cost of speakers in relation to the rest of the system

shadorne,

No I don't listen at really loud levels, at least not when sitting on my listening sofa.  Though I have excellent hearing, I also have some tinnitus from playing in a loud band when I was young so I've learned to protect my hearing these days. 

I can listen to the Thiels louder than any other speaker I've owned - they are so smooth.  (I moved away from ESLs because though they are transparent, they don't have the body to the sound that I prefer).

I do crank the system loud when I'm listening from outside the room (my system is in our living room which is open to the hallway so I can crank it when I'm in another room.  The Thiels certainly seem to hold their composure very well - better than almost any other speaker I've had.  You must like music really loud! ;-)

"Thiels...don’t hang together when really pushed,"

More complete and utter nonsense/misinformation from The King.

prof, shadorne needs his music really loud because he can’t hear.

Dave

Dave,

Some rare speakers have 6 drivers and some 114 components making up four crossovers - and all this driven by one amplifier on a single set of binding posts. If this worked so very well with no compromises with regard to energy or dynamics losses then we would definitely see a whole lot more of this type of heavily engineered speaker design - but there is a reason we don’t see a whole lot of designs like this and it ain’t because I am deaf.

shadorne,

Your posts at least imply you may have fallen prey to some dubious generalizations about speaker design.

If, for instance, you are implying that the Thiels have a complex driver/crossover system (they do) that would leave them sounding lacking in dynamics, you’d be wrong. The life-like dynamics of the Thiel 3.7 (and 2.7) speakers were regularly remarked upon by owners and reviewers, e.g.:

"The CS3.7 also has a sensational dynamic snap and life. While it’s great for music, this is as good a place as any to segue into home theater sound. The Thiels were every bit as extraordinary with movies. They played loud, and that’s a must for home theater playback no matter how sophisticated we are as listeners and humans. They also created tremendous contrast between the quietest and loudest sounds. Few speakers of any type are superior in this regard, and it’s crucial to movie playback. "

Read more at https://www.soundandvision.com/content/thiel-cs37-speaker-system-page-3#1eZ8GOoccE2JbtBf.99

Because the 3.7s are a bit bigger visually than I wish for my room, I’ve been auditioning many speaker brands (including Audio Note, Focal, Joseph Audio, Kudos (minimalist crossover design), and many others.

None have impressed me more than the Thiels, including in dynamics. In fact the slightly smaller Thiel 2.7s I also have have the most life-like energy I can remember hearing in a speaker...at least since the last horn speakers I heard. I just had them cranked very loud and listened close and from outside the room, playing jazz, latin and a bunch of electronic/funk music and they kicked butt, staying punchy and clean.

Get get the best sounding speakers that you can afford that best match your system sound signature. Stop worrying about price ratios. If it means that your speakers cost 500 or 50,000 it doesn't matter as long as they do best what you need them to and it is within your budget..