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Class D amp driving Thiel

I was honing in on a 2 channel system and had seriously narrowed down the contenders until last Saturday. After not being impressed with a pair of B&W CM7's I was encouraged to listen to a set of Thiel 1.6.

It was amazing. Driven by a Bryston amplifier they had detail and precision with beautiful tonality. Yes, they did lack bass under 50 hz. But completely different and world's better than the Thiel's I owned and powered with tubes years ago. So now I have to rethink things. I have only a small shelf for the SB3 and amplifier and can't fit (or afford) anything above 30 lbs or 5 inches tall.

Maybe a second hand Krell 400xi would work but Krell's rap is that they can be bright and fatiguing. And I can't do anything bigger or costlier. While the Naim forum has good reports of Thiel's being driven by even a Nait 5i I am a little cautious based on my previous experience. As I learned the hard way you have to muscle up on Thiel's or they sound bright and nasty.

So, the thought of a class D amp came to mind. Small, light, and powerful. Though I haven't even heard one before (hard to find them in Chicago, believe it or not) my interest is piqued. But would it be up to driving the load I am contemplating without getting bright or harsh? Any thoughts but more importantly experiences are appreciated.
wdrazek
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drubin
3,240 posts
 
You can get the i-7 built with more power if you need it.
wdrazek OP
100 posts
 
I know the power was bumped to 100 wpc but more power than that is news to me.
ckoffend
684 posts
 
From what I know from listening about the Thiels is that after long listening sessions they can become tiring. Don't get me wrong, they make great speakers in many regards. My experience was that I loved them in the morning and afternoon, but after a long day and a full head, the detailed sound became hard for me to listen to for extended periods.

I have Totem speakers and these are known to be a bit bright on top, but have a very nice mid. I bought the Channel Islands (used) and have found them to perform very well with my speakers. They cut some of the brightness on the top but still have a very nice top end - much less fatiguing, even at night. The mids have been great and the bass is still tight, strong and I have plenty of reserve power for my needs.

As a reference, I have also been running the same Totem speakers (Arro and Hawk) with my B&K 507 S 2 AVR Receiver at about 150 WPC and a Golden Tube Audio SE 40. I do not feel that I have given up any of the emotion versus the Golden Tubes and feel that the detail delivered with the 507 has improved (better imaging/sound stage, improved rythm, etc. (PRAT).

I really have enjoyed them and if you can buy them on a 30-day trial or used (which means you could re-sell them easily), I think they are worth a consideration.

If you lived in Southwest Michigan I would loan you mine to try.

BOL
denjo
46 posts
 
Before the upgrade to the Thiel CS2.4, I was happily driving the 1.6s with my Channel Islands D*200 Monos (class D). The D*200s controlled the Thiels very well and had more than enough headroom to drive my 2.4s!

Dennis
unsound
6,115 posts
 
Reps at Thiel suggested to me that at least for the moment, class D amps are fine for subwoofers, but, for the rest of the range, they still have a ways to go to match the alternatives.
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