Thiel Owners

I finally received the BAT VK3i preamplifier back from the good folks at Audio Den here in beautiful downtown Lake Grove. Along with it I also purchased my last set of Transparent input connects so now I'm 100% Transparent on everything - except the Marantz TT-15 turntable which has proprietary cables built in. 

My initial impression is that this is a very laid-back preamplifier. I tossed Ginger Baker's "Cyril Davies" into it and heard imaging better than my ARC LS 3, but I'm finding the highs a bit reigned in, or reserved?  Build quality is excellent.  I don't know how many hours are on the tubes so I'll be playing with that aspect in the near future.  Hard to tell that this is a used piece - well worth the $1k I paid for it.  As soon as my right arm mends I'm going to toss my CJ MF200 into the mix and see what happens.  Too damn heavy to monkey around with now.  Current amp is a Primare Research A34.2. 

Its all good.  

Mapman...

Dig in, you won't regret owning Thiels.  If at all possible try to locate 'em geographically convenient since even the smaller models are HEAVY.  My CS 3.5's are a permanent fixture even though I've had Magnepan,. Von Schweikert...all very good speakers but...I return to them above all.  (I just listened to the new Magnepan 1.7i and .7 last week.  I really like the .7 better.). I'm thinking about a used pair for sale here on the site...just for kicks, a complement to my system not a replacement. 

I got my 3.5's from a fellow member here for a pittance, actually the least expensive piece of equipment I own. Just make sure to inspect all the drivers visually if possible. I've seen too many models here and elsewhere with mid ranges suffering from dry rot, dented dust caps on the woofers, dimpled tweeters.  The 3 different models I've owned all came with the instructions to leave the grills on for listening. 

Good to read- oblgny.

There is another member here that uses a B.A.T. and is asking about the synergy between the 2 brands? Are you using a CD/SACD player in your system?

Jafant...

Currently I'm using a Sony Hapz1es music server for all my digital stuff which is a really good piece of equipment.  It has a 1TB hard drive which I've barely put a dent in. 

So far as synergy goes I'm still checking it out.  I'll be buying some tubes tomorrow since I have no idea how long those installed have been in service.  

Jafant,
I used a Krell fpb 300 on my 2.4's, which is very high current and doubles down to 2 ohms or below. The fpb series was made in the early 90's, I think. Mine had fresh caps done at the factory. As these get some use, I'd look for freshly recapped models. The older KSA's are great buys, if they have fresh caps. A Thiel dealer in Amarillo used an old KSA 50 for some CS5's in his bedroom. Not that I'd recommend that. I think for most Thiels the older Krells or Classes are great and are still available online. The KSA's are heaters though!