Tyler vs. Thiel

[Ricardo]

Since I heard a pair of Thiel CS2.4 I have this itch of trying a pair of the bigger brothers CS3.6. I am really, really happy with the Tylers, but you know that when you have the itch you need to do something about it.

Well, I found a pair of late 3.6's locally; only three years old from a happy owner that is moving up to the new 3.7's.

I am picking them up tonight.

Let the speakers war begin.

[Early B.]

I've got my popcorn and a front row seat for this one.

My prediction: the Thiels don't stand a chance against your Tylers.

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

Tylers are fantastic speakers.

Let us know man. let us know!

[SolidSqual]

Tylers are prettier. Thiels look like spaceships.

[Ricardo]

Cosmetically, the Tylers win hand down; I know that. I also think that in the bass department the Tylers will win. Those dual 8" woofers are hard to beat.
It's the overall music presentation and Thiel's "Coherent" time and phase alignment that can make the competition interesting.

[dorokusai]

My prediction is that you'll be sorry you even bought the Tyler's.

[Ricardo]

My prediction is that you'll be sorry you even bought the Tyler's.

If that's true, I won't be sorry, since I'll make some money on the swap.

[rskarvan]

My prediction is the clarity of the Thiel 3.6's will be better (more revealing) due to the single-order cross-over design for the Thiel tweeter and the sandwich-design midrange. The bottom end of the Thiels may not be as big as the Tyler's...but, it won't be any fault of Thiel. The bottom end of the Thiel 3.6 is proper and very solid. Some people prefer an over-enhanced bass response. The Thiel provides a linear response at all frequencies at very moderate volume levels.

As far as the "loudness factor"... the Thiel 3.6's have plenty and won't disappoint. Thiel does a fabulous job on their cabinet work - just can't improve upon perfection.

Thiel 3.6's speak the truth.

[Sherardp]

The tylers will win this one, Im placing my bet. Tylers sure do look good as others said, Thiels arent all that pretty. If all else fails compare the tylers to B&W 802ds. Those would surely make me happy.

[ninerbj]

I'll have to agree with Mark on this one

[Ern Dog]

Great idea of putting these two head to head. My money is on the Tylers. Don't forget to include pics.

[RuSsMaN]

I love the comments on 'looks'. Why even bother with the hobby.

[halo]

Unnecessary comparison Ricardo ;) :p :D

Since I ain't heard either Tyler or Theil first hand I just hope you enjoy whichever pair you like the best.

Good luck buddy :)

[madmax]

The real issue is what they sound like on what material. If you go into the comparison with a playlist built up for the Tylers then the Tylers will win. The Thiels will have their own differernt playlist which will sound better. I've never heard either speaker but have run across this problem with other speakers. Try to do A/B comparisons with music you don't know particularly well.
madmax

[AndyGwis]

Since I own Thiels (but have never even heard a Tyler) I'm putting hope in the Thiels but not betting on anything.

You will like the Thiels for sure, though. Can't speak to them versus Tylos, but can't see Thiel making a speaker that is anything but extremely pleasant to listen to.

Russ, looks shouldn't be the priority, but it certainly makes things easier if speakers are pleasing to the eyes and ears.

I've been looking to bump up to some 2.3s lately. Saw some in Houston, but they were sold very quickly. Great price on them, tho, like $900.

[Ricardo]

Well, looks will definitely not lead the decision; If looks were important to me, I would've never owned the SRS's or 1.2 TL's...tough to find a speaker uglier than these.....(sorry guys, but it's the truth).

So far I think the speakers I've owned do good with all the music I like (jazz, rock, classical). If a speaker does good with only one type of music, it's not good enough.

Pick up has been delayed to the week end, so the speakers war will have to wait a bit.

[Early B.]

HT -- what amp will you be using? I'm guessing those Thiels are power hungry.

I just wanna make sure it's a fair fight.

[Ricardo]

250 WPC @ 8 ohms, 500 WPC @ 4 ohm, can easily handle 2 ohms loads.

The "smooth beast" Belles 350 Reference.

I think I won't have a problem.

[Early B.]

250 WPC @ 8 ohms, 500 WPC @ 4 ohm, can easily handle 2 ohms loads.

The "smooth beast" Belles 350 Reference.

I think I won't have a problem.

Nope. No problem at all.:p

[Polkitup2]

I am rootin for the Tyler's since I just bought a pair. I spoke with Ty and he said the great thing about his speakers is that they sound good across the board and I would agree. Before I had NHT's which sound great for Jazz and HT but just sound silly playing rock.

[rskarvan]

I can guarantee you that your Belles 350 Reference will be ample power for the Thiels. They really aren't a terribly difficult load to drive.

[Ricardo]

I've got goose bumps. The Thiels reproduce music in a more "real" way than any other speaker I've heard. Vocals, strings, saxophone, drums...you name it, the Thiels will give you goose bumps.
The Tylers are great speakers; I have had a few different speakers (SDA's in all sizes, ribbons, monitors..) and the Tylers came ahead....but I had not heard the Thiel CS 3.6's.
The Tylers are probably winners in the bass department, but not for much...overall, the Thiel's "coherence" makes it a better speaker (even though the Tylers are prettier :)).

I had planned to listen to the Thiels for a week before even thinking on picking a winner, but one day was enough.

Next step: change the cloth to black, sell the Tylers.

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t123/garcimol/001-4.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t123/garcimol/002-2.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t123/garcimol/003-2.jpg

[dorokusai]

Pay up suckers.

Enjoy yourself Ricardo :D

[Ricardo]

If you were here you would be touching yourself to the music

[Early B.]

Wow.

I'm both shocked and impressed. Congrats. You're quite fortunate to have been able to demo the Thiels alongside the Tylers.

Wish I could buy your Tylers. Damn.

[Zero]

Not surprised one iota. Congrats on the new speaks.

[halo]

Why change the grill cloth?

It matches your GIK panels.

Kinda :cool: if you ask me.

Happy Listening Ricardo :)

[Ern Dog]

Nice looking rig.
I'd prefer black grill cover instead of white. I'm gonna have to get my listen on to some of those Thiels.

[george daniel]

Congrats Ricardo,,the Belles and Thiels are going to be hard to beat. Have fun :)

[Ricardo]

Thanks for the comments; today I am liking the grills a little more. They blend very well with the speakers color, but I think the room as a whole needs the black for contrast. We'll see.
Woke up and went down for a quick listen; I wanted to make sure I was not doing something stupid...nope; I was right. I like the Thiels a lot more.

[mantis]

I love the comments on 'looks'. Why even bother with the hobby.
Ditto
But Thiels are something special. They are truely musical speakers. They are very nice to listen to and very pleasing to the ear. So in the "LOOKS" department they would lose most everytime.

Dan

[Midnite Mick]

That is some sweet gear you have there. I have wanted to get my ears on that Raysonic player.

Congrats on the speakers.

Thanks,
Mike

[RuSsMaN]

Good to know Ricardo has a good set of ears on him. ;)

[AndyGwis]

Game, Set, Match. . . Thiels.

Good to know. I'm going to keep looking for a steal on some 2.3's.

[rskarvan]

Ricardo,

If you are ever in Indy and want to hear the Thiel 3.6's powered by a Krell amp with the same specs... let me know.

- Ron

PS No surprise at all that you like the Thiel 3.6's. The Thiel 7.2's are the only speaker upgrade left.
PPS Sara says that the black cloth Thiels look much better than the white ones!

[Ricardo]

The 7.2's are too big for my room. What about the 3.7's? They must be really good.

I picked up these speakers in the same place where you delivered the 3.1's in Batesville :)

[rskarvan]

Or, your room is too small for the 7.2's (i.e. upgrade both the room and the speaker)!

Oh... one other thing... on some music... like Eric Clapton.... I prefer the sound of the Polk 3.1TL's to the Thiels. The Thiels are great speakers. The 3.1TL's are fine speakers.

[Yashu]

I didn't even know Thiels had white grilles like that. Every ad I have ever seen for them show lovely black speakers.

As long as they sound good... have you tried them without the grilles? Some speakers sound better and some sound worse that way... and it's always cool to look at the drivers... how are people supposed to know you are a true audiophile without a bunch of speaker cones showing?! ;)

[Ricardo]

The Thiels have a note in the binding posts plate that says that the grills should be left on for better sound, so they will stay there. Plus....I must admit that the Thiel drivers are not that attractive.

[Ricardo]

Is the paint really as lemon/fluorescent yellow as it appears in the pictures?

Switch out the rug. Get a nice white polar bear throw to go with the white grilles. You can lounge on it and listen...

Tylers look beautiful. How much are you dumping them for?

The paint is yellow....but not really fluorescent....
The cloth will be changed to black :)

The Tylers are already posted in Audiogon. I will post a link in the FM.

[halo]

I usually listen with the lights off so the color of the grills wouldn't matter much to me.

No one sees them but you since they're tucked away in your man cave anyway ;)

[MikeC78]

Ricardo,

Congrats! I'm with Vic on this, leave the grills white, the stains won't show as much.:eek: :p

[tom t]

what happened to the---- im done post in june 07. you said you are not buying anything else??

[AndyGwis]

He's been hanging out with Early B. too much. . .

I love when people sell the "last speakers I will ever own" if only because of the irony / hypocrisy.

[Ricardo]

He's been hanging out with Early B. too much. . .

I love when people sell the "last speakers I will ever own" if only because of the irony / hypocracy.

Sorry....what's hypocracy?

[AndyGwis]

I'm an idiot. Hate when I go to give someone flack and then grossly misspell a word. That's what happens when you start posting early on Monday morning before the first cup of coffee.

Glad you like the Thiels. Sorry some of us feel the need to give a little ribbing when gear is sold months / years after a statement like "I'm done."

[Ricardo]

I know ;)

I guess the learning is, never say never.

[tom t]

with us in the audio world,there is no such thing as im done. something always comes along that is better or we just want. its a sickness we all have. good luck with the new speakers. all i can say is i finally have my infinity 1b's and i will never sell them,IM DONE!!

