Upgrade Thiel CS3.6 or McIntosh AMP

I agree on NOT getting rid of the thiels!  So, a different amp it is.  Never had a tube amp so that might be kind of fun

Yes, but it would need to be a powerful one for the 3.6.

I have never owned the 3.6 but looking at there specs. Your going to need some serious tube pwr at least 100 watts to make them come alive.If I was using solid state I would want at least 200 to 250 watts and I'm not a headbanger by any means.
Offcourse that's just my opinion and your room size and preferences would dictate what you would prefer.

I had a set of the Janzen Valentina's for a short time that are only 87db efficient and they definitely needed some pwr to Sound their best,but in the end they didn't work out in my room and I sold them.

Kenny.

Hi dnanstad,

I have had Thiels (CS5i and 2 2) for 25 years and suggest a high-current SS amp of 100W or more that doubles down all the way to 2 ohms for your 3.6s (think old Classe DR-9, Fifteen, or Twenty Five or Krell FPB-300/600). Put the tubes in the preamp or CDP and don’t forget the importance of great cables.

Best,
Dave

I used 3.6s for about six years and agree with you that they have a lot of potential and will be hard to beat with something new in the 3-4K price range.  I used mine with a Classe DR-10 initially but it seemed to run out of power on peaks, so I replaced it with a Classe CA-300 which was a very good match.  There is an advantage to 300 watts vs 100.  However, my final days with the Thiel were spent with a modified Dyna ST-70 tube amp and I actually preferred its sound quality to the Classe.  The Dyna was clearly limited in power but at reasonable volume levels it was actually more dynamic than the Classe amps.  So don't rule out tubes.