Thiel 7.2: amps suggestions please

You may glean some useful info from a thread I initiated on 6-25-04 titled "Thiel 7.2 or Revel studios". I have done extensive research regarding the Thiels CS7.2 I have called Thiel and have been in contact with Sheri. I have gone as far as to schedule a flight on Aug.20th to tour the factory and listen to the amp/pre amp combos they have set up. Theil told me that they continuously try various combonations of associated gear, however they mentioned that the BAT VK 51 SE pre amp combined with the BAT VK 600 (Mono for 600 wpc into a 8 ohm load) produced one of the best sounds they have heard from their speakers. Obviously their listening preference may or maynot be the same as yours. They did say that the combo of tube pre amp with SS power amp produced some of the best results in their listening test. I can speak from first hand experience (according to my listening preference) that the combo of BAT VK 51 SE and Pass Labs X600 was nothing short of breathtaking. I want to listen to a few more combos before I lay that kind of cash on the table. I would be willing to give you my opion of what I heard at Thiel from the 7.2 and the associated gear they used.

Thank you very much guys. Unfortunately I live in Italy, so I cannot accept your invitation Chryslers rule. Me too I have a tube preamp with 2 italians mosfet monoblocks rated 250 w... As far as the similarity between Cs 6 and Cs 7.2 regarding the power required is concerned, I don't agree with your opinion since I recently had the Cs6 in the same gear: while the sound of cs 6 was dynamic, real, refined and live, the 7.2 sound poor, anaemic, not at all satisfactory. Thank you Roger for telling me your experience; if you like email me again or post here, I'm very curious about your Thiel tour !

I had a pair of the orignal CS7s that I powered with Bryston 7BSTs and although the sound was very good I always felt there something missing in the soundstage depth. A little over a year ago I traded to my current setup of CS6s and a Krell 400cx and I couldn't be happier. I am convinced that the amp provides planty of current to make these speakers sound fabulous at any level. What I hear now is the truth of the recording, with top to bottom clarity, fullness and musicality. I'm also fan of other well designed and executed high current SS amps such as Pass, Levinson, Rowland, but for the Thiels, Krell floated my boat.

Luke72,

I find your experience intriguing, I am not familiar with your amps. Perhaps some others can also verify your take that the 7.2's are considerable more difficult to drive, I can't speak on that as I have not owned them, yet. To my knowledge the woofer and coax are the same units but of course there is the additional midrange and very different crossovers. Do I understand that the difference you notice is very considerable? It would be my guess that the dynamics is related to damping factor of the amps, the 7.2 would probably require additional control to exhibit similar dynamics to the 6 but a significant difference is puzzling.

I know an individual who went from 6 to 7.2 with Krell 350MCX's and didn't have any issues with lack of power or dynamics. Of course it depends on your listening tastes but this individual prefers large dynamic classical passages as myself and thought the 7.2's were significantly more dramatic given the same gear.

Thiel may have experience with your amps and can suggest an alternative, the Pass Labs and Mcintosh are both reasonably priced alternatives for high power although not as articulate as the considerably higher priced amps out there.

You also mention a tube preamp which I have found certain tubes can significantly affect the soundstage, my experience was also as much as swapping amps.

Thank you Stevecham for adding your personal experience with Krell.
For Chryslers rule: I think the main problem, as you have mentioned, is the more complex crossover, there are 4 drivers instead of 3, yes the woofer (magnet and coil, not the diaphragm) is approximately the same, but the midbass is specific and the coax mid/tw are not the same of CS6. My monoblocks are pretty unknown in Usa (see www.amaudio.it , the model is the A200 Reference) and my feeling is that the amps have no sufficient juice for the 7.2, but for the 6 yes. Changing from 6 to 7.2 simply the sound is not real, solid and live any longer. Just my little experience, of course.