clarity, lack of cabinet colouration, full range

Dynamics lacking in upper bass, lower mid, some grain in mid and treble, needs the accompanying equaliser box, does not play very loud in large rooms.

These speakers are a fantastic bargain second hand. They are more coloured and less refined that the Thiel 2.3, but go deeper, the soundstage blooms better, and they can be more musically engaging. The problem is they are so cheap second hand that they are likely to be partnered with inadequate electronics. The 3.5s are ruthlessly revealing and so with poor electronics, there is a liklihood you will find the sound irritating over time (or even bright), but this will not be the fault of the speaker. Summing up the sound, this is one of the best speakers you will hear for piano - they get the attack, complex harmonics and decay better than any speaker I had heard previously; your electronics will have to be on the smooth and full side to ensure a full midrange and avoid a forward upper-mid and grainy treble; you will need a very powerful amplifier to get the bass going and a medium to large room to let it breathe. At its best there will still be a lack of dynamics in the upper bass and lower mids which takes away some of the rhythmic drive of the real thing. The main reason for this problem appears to be the equaliser unit. I replaced the power supply with a massively over-spec'd one and banished the problem altogether, as well as reducing the grain level considerably. Without the equaliser unit, I found the speaker to sound too thin and light in my biggish listening room (7,200 cu. ft.), quite apart from missing the bottom octave and a half. With the equaliser unit, and the upgrade to it, I enjoy flat response down to 20Hz. The speakers have a lot of energy in the upper-mids and so a damped room or near-field listening are required to avoid a "shouty" mid-range due to room-induced flutter echoe. The drivers are not as refined as today's, but you have to spend at least US$3,000 (new) to get into the same class as this speaker, making it a second hand bargain.

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Mourdant-Short 860, Thiel 2.3, Martin Logan SL3, Quad 63, Maggie 3.5

Just purchased a pair of CS3.5 from my friend.Around 7 years old. The midrange drivers were faulty which were promptly replaced by Thiel Audio. They have replaced my Meadowlark Krestel. The moment I heard the 3.5's, my jaw dropped and I started getting goose bumps.
The sound was amazing, solid bass, clean midrange and highs. The impact from these speakers blew me away.
One of the best speakers I have every hear. I have owned many speakers from Boston Acoustics to Hales rev3, Sonus Faber, Tannoy and Klipsh. These are the best.
If driven with the right electronics, you will definitely get audio nirvana.

After setting up the speakers and turning on the radio, I was not impressed. Granted, this probably due to my amplifier (Japanese). But after listening to some acoustic guitar on my CD player (Alex DeGrassi's "The Water Garden"), and doing A/B tests with my Paradigm Studio Reference 80s, I'd have to say the Thiels sound pretty good. Two characteristics are noticed: focus and solid. Even with the Japanese amplifier, you notice a difference between the Thiels and the Paradigms.The both sound great, but the guitar seems to have a much more focused sound
(more realistic) with the Thiels. Before I could not hear the cabinet
characteristics of my Paradigms, but now I can. The cabinet on the Thiels
is totally silent; you hear only the music. The sound staging is pretty
fantastic too. They sound very good even from a wide angle. I never thought I'd hear a speaker better than the Paradigms. I think they have just replaced my
Paradigms as a reference to compare other speakers. Looking at the Thiels
and the Paradigms standing side by side, the Thiels have outclassed the
Paradigms in build quality. The Paradigms will go on sale today.

Bass response, Seamless crossover, Build quality

Binding posts under the speaker

I purchased my speakers in late 1989. I still have no intention of replacing/upgrading them.
A good friend of mine has been shopping for new speakers recently, and he asked me to join him on four occasions.
Note he ended up buying Vandersteen 5s ($10,000), so we listened to some VERY high quality stuff (new Thiel, Martin-Logan, B & W, et al), and many sounded better than my CS 3.5s. But not much. And also remember, these "demos" had the advantage of much superior electronics to my home system (separates purchased in 1981).
So, although I'm looking to replace my electronics and sources (CD Player and Turntable), I will keep the Thiels for a long time.

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In-Home tested: Magnepan, Vandersteen, Martin-Logan, Dahlquist, Infinity