Thiel CS7 - The TOTL model from Thiel in the late 90's. This is a BEAST of a speaker.
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- čas přidán 21. 09. 2023
- The CS7 was Thiel's top speaker in the late 90's. This line had a front baffle made of concrete, so they weighed in at 200 lbs! NO VIBRATION at all, truly feels like one solid cinder block. Jim Thiel speakers were solid designs, but his philosophy was that they would be required to be driven by one very good amp. So, they only incorporate one set of binding posts and cannot be bi-amped, so be aware this one amp needs to be quite robust, something stable down to 2 ohm.
Watch my review of this amazing vintage speaker.
Link: • Thiel CS7 - The TOTL m...
Email: stereoniche@gmail.com
The gear I am currently using are as follows:
McIntosh MC2105 amplifier
Pioneer Elite C-90 preamp
Pioneer Elite DV-46AV CD player
Mitsubishi LT-30 turntable
Seamless, blends etc are attributes Jim Thiel's CS (Coherent Source) lineage was about. Jim (RIP) was also an extremely nice gentleman I met in person at a show. I emailed the company about some spikes I need for my pair of CS2's and was immediately sent a free set, no questions asked. A lot of audiophile companies can take a cue from how Thiel treat their customers (when Jim was at the helm). Nice review, thanks!
Great story. Thanks so much for sharing!
"Are you a Thiel or a Vandersteen guy? That was something common to hear at shows and elsewhere back in the 1990s. It was another way of asking "do you like a brighter sound or a warmer sound like the Vandersteens". With all the switching around of equipment and trying different things that I've done over the years, I have had both kinds of sounds. Long bouts with a warm sound and bouts with an analytical sound. When the tonality is just right, when there's that warmth and emotion, you realize that detail isn't the most important thing to seek. It's the tonality.
The first time I heard Thiel speakers (a floorstanding model) back around 1987, I thought maybe it was the best speaker I ever heard in the mids and highs. Looking back, the store demonstrating them was pretty slick. They had the listening chairs only about 4 and 1/2 feet away from the speakers. Easier to hear subtleties close up.They had the left and right channels reversed. For instance what you were used to hearing coming out of the left speaker, was now coming out of the right speaker. It was "different" and many listeners, not even realizing the channel reversal, would have taken that "different" to be an improvement. Also they were using an obscure JVC phono cartridge, which I later found out was a moving coil. Most don't realize that JVC, known for it's electronics, for a while made higher end phono cartridge models. As did Boston Acoustics, Adcom and Sony. In fact the Madrigal cartridge, which was the first phono cartridge ever to receive the highest 4 star rating in The Absolute Sound was a re-working of an old Sony phono cartridge.
The next time I heard a Thiel speaker, in the early 1990s, shaped similar to the one in the video, it sounded like it had the sharpest pinpoint focus I ever heard. Thiel & Vandersteen no longer battle it out. Starting in the 1990s a lot of speakers popped up in the 2 to ten thousand dollar range. They were still learning just how much audiophiles are willing to pay for great sound. If the Thiels are working properly and a Pioneer speaker bests it (in someone's opinion), that would be enough for some people.
Looking forward to the battle of the big boys, and good video Scott.
Thanks! The heavy weight battle will be epic!
Also the slant of the cabinet on the Thiels not only phase aligns the drivers but the slant decreases standing waves, which would occur if the front baffle were straight up and down. Also the contours of the front baffle are roundish instead of square, to further decrease any chance for cabinet diffraction. Any time you see a modern speaker that is oddly shaped and outside the squarish norm, chances are that they, like Thiel, have tried to make a cabinet that doesn't interfere with the sound and sonically disappears. Of course Vandersteen back then achieved the same thing more simply by merely mounting the midrange and tweeter in free space, instead of inside the cabinet, and behind a grill cloth.
There have been some cylindrical shaped speakers of note like the vintage JR 149, which used the same drivers as the famed Rogers LS3/5A. JR standing for Jim Rogers. Cylindrical shapes don't support the degrading standing waves and cabinet diffraction. There was even a speaker going way back to the 1960s made by Empire which was cylindrical. Wasn't the model called the Grenadier? But way back then, the best guess was that it was cylindrical shaped just to stand out among the crowd as different, and a stylish showpiece for a bachelor pad. I don't think speaker companies way back then really understood about shapes of speakers affecting the sound.
First of all, I would like to note that it is very beautiful. For me this is a very important indicator. Thanks for the interesting video
You are welcome!
