# Thiel Owners...!!!???



## Just Kurt (Jan 26, 2012)

Ok, any of you folks that are running any model of Thiel speakers. What AVR are you using and what do you recommend? I'm on the fence. Marantz SR6006 or Onkyo NR809. Or is there something else that you think is a better avenue?


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## sub_crazy (Nov 17, 2007)

I don't own any Thiel speakers anymore but did have the 2.3's, MCS1, SCS3 and powerpoints in the past. The 2.3's were by far the hardest to drive and after awhile I couldn't take it anymore. I really liked the SCS3 and the Powerpoints are remarkable if you need ceiling speakers.

I used them mainly with separates but a few receivers got in there from time to time. I tended to favor Onkyo over Denon/Marantz, seemed to have a more stout amp section. The Pioneer Elite receiver I had was great with Thiel as well.

Which Thiels do you have?


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## Just Kurt (Jan 26, 2012)

I've got a pair of CS1.2's and an SCS Center. I'm also running a Definitive SuperCube powered sub and a pair of Paradigm rear surrounds. I think I'm starting to lean toward the Onkyo NR809. All the reviews I have read are praising this AVR. And it's got the 7.1 pre-out's so I can add a power amp once my budget is back up to par. Even though the Thiel rep that I bought the speakers from is telling me to go with either Marantz SR6006 or the NAD T748.


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## sub_crazy (Nov 17, 2007)

It's hard to go wrong with a Onkyo receiver nowadays, the Marantz is also nice as well. I would stay away from the NAD only because it does not include Audyssey EQ which makes a big difference.

What is your listening preference? Will this system be mostly for listening to music or movies? The Marantz will probably be the better music receiver but the Onkyo should have the edge in movies and TV.


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## Just Kurt (Jan 26, 2012)

Yeah it's hard to say for sure. I am an avid music lover and do listen to a lot of music. But I think it would be safe to say that this AVR would be used more for movies / tv. I've also got an Apple TV v2 that most of my tv content comes from. I'm not a cable subscriber so all of my content comes from either iTunes, Netflix and my BluRay player.

I'm also going to assume that although music would probably sound better through the Marantz, that it would not sound BAD through the Onkyo. Just not as warm as the Marantz? I think I'll swing to BestBuy this weekend and have them demo both receivers. The Onkyo apparently also has better up conversion than the Marantz, but who really has a screen capable of running 4k just yet...


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Just Kurt said:


> Ok, any of you folks that are running any model of Thiel speakers. What AVR are you using and what do you recommend? I'm on the fence. Marantz SR6006 or Onkyo NR809. Or is there something else that you think is a better avenue?


Hello,
I used to own Thiels and they are one of my favorites. Due to them being Time and Phase Coherent and using 1st Order Crossovers, they are not the easiest Speakers to drive. If possible, I would recommend Outboard Amplification to get the best out of them.

If going with an AVR, I would look more at the Onkyo TX-NR3009 or 5009 as both are THX Ultra2 Plus Certified and both use much larger Power Supplies than either the 6006 or 809. If choosing between the 2 listed, I would absolutely go with the 809. The two Series lower TX-NR609 output close to 90 Watts when Bench Tested by Home Theater Magazine. This is better performance than many $1000+ AVR's.
Cheers,
JJ


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## Just Kurt (Jan 26, 2012)

What about the 1008 or 1009?


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
I would go with the 1009. The x09 Series not only features a really nice new Industrial Design, but has really seemed to be better about QC. Some x08 Series were affected by a bad IDE Cable causing it to cycle through Surround Modes, the Remote Control becoming unresponsive, and finally the Front Panel not being functional.

While not that many were affected and the Cable itself cost only a few Dollars, having to send off an AVR and to be without the Brain of ones HT is a major hassle.
Cheers,
JJ


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

Just Kurt said:


> Ok, any of you folks that are running any model of Thiel speakers. What AVR are you using and what do you recommend? I'm on the fence. Marantz SR6006 or Onkyo NR809. Or is there something else that you think is a better avenue?


Jungle Jack is absolutely correct, the first order crossovers are very sophisticated and present quite a challenging load to amplifiers. The recommended AVR's will do for now, but to get the best from these speakers you will want to add a beefy amp someday.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Would you consider the XPA-5 beefy enough? Thiels are one of the speakers suggested for my speaker search, and I am just wondering if that amp would be sufficient.


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

ALMFamily said:


> Would you consider the XPA-5 beefy enough? Thiels are one of the speakers suggested for my speaker search, and I am just wondering if that amp would be sufficient.


It seems that the Thiel CS1.2 is not as demanding as some of it's brethren. The Emotiva would do just fine for that speaker.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/thiel-cs12-loudspeaker-measurements

I would exercise caution with other Thiel speakers, some dip as low as 2 ohm and have crazy phase angles.


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