I auditioned the 3.6's extensively. The bottom end was incapable of punch. Theil has gone away from sealed cabinets, and I think that this is a mistake. The passive radiator is a disaster in my view when it comes to tight bass. I recall playing a Quincy Jones track and not being able to make out the bass line at all. So what did I buy instead? The CS5i's, which are now discontinued, and were the last of the Thiels to employ acoustic suspension cabinets ie no passive radiator. In my view the 5's are classic, satisying on all levels, and in every parameter you can think of. If you have the front end, and most importantly the room, pick 'em up used if you find them. You will forget about the otherwise constant urge to upgrade, cuz these speakers raise the goose bumps all the time.

Just a note about THIEL speakers in general.I have heard the.5,1.5,2.2and 3.6.In every case the soundstage sounded "boxed in" for some reason.In all cases the amplificaton was of sufficient power and quality.Also,I did notice that every set up had the speakers facing straight ahead.Is that a prerequisite for listening to these speakers?Has anybody else noticed this?

I concur with the Great Gorodon about the Thiel 3.6 Loudspeakers. They are like a beautiful, yet demanding girlfriend. They are an extraordinary speaker if you have them matched with the right source, preamp and amp combinations. They are very revealing of system weaknesses and you must have a powerful ampliflier to handle their low 2.3 Ohm impedance.
I currently have the Thiel 3.6's matched up with Audio Research gear: CD2 Digital source, LS15 preamp, and the VT200 and Phase Two Synergestic Research cabling throughout. It is a wonderful combination, in my opinion. I have tried many different solid state amplifiers with the 3.6's, including Levinson and Krell combinations, and feel the Thiel Loudspeakers were made to run with tubes.
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If you are striving for the absolute sound (i.e., reproducing live music), matching up Thiel CS3.6, CS6 or CS7.2 Loudspeakers with ARC tube gear is large step in that direction. Good luck finding something better - enough said.

I an confused by the reviews I've read here about the Thiel 3.6 speakers. Seems you either love them or you hate them. As with all high end speakers room placement, and power and quility of equipment is critical. I have a friend who has these speakers powered by an all Parasound system. You must give them lots of power or they will just sound awful. They are brutal in their ability to reveal any weakness in your system or your recorded material. I think they sound wonderful and build quility is great. An added plus is the company will treat you right and is always willing to talk and ansewer your questions in person or over the phone. These are a full range speaker, no sub woofer needed. I might add that I once auditioned these speakers with a Mark Levonson amp and cd player and wired with transparent inter connects and speaker wires. They were absolutly awesome and the music became holographic. As I said before, the better the system the better these speakers sound. They are like a beautiful but demanding girlfriend. With the right equipment and the best recorded material I give these speakers a 5 star rating.

Thiel 3.6.
I agree with (almost) everything said about these beauties in the prior reports. I don't believe they deliver their best with tubed amps. I have owned mine for 4 years and only now am thinking of upgrading to the Thiel 6's or 7.2's because I love the way they sound. Ruthless in revealing the upstream faults in your system, demanding of power amplification. I would suggest an amp that has a large power supply.

My system is Theta DaViD (upgraded from Data Basic), Theta Casablanca (upgraded from Gen V) and Krell 300s amp. All my cables are Transparent except for the digital cable which is Marigo Reference.

In short, a speaker that runs with the best out there up to the $6000 price range. Not meant to be played LOUD, but will reproduce everything in the music you thought never was there.

4 stars only because of the binding posts being so difficult to get to....

I think I may be the elder statesman CS3.6 owner in this group, having bought my pair back in July '92. Back then, the other speakers I auditioned were Martin-Logan Quest, Legacy Focus, and ProAc Response 3. I was impressed by the overall cohesiveness and soundstage precision of the Thiels. The neutrality took a lot longer to appreciate. I found that they were quite honest and revealing, and the sound would change substantially with each change in other parts of my system, sometimes for the worse. On the down side, they won't play super-loud and I've managed to blow up three tweeters and three midrange units in the last 6+ years (all replaced by Thiel at no charge; try doing that with a blown CS6 midrange/tweeter). The bass can be too big and loose with the wrong amp; I use Krell MDA-300 monoblocks which really give the speakers a lot of punch and slam. Speaker wire choices can make or break this system; I use 3' NBS Signature. I prefer mine toed-in at my ears which gives me better focus, but I have a narrow room with some side-wall reflection problems which are exacerbated by straight-ahead placement.
At the end of '98, they've got more competition and I've admired the Aerial 10T for better dynamics and bass, and Martin-Logan's ReQuest for its superb midrange. I'm thinking of upgrading to something like the Avalon Eidolons (now those are great speakers), but I haven't heard the CS7.2, or B&W's 801 Nautilus. I've heard the Legacy Whisper and I still feel that detail is obscured in the midrange of both the Whisper and Focus (but they'll play a drum kit recording at near-live levels and the Whisper is SOTA in mid-to-upper bass detail). Overall though, I'm impressed that the CS3.6s have held up this well sonically over these years. I don't think I'll get nostalgic when I replace them, but they have been like a good, high-value automobile (a "Honda Accord" of upmarket speakers?). The bottom line is that I've held on to these speakers longer than any of the 17 other pairs of speakers I've owned. For those of you who just purchased them, this could end up being a long-term relationship.

Ancilliary Equipment: Theta Data II/MIT Digital Reference/Theta Pro Gen Va Balanced converter, Kimber silver balanced, custom Vishay balanced passive attenuators, Townshend Rock III turntable, Grado Reference cartridge, Audible Illusions Modulus 3a preamp, Discovery Plus 4 interconnects, Krell MDA-300s, NBS speaker wire, Synergistic Research and Kimber AC cords, Tice Power Block II/Titan II (front end only), dedicated 20 amp circuits and Hubbell outlets for each amp and front end.

Whiel the Thiels are a very good speaker, they are much too bright. They are extremely detailed, but they will give you a headache! Very analyitical sound. Can't play loudly. My Dunlavy SCIV's blow them away.

I owned the 3.6's for about 2 years being driven by a Krell amp. Never was happy with the presentation of the music, especially their ability to play classical music. Imaging was never quite what I expected from such a highly rated speaker. Very ineffecient speaker also. Finally got rid of them when I heard Vienna Acoustics Beethoven. Give them a listen people, they are one heck of a speaker. I enjoy listening again.

No expert - but I've had my share of loudspeakers from Accoustat's (1st pair in Portland) to Pyramid Met III (not a lot of THOSE around & I loved 'em) Infinity QRS1 - Double Advents - Maggies - I've loved 'em and left 'em. NO speaker is perfect - the 3.6 are less forgiving than most (rest of the system must be TOP notch) and don't hit absolute purrfection quite as often as I'd like. Yes, I've had speakers that image a LOT better.BUT the plusses are BIG plusses! These speakers NEVER sound bad - piano, symphony, country or LOUD rock - they can PLAY IT! Room placement is a breeze - soundstage is IMMENSELY broad - and YOU can be ANYWHERE in the room - they sound GREAT when played LOUD but sound magnificent all the way down at wife-pleasing volumes (that's a more difficult characteristic