I have a set of the thiel 7s. Pretty accurate on the description I would say they have one of the best mid range deliveries I’ve heard. I had them in my system for 3+ years just recently moved onto some Wilson’s. If you like warm, buttery, mid range, tight delivery with a rolled off top end these are amongst the best you can get. Slightly off on the weight they are 165 pounds each. The main difference between the CS 7 and the CS 7.2 is the speakers with in them. Same cabinet. 7s have a set of Sanspeak speakers. Thiel wanted more control over the manufacturing of the speakers. Sanspek was cutting into profits, very expensive speakers. The mid range tweeter and the mid range woofer are a foam construction in the 7. The 7.2 all aluminum cones. it makes for a brighter sounding speaker.
Thanks for the details on the differences. Buttery is a great word to describe them.
I bought the early Thiel 03A and loved them. Recently purchased the CS2.3's and think they are so cool. Really enjoy your reviews!
Thanks for watching!
I have mine since 1996 and drive them with Krell 350MCx power amps. After all these years I still find it an incredibly beautiful sounding speaker. I listen mostly classical music and find them very revealing, great sound stage, tight bass, beautiful midrange, piano sounds very realistic, voices sound very natural an high is with any hardness. I remember they were closer to $13,500/pair
Thanks for reviewing the C7, I have had the pleasure of enjoying my CS7.2 for well over a decade. Your review is pretty spot on. My amps are Emotiva XPA1 Mono-block and do a decent job of pushing them. I originally bought them for use in a larger room, after downsizing the house the current room just doesn’t do these speakers justice. I also have a set of Martin logans that I really enjoy.
I actually almost bought a pair of CS7’s about 4 yrs ago, but ended up picking up a pair of easier to drive Tekton Pendragons and just due to their higher sensitivity and impedance. I just recently added a pair of Klipsch Fortes to the arsenal too. If you’ve got an amp(s) with enough juice to run CS7’s, I say go for it. They’re amazing sounding speakers. They’re obviously beautifully built to a high standard and can fill a room, again if given enough power. 🔊😊🎶
There is something to be said about easier to drive speakers as well. Tough to drive speakers, like these CS7 or Maggies, etc. are rewarding, but one has to take a little extra care (and $$) with the entire chain to get them to perform.
such a cool design
It is a bit timeless really.
Love my Thiel CS .05,... the baby of the range. Superior sound and build quality :)
Hi Scott, I'm writing from Italy. I've always wanted a pair of Thiel CS5s and 4 years ago I managed to find them. I immediately fell in love with their powerful and defined sound, with a slight tendency to "cold" on the tweeter which I really like and the very pleasant mid frequencies, they are driven by a large Krell Ksa-250, forming one of the most appreciated pairs by music magazines. those years. I think they are the predecessors of the CS7....
Very nice ! Best I remember those sound great !
They certainly do!
Beautiful!
Yes they are!
That box shape is for me the ideal design with curved edges for low diffraction and narrow front, that gives best imaging and big soundstage possible
The speaker(s) look brand new. Amazing find. I always like how speakers age, if treated well.
They were certainly well cared for, indeed.
@@stereoniche 🙂
Love your reviews..straight forward and to the point.And in this short time in watching your channel, I l8ke what vintage products that are in review. Keep up the great work greatly appreciated ! Would love to hear a review on the ADS floor standing speakers.I never knew that they made them at the time when I was shopping back in the day..I would have probably bought them..but I still like my ADS 710.I know it would be hard to find a floor standing model of the ADS line but it would be primo.
Awesome! Thank you! I am always on the lookout for some of the later ADS models. Thus far, they have just not crossed my path.
@michaelvaladez6570 Agree! I have 710s and 780s but I have never heard the ADS floor standers. I bought my 710s in 79. Gave them away in a fit of downsizing mania. 3 months later I was beside myself so I bought 780s. I like them but they aren’t 710s. Finally found an older 4 ohm set this year and I ran to get them.
Always bringing us awesome pieces of audiophile history. Thanks for what you do. What do you think the shipping would be on a pair of these? LOL
I cannot even imagine. I have the original boxes, but it would have to be a white glove service to safely get these from point A to point B.
Love the review, and how you try to stay objective when comparing to other great speakers. Your scoring system really makes sense.
The Thiel speakers were something that I always lusted after when I was younger. Now that I'm older, it's interesting to see speakers that I've auditioned get feedback that I've myself experienced back in the day.
As for me, after years of tinkering I've settled on some vintage Infinity RS-2Bs that suit my solid state setup very well. But still wonder what could be with the Thiel...
And that is why I enjoy making the videos, so we can relive these great pieces of gear.
Enjoyed the video as always.
It would be cool if you reviewed a set of JSE Infinite Slope speakers in the future. I personally have a set of Model 1's and like them. They have some pretty cool crossover tech, and have a uniquely clear sound (maybe a bit bright). But might be worth checking out if you haven't already.
I have read about them, but have yet to own a set.
Nice. 😮
Another amazing piece! I would love to hear them. 201 lbs with the binding posts underneath. Maybe when I was younger and I could manage something that out weighs me by 50 lbs.. Back when I could lift 35” crt tv’s. 😂
They certainly evoke some choice words when moving them about. 🙂
I had almost forgot about Advent speakers until now. They were quite popular back in the day as a good price-to-performance choice. You spoke as if you had a pair of the CS7, but I see only one.
LOL, certainly a pair, the other one is hiding off to the side, it was the shy one.
I'd be interested in your review, and maybe any pointers, on the Zu Dirty Weekend speakers.
Have yet to hear any Zu models. They are a bit newer than models I typically collect.
I would love to hear these with a song from Tool called "Eulogy" , or maybe Pink Floyd "Time" .
Agree! Both great songs with lots of subtleties that I think these speakers would do well with.
Can't imagine any songs that would not shine on these, especially something as dynamic as those.
where did you get your demo music ??? its the bomb
You can find it by expanding the video comment section above, it will lead you to the artist when you scroll down. But agree, it is quite cool and got my attention when I first heard it.
I used to read that the standard snobbish audiophile would call Theil "Painfully bright" One man's "painfully bright" may just be another's realistic treble. I'm guessing someone used to rolled off and polite may not like them. . I wish I could have heard them. They were engineered soup-to-nuts in-house.
I certainly did not get that from the 7, maybe that was the 7.2?
the more i watch you the more i like you
Stayed tuned, much more on the way.
Your description of “imaging” seems to be confused with the term “soundstage”. A wide deep soundstage is something that most vintage box speakers lack for sure.
I have the cs 6- great speakers but many troubles with the tweeters......in 15 years min.15pcs...... :-(
Next level coolness, but then you mentioned their weight.
A Cool Heavyweight! :-)
I have CS3.6 ran my a pair of Purifi 1ET7040SA amps and occasionally with a pair of Yamaha M80s. Just upgraded from Yamahas.
How much further are you sitting from them?
About 1.65 feet further than you sit from your CS3.6 speakers. 🙂
@@stereoniche Then definitely I don't have room to accommodate these beasts! Currently, my towers are about 3.5ft away from the front wall and my seat is about 3 feet from the rear wall!
The gap between those Thiels and the advent are way too close, lower the advents by about 3 points overall At the very least for some reality ..!
I almost the Thiel CS7s...went with the Magneplanars instead
Maggies are also some top tier speakers, I am sure it was a tough choice.
@@stereoniche yes it was, but did not regret the decision in the least. Sold all of my gear and have been out of the audiophile arena for awhile. Cannot believe how expensive the equipment is these days.
Ok, so yes there nice and cool if you are nostalgic. They make you feel you got something you wanted when you were young. But, the one thing this owner does not emphasize enough is the speaker’s impedance. This speaker is actually less than 4 ohms and at times down 2 ohms across the frequency spectrum. You must have a very large solid state amplifier. This a far more important than most of the content of this vid. Read the Stereophile review on the speakers measurements. This would stop me from buying these regardless. Forget tubes. Sorry to rain on the parade.
Hey Gary. Thanks for chiming in to the conversation. You make a good point that I did not emphasize in the review. When we get into the realm of "High End" speakers like the CS7, there is a bit of an assumption by the manufacturer that an equally High End amp will be paired with it.
Looks like you could use a pair of a ADS L 880s
Sadly, it pains me to say it, but I once had a mint pair. with boxes! But, that was in my prior residence and I sold them in prep for the move to my current location.
Metal dome? Why? silk domes win any time. is the cabinet plywood? front plate out of concrete is awesome. but steel would be a bit lighter a guess. or titanium. titanium too costly for speaker makers?
A Titanium enclosure? I cannot imagine how costly that would be.
actually, for the tube 10 inch in diameter, 3 feet long its about $2k @@stereoniche
Vintage speakers???
Indeed. Not as old as most models I collect and own, but vintage is 20+ years. So let's just say they are a "young" vintage. :-)
I gave up after he said the word " obviously " over & over & over again
Well, obviously….. I was excited! 😂
@@stereonicheobviously😅