I've had mine for about 6 months, bought them used for $1500 locally, and I couldn't be happier. I have read about their sensitivity to room placement, but I have not had the luxury of placing them for optimal sound. My living room / dining room is 14 X 23, but I have to position the speakers facing the long axis, about 3 feet apart and 1.5 feet from the back wall. They sound stunning, even with this less than optimal spacing. If you are after mid and hi range clarity, there is nothing better at anything close to this price. They also have TONS of very clean and powerful bass.
What about the naysayers? You do hear ALL the lousy quality of some 1980s vintage CDs. And source component weaknesses are revealed, too. On the other hand, when you get a disc with excellent recording quality, the Thiels reproduce that beautifully, too. And if you improve the rest of your system, the Thiels will make those investments pay off.
I'm using a Bryston 4B amp and BP20 preamp. And crappy cables. (That's next on my list.)
What about the naysayers? You do hear ALL the lousy quality of some 1980s vintage CDs. And source component weaknesses are revealed, too. On the other hand, when you get a disc with excellent recording quality, the Thiels reproduce that beautifully, too. And if you improve the rest of your system, the Thiels will make those investments pay off.
I'm using a Bryston 4B amp and BP20 preamp. And crappy cables. (That's next on my list.)