[amulford]

The coherent source really does something for the listener, doesn't it?

I really like the smaller ones in the boys room...

[Ricardo]

The coherent source really does something for the listener, doesn't it?

It sure does; Will see if these last more than 3 months here :)

[Yashu]

Until you buy another set... The grass will begin to fade on your side of the fence.

Definately some black in the room would set a nice contrast to the white grilles.

[bdaley6509]

Any chance we can get a shot of those babies naked? Personally, I prefer the look of black grills over the white ones, but those look great as well. If you change colors, will you refabric the current grills, dye them, or replace them. Nice, nice setup you got there.

[rskarvan]

I heard the Thiel 3.6's powered by Krell back in 1991. At the time, I thought... $4250 for a set of speakers with a $3750 amp and a $2K preamp... pfff... for $10K, its almost worth it... though, I would never put that much money out for a stereo system.

Well... today (in 2007), the set can be purchased used for
Thiel 3.6's $1400
Krell KAV250Amp $1600
Krell KAV250Pre-amp $1000
Total: $4K

For $4K... its the best bang for the buck on the planet.
Still haven't heard anything that comes close.

[Ricardo]

here you go; naked Thiel:

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t123/garcimol/001-5.jpg

[AndyGwis]

Well... today (in 2007), the set can be purchased used for
Thiel 3.6's $1400
Krell KAV250Amp $1600
Krell KAV250Pre-amp $1000
Total: $4K


Nice! I like to think I have one of the best budget / bang for buck setups around. For about $1K, Thiel CS1.2s and MF A3.2.

Great combo for not a lot of dough. Also, their support is great. They replaced a tweeter that had a little distortion quickly and for free, even though the speakers aren old and out of warranty. I think list price is $40 for tweeter rebuild, which is totally reasonable if not a steal of a deal. They will rebuild drivers for midrange for like $30 - $60 each as well, no matter how old.

So, those 3.6s can actually be your "last set of speakers ever" if you really want them to be.

[Early B.]

He's been hanging out with Early B. too much. . .

I love when people sell the "last speakers I will ever own" if only because of the irony / hypocrisy.


Huh?

Did someone change out my speakers recently and not tell me?

If HTrookie were hanging out with me too much, he'd be more f*cked up than he already is.:eek:


For the record, I'll say it again -- my speakers are staying for a long while. Here's the initial post:

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46206&highlight=vmps+tower+II

[AndyGwis]

Okay, you may have the same speakers, but I think you claimed "done" then changed some electronics / components only months later.

Again, not a personal attack, just some brotherly ribbing. . . :)

[lightman1]

Don't let your dog pee on these either.....

[dorokusai]

The Thiels started showing up in Crutchfield catalogs not that long ago...

That's the future of hi-fi.

[engtaz]

Comgrats

[Ricardo]

Look 100% better IMO (which is the one that counts ;))

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t123/garcimol/001-7.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t123/garcimol/003-3.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t123/garcimol/002-4.jpg

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t123/garcimol/004-2.jpg

[AndyGwis]

very sharp! Well done, Rook.

[dorokusai]

I'd probably replace the floor as well :)

[DaveMuell]

Stunning. Those are now beautiful speakers. They weren't before.

Edit - I just went back and looked at the pics from before - those were worse than I remembered. Congrats on some excellent sounding speaks and they look great too!

[schwarcw]

Very nice Ricardo!

Congrats on the Thiels. You've got a first class system there! I'm envious.:D

[GV#27]

Yep the black looks mucho better.

[Ern Dog]

Very nice looking. 100% better than the white

[dorokusai]

Once you go black cloth you never go back.

[Early B.]

C'mon, admit it. You're missing those Tylers, aren't ya...

[SolidSqual]

I like the way the Tylers looked. I miss them in that room. :(

[engtaz]

very nice. Don't forget to let us know (sound wise) the pluses and minuses of the Thiel's.

[RuSsMaN]

Why would he miss the Tyler? He has speakers that acutally sound good now.

I think they looked (and still do) like shit since looks are the order of the day.

;)

[Ricardo]

The only thing I might miss about the Tylers is the looks, and the punch. Tylers are GREAT sounding speakers. Thiels are just better.

[Emlyn]

The white grille cloth was distracting to the point I didn't even notice before how perfectly well matched the veneer is on both speakers.

[Ricardo]

The white grille cloth was distracting to the point I didn't even notice before how perfectly well matched the veneer is on both speakers.

I was lucky enough to tour their manufacturing facility and actually saw how they do this. Basically the veneer is "shaved" from the tree, so each "sheet" is almost identical as the next. This makes it really easy to match it. I had never seen this, so obviously it was a big learning for me.

[AndyGwis]

I actually watched an episode of Dirty Jobs or whatever on Discovery. One was about fishing huge tree trunks from the bottom of a river / lake and showed the process of creating veneer for furniture from the wood.

It was pretty awesome. Each trunk is worth thousands of dollars because they are hunders of years old and in awesome condition because of being in the water. They shave them down to almost paper-thin level, glue onto the furniture, and stain. It's awesome. . .