Integrated Amp for Thiel 2.3 s ?

The VAC Avaitar and the Classe CAP-100/150 are just superb
with the Thiel 1.5, 2.2 and 2.3.

Hi Yashi, this is a tough one. I'm a big Thiel fan, IMO they are the best - with the right eq. I've got 3.6's which are very diff. from yours, however, same vein and concept. Tonally accurate and ruthlessly revealing. Even the MIT's or Cardas might not do the trick but worth a try. Everything upstream has to be a little laid back, smooth, a tad warm, and the amp must be all this and powerful, and double down into 4 ohms. The frustrating thing is even a front end a little on the forward side can throw the whole balance into "bright". The amp/speaker combo is the most important, I've heard of happy Krell/Thiel combos but in my brutely honest opinion you might be happier with Classe amp and tube pre.

Yashu, you might also consider transparent cable. I have 2.3 with a proceed amp and transparent supers and they sound pretty warm.also use matching interconects.

hi yashu,

ewe mention wanting to upgrade yer cd-player, what ya *really* nead to tame the harshness is a *turntable*, w/some *winyl*! ;~) what yure finding bright & harsh is the digital software, nothing else, imho. i used to run thiel 3.5's w/an adcom gfa-555 & an adcom preamp. all components were noted for their excessive brightness if not toned-down w/ancillary equipment, & i had 'em all together! i never had a problem w/vinyl, only w/digital.

the only way to ameliorate the digital nasties w/o spending megabucks on digital hardware, is to get a nice tube preamp, imho. much more cost-effective than getting a gnu cd-player. prior to my getting a toob-pre, i used an ase z-man toobed buffer-stage between my digital & my pre - this was the only way i could listen to digital. (at this time, i was using a linn kairn preamp w/electrocompaniet amps, & meret re speakers. electro amps are warm for solid-state, & i still use 'em).

finding a tube integrated w/enuff grunt to drive thiels may be a tough order, tho - thiels like all the power ewe can throw at 'em. perhaps the pathos classic mite work, if yer room isn't too large - hybrid integrated w/toob pre & solid-state amp; 50wpc; 95w into 4 ohms. but, i tink yule be better off w/a separate toob pre & a s/s amp.

good luck, doug

Are you guys still listening to Thiel speakers?