Out of curiosity with some of the discussions on speaker pricing, how much do you think the Thiel CS2.4 would be retailed for in today money (if they are built today?) Also I know that most speaker manufacturers use CNC machines to cut the panel into shape? But in term of gluing them today, is it still human manual labors? |
Anyd2 I would guess around $8,000. I am speaker shopping now and nothing in the $8,000-$13,000 range has stood out as better. Just different (some worse). I have owned the 2.4 for about 10 years and I feel that you need to be shopping in the $15,000 range to better the 2.4s at today’s pricing. Now I am looking to buy speakers used that new would be $20k- $30k and hope to pick them up for $10-$15k. I have given up the idea of buying new speakers for $10,000 or less. |
how much do you think the Thiel CS2.4 would be retailed for in today money (if they are built today?)Using a simple inflation calculator, the standard CS2.4 would retail for ~$5500 today. But that ignores much steeper inflation for copper and magnets, so call it $6000-8000. Adding the passive parts I put in could push retail north of $10K. |
@james63Without knowing what new sound you're looking for, I suggest upgrading the crossovers. The CS2.4 cabinet is very good and the drivers are outstanding. There are some *really* nice gains to be had with improved passive parts. This is a huge thread but it might be worth your time to look at posts from Tom Thiel starting January 2018. That said, if you're looking for more bass you need to add subwoofers or get something entirely different. For myself, the 2.4 bass is good enough for me (~30 Hz) and the modded XO otherwise puts the SQ on par with $$$ designs. |
Now I am looking to buy speakers used that new would be $20k- $30k and hope to pick them up for $10-$15k. I have given up the idea of buying new speakers for $10,000 or less.It's interesting that speakers cost so much nowaday. $20K-$30 is about what an average car would cost today! My theory is that much of high end speakers still requires manual labor such as veneering, gluing, sanding and so on ... And human labor cost has inflated so much more than the government would have liked you to believe. It will be interesting to know which speakers you end up buying and how they are compared to the CS2.4. |
quick follow up on my previous post regarding CS 3.5 midrange replacement drivers. Perusing the Madisound website, they have this https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/approx-5-midrange/scan-speak-13m-midrange-replacement-speaker/ which is probably closer to the original Scanspeak midrange found on the 3.5s, and it has the custom mounting plate. The 12W/8524G speaker that I have in my 3.5s will fit, but its a 4 screw mount, as opposed to the 3 screw mount with the flange. From Madisound website regarding the 10F/8424G replacement...."
The specifications and response curve of the 10F/8424G is very close to the original and long discontinued Scan-Speak midranges. PBN Audio uses these as replacements for the 13M/8636 in their legacy speakers and speak glowingly of the results." There seems to be a significant difference in the curves for these speakers. I guess the thing that makes the 12W/8524G speaker attractive is a price of @$60 vs $220 for the 10F/8424G. Unfortunately what I don't have is the curve for the original midrange Scanspeak driver. |
