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REVIEW: Thiel Audio CS 3.7 Speakers

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Model: CS 3.7
Category: Speakers
Suggested Retail Price: $9900
Description: 3-way floor-standing
Manufacturer URL: Thiel Audio
Model Picture: View

Review by Bob Stern on September 18, 2007 at 00:15:08
IP Address: 67.188.157.193
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for the CS 3.7


I have owned the Thiel 3.7 for about 6 weeks.

The 3.7 is pure, clear and revealing, not just in the treble, but also in the midrange and bass. For example, cello & string bass are very clear, without cabinet resonances. Subtle musical details and inflections are tremendously clarified, seemingly as a result of low distortion rather than treble emphasis. (But see my later comments on a possible mild forwardness.)

It is extremely dynamic and lively, both at low and high volumes. Its clarity and dynamic liveliness at low volumes makes it very satisfying when played quietly, unlike many speakers that seem muted unless the volume is cranked up. I find this a wonderful attribute. (At the other extreme, it shows no sense of strain or compression when played as loud as I can tolerate.)

The dispersion is exceptionally wide and uniform. I've never heard a speaker whose tonality changes so little as you move way off axis horizontally or vertically. This is great if you want to share music listening with others. A potential downside is that room reflections will be stronger than less dispersive speakers, although the room reflections should have a tonal balance closer to the direct sound than would be the case for most speakers.

Other than a possible mild forwardness in the treble, it has an extremely uniform tonal balance from top to bottom. Instruments and baritone voices have richness and body, unless so many loudspeakers whose midrange or upper bass seems deliberately recessed.

I refer to the treble forwardness as "possible" because my room is excessively live, and I assume the treble will be less forward in a more typical room. (I hope to eliminate the forwardness by attaching a small number of Sonex foam panels to the first reflection points on the ceiling. The 3.7's are positioned along the long wall of the room, and I reduce side wall reflections by toeing the speakers inward so their axes cross slightly in front of the listening position.)

Beware that the revealing clarity, in combination with the possible mild forwardness in the lower treble, exposes any harshness or brightness in associated equipment. I'm happy to have discovered the Lavry DA-10 DAC, which is a great match for the Thiel. The Lavry offers a rare combination of high resolution and smoothness.

I don't wish to characterize this "revealing" attribute as ruthless. In fact, I'm surprised at how much I now enjoy some of my mediocre CD's, such as late 1980's reissues of Columbia classical recordings. Admittedly, I cannot comfortably play old, harsh recordings as loudly as cleaner recordings, but the clarity and liveliness of the speakers at low volumes allows more moderate listening levels to be extremely satisfying.

The Focal beryllium tweeter and the Dali Euphonia ribbon tweeter both have a more prominent and possibly more pristine upper treble than the Thiel 3.7. Other than these two, I cannot think of any other speakers whose treble surpasses the cleanliness of the 3.7. It is way ahead of the subtle roughness in the treble of most speakers, including the Wilson Sophia and first generation Revel Ultima Studio. (It is possible that the Dali and Focal tweeters are more impressive because their slightly exaggerated upper treble draws attention to itself. Overall, I disliked the Focal 1027 Be because of its very recessed midrange. The Dali MS-4 also lacked timbral uniformity, although I cannot remember the specifics.)

One shortcoming is that the soundfield has a tendency to collapse to the woofer in a certain region of the lower midrange. Perhaps this could be ameliorated by reducing the distance between the speakers. They are arranged in a 12.5-foot equilateral triangle with the listening position.

Possibly related to this is that occasionally I am conscious of lower midrange sounds coming from a lower position (the woofer) than upper midrange sounds (the coaxial tweeter/midrange). The woofer/midrange crossover frequency is 400 Hz.


Product Weakness: Occasional localization of lower midrange to woofer position.
Product Strengths: Exceptional resolution in midrange, treble & bass. Dynamic liveliness. Timbral uniformity both on and off axis.


Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Parasound JC-1 monoblocks.
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): None: DAC has gain control.
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Lavry DA-10 DAC; Levinson 37 transport.
Speakers: Thiel 3.7
Cables/Interconnects: Cardas Neutral Reference between Lavry & JC-1; Stereovox digital cable; Tommy Jenving Supra Ply loudspeaker cable.
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Classical & Opera
Room Size (LxWxH): 27 x 15.3 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments: None. Excessively live.
Time Period/Length of Audition: 6 weeks
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): PS Audio UPC power filter for power amps; Monster Cable HTS-3500 power filter for other gear.
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




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Topic - REVIEW: Thiel Audio CS 3.7 Speakers - Bob Stern 00:15:08 09/18/07 ( 13)