Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Thiel Audio CS 1.6 Speakers by mdryoon

Model:	CS 1.6
Category:	Speakers
Suggested Retail Price:	$1,995
Description:	speakers
Manufacturer URL:	Thiel Audio
Manufacturer URL:	Thiel Audio

Review by mdryoon ( A ) on May 15, 2002 at 09:06:20
IP Address: 167.176.6.8

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for the CS 1.6

Having listened to the Thiel CS1.6 for some length on three different systems in two different dealer showrooms, I think I can make a somewhat accurate stab at describing its sound.
System #1 consisted of a Meridian 588 CD player and Jeff Rowland Concentra integrated amp in a medium sized room.
This system sounded smooth, neutral for the most part, somewhat liquid and had very good detail and delicacy. The smooth neutrality of this system made for a coherent sound in many cases. The piano in Cyrus Chestnut's "Decisions, Decisions" was reproduced very well, sounding less glassy and with fewer notes "jumping out" compared to most other speakers in the Thiel's price range I recently listened to. Imaging height with this recording extended to about 1.5 feet above the top of the Thiels. In no other recording do I recall hearing similarly tall imaging height. Placement of images within the soundstage, despite suboptimal room acoustics, was solid.
The main faults with system #1 centered around bass tonality and attack. What bass there was from the CS1.6 was commendably in-line with the midrange and treble, but while acoustic bass in "Decisions, Decisions" was reproduced with appropriate warmth, the more propulsive bass in Ozomatli's "Como Ves" sounded a little tubby. Attack was good, but I've heard better. The whistles in "Como Ves" lacked the nth degree of blat compared to other systems I've heard, but nonetheless, that song was still enjoyable through the CS1.6.
System #2 took place in the same show room as system #1, and while the speakers and CD player were the same, the Concentra was replaced with a Sony STR-SL7 receiver, and the Meridian CD player took on the role of a CD transport with the Sony taking on DAC duties. Speaker cables were also changed.
Except for an extended treble, system #2 sounded very tube-like in a classic tube sense. System #2 was more liquid than system #1, liquid to the point of being lush. Images in system #2 were more palpable than with just about any solid state amp-based system I've heard, and decay was produced to a very high degree. Not only could I hear Cassandra Wilson's breaths on "You Don't Know What Love Is", I could practically feel her breaths as well! Bass was somewhat woolly. In the same Cassandra Wilson song, the guitar's lower registers, which are ripe even in systems with tight bass, became overbearing at times. Fortunately, bass wasn't woolly to the point of distraction in the Vaughn Brothers' "Hillbillies from Outerspace". System #2 also sounded somewhat slow. The guitar in the Vaughn Brothers' same (mostly) instrumental sounded very smooth, yet it didn't seem to have the tempo I've heard it have in faster sounding systems. This robbed "Hillbillies from Outerspace" of some dynamic tension that is one of the keys to making it sound interesting.
System #2 was sailing along when the store's air conditioner turned on and the STR-SL7's protection circuits tripped in at the same time. It didn't help matters for the Sony that the Concentra used in system #1 was drawing current from the same A/C circuit as well (The Concentra draws over 100W of power when idle). The STR-SL7's top plate didn't feel unusally warm. Maybe voltage sag had something to do with tripping the protection circuits.
System #3 was in a small subsection of a large room in another store. A half-wall separated the subsection from the rest of the room. System #3 consisted of a Rotel DVD player, Rotel RSP-1066 surround sound processor and Rotel RMB-1095 multichannel amp. I ran the demo in stereo with the LFE channel turned off.
System #3 sounded much like system #1, but with inferior decay and delicacy. Still, system #3 sounded coherent, neutral and smooth with good delicacy as well. On the plus side for system #3, it had less tubby bass than system #1, although some tubbiness remained. Although system #3 sounded faster than system #2, system #2 still seemed to be slightly uninvolving when playing "Hillbillies from Outerspace".
A comment about soundstage: None of the systems had a room that, with the equipment placed around the CS1.6 speakers, would allow the soundstage to shine, so I don't feel all that qualified to say much about the soundstage performance of the CS1.6.
Overall, the Thiel CS1.6 has some strenghts that make it soar well above its similarly priced competition, yet there are also some weaknesses that prevent it from being a great all-around speaker for its price. Coherence, neutrality, delicacy and decay are well above the realm of much of its competition, yet in a system that's not particularly fast, the Thiel CS1.6 can sound uninvolving. Bass, despite its evenhanded output level, tubbiness and relative lack of extension, can sound quite authoritative, even to the point of being a good match with rap and hip-hop. A subwoofer won't be necessary for the CS1.6 except for those who want deep bass or bass levels much higher than midrange and treble levels.
Fit-n-finish, not suprisingly for a Thiel, is exemplary. Aesthetically, the shrunken CS7.2 look works very well with the CS1.6; IMO, the CS1.6 is the best looking Thiel speaker. The grille is cleverly executed. It's basically a very thin sheet of metal with fabric attached to it. The grille magnetically attaches to the speaker without unsightly pegs and sockets. A very shallow recess on the front baffle allows one to neatly put the grille in place. The grille should have virtually no effect on the way the speaker sounds. And, the CS1.6 binding posts are located on the rear instead of on the bottom, but biwire fans will still be disappointed; the Thiel CS1.6 is still single wire only.
Once again, Thiel has made a very finicky speaker. With careful matching, the CS1.6 can provide loads of satisfaction to its owner.

Product Weakness: careful matching needed, can sound somewhat slow, slightly tubby bass, not for wimpy amps
Product Strengths: smoothness, coherence, neutrality, delicacy, decay, fit-n-finish, good looks

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	see above
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	see above
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	see above
Speakers:	Thiel CS1.6
Cables/Interconnects:	see above
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	see above
Type of Audition/Review:	Dealer Demo

Product Weakness:	careful matching needed, can sound somewhat slow, slightly tubby bass, not for wimpy amps
Product Strengths:	smoothness, coherence, neutrality, delicacy, decay, fit-n-finish, good looks