This is a 2-channel system in a multifunction living room. The ceiling of the room slopes from 10 to 17 feet high. All audio components, except the Thiel loudspeakers, are in custom cherry cabinets on the right side of the living room. The back of the cabinets has a ventilated door that allows access from an adjoining room. For critical listening, the coffee table can be removed and the two chairs on the right can be re-positioned to improve symmetry in relation to the sectional sofa on the left side. Cables to the speakers are routed up through the floor from an unfinished section of the basement below. The living room system has gradually become focused on server and streaming based audio, and the turntable has been moved from the living room to a 5.1 home theater system in the basement. A Sonos Connect allows the living room system to be linked with other Sonos components throughout the house for multiroom audio use.
@jazzman7 Thanks for your kind feedback on my system! I checked out your virtual system, and it's clear that we both are integrating our audio set-ups into a functioning living room. Not that easy to do, but very rewarding when you get it right. Great to see you posting on the Thiel owners thread as well.
Great setup! Love the way that you make the speaker cables do a disappearing act. Did a doubletake on first viewing. Style points in spades and I bet it sounds great too! Kudos.
I use 8-meter (equal) lengths of speaker cable from the equipment rack. The basement area under the speakers is unfinished so I run cables under the floor. Ideally my speaker cables should be shorter, but I want to maintain a clean look in the living room. Eventually, I hope to place my amplifiers in the basement under the speakers so that I can switch to speaker cables that are only 2.5 meters long. However, that will require XLR interconnects that are 5 meters long to run from the rack to the amps. The cost of Cardas Clear Reflection XLRs is high enough that I haven't been in a rush to switch from short XLRs / long speaker cables to long XLRs / short speaker cables.
The entertainment center in your system is beautiful. I really like it - it doesn't look like something anybody could buy in a store.
You're lucky your wife is great at making Italian food. We especially like dishes that have a few simple, high-quality ingredients that have to be put together just right. This past year, my wife and I have worked at perfecting the smoothness and texture of Cacio e Pepe. My wife has wanted us to match a great version of the dish that she was served in a restaurant overlooking the Spanish Steps in Rome. The trick is getting the right blend of cheese and cooking water, using mostly Pecorino Romano with just a little Parmigiano-Reggiano added in. We typically serve it on either spaghetti or bucatini. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!
I am with you on the Thiel’s…I hope they last another 25 years.
I thought yours were in oak. Cherry would be very nice being a cherry fan. We also have some handmade furniture in cherry, maple and oak. We love handmade stuff and have a lot of it.
I am full blooded Italian and my Jewish wife is the best Italian cook in America. Sometimes I think she more Italian than I am. :-). We plan to visit Italy once its safe to do so.
We definitely have similar music tastes. I also listen to a ton of jazz trio music, as well as new age and classical and a smattering of other stuff.
Will do a ton of listening during this holiday week.
Thanks for your kind comments. It sounds like you're still enjoying your Thiels, as am I. I got my 2.2's in 1992, and I hope they keep going strong for many more years. Although it's not all that obvious from the photo, my speakers are in natural cherry to match some of the other cherry in the room. The coffee table (in cherry and maple) and the cherry cabinets along the right wall were built by local woodworkers from my designs. Neither piece of furniture is officially "audiophile approved" but they work well in the room.
As you suspected, I do have some foodie leanings - especially for really good Italian food. That stems from living in Italy for nearly a year, although that was more than 40 years ago.
In terms of music, I lean toward classic rock, singer-songwriter, folk rock, blues, and a smattering of other genres.
Also forgot to mention…love the custom cherry cabinets, like we have in our kitchen and a streaming based system for convenience and lack of clutter.
Seeing a cookbook on the coffee table makes me think you are a foodie too. Sounds like we have lots in common.
What types of music do you listen to most often? I have a huge collection and am all over the board. Nonetheless, my go to’s are jazz, new age, classical and soft rock as a general rule.
Absolutely love your room setup. Simple, elegant, tidy, warm and welcoming. Beautiful!
In 1988, I bought a new pair of Thiel CS2’s in light oak, like yours, for $1,650 and are still quite happy with them. They are also still in perfect condition.
I drive them with vintage Linn LK140 and Kolektor electronics. I remember an audio salesperson in Boston saying to me…. “I used to sell Linn and Thiel and the combo was a license to steal…they were that good together”.
Are their better speakers and amps today. Sure, but I am very happy as a music first audiophile who never suffered from the upgrade syndrome.
I checked out your system, and your Pass amp is especially interesting. I have a lot of respect for Nelson Pass' work, and I'd consider getting one of his Class AB amps if they were a bit less expensive and a lot lighter in weight for an old guy to lift. I bet your Class A power amp and tube preamp sound great with the Revel speakers.
I've shied away from subwoofers in my 2-channel set-up since my Thiel 2.2's have decent bass and I've been afraid that a sub wouldn't sound as natural on the low end as my current speakers do. I do use a Thiel sub with five Powerpoints in my basement HT system because the Powerpoints alone don't go quite as low as I want in that system.
It's great to hear from a past Thiel owner. I agree that they can be tricky to get right, especially in the highs and upper midrange. Cables do seem to make a big difference. Using a preamp that has some tube "sweetness" seems to help a lot, too.
Like you, I've enjoyed the Cardas Parsec IC in my system. In fact, the Parsec won an XLR shoot-out I did against a Shunyata Venom, a Synergistic Research XLR in a similar price range, and an inexpensive Belden cable. Since then, I've moved up to the Cardas Clear Reflection XLR, which keeps most of the sound signature of the Parsec but adds a better top end, more transparency, better imaging, and tighter bass. The CR has a wonderful midrange, with a bit of warmth but not in excess. It just sounds so smooth, sweet, and real in my system. I would probably switch to CR speaker cables instead of Parsec if I didn't need 8-meter lengths, which pushes the cost pretty high. I've recently tried the Zavfino Fusion XLRs, which are very transparent and clear, but don't quite match the richness and fullness of the Cardas CR XLRs.
@thosb, Thanks for the positive comments! I've added a pic of the audio cabinet and a more detailed description of the system. Regarding the PS Audio gear, they do appear to be a good match for the Thiel speakers.
@tomic601, I'm glad you like the room! It's a very pleasant space to listen to music.
Gorgeous and very live-able, well done! Would love to see pics of the gear as well. Not the first time I've seen Thiels w/ PSAudio, must be a good match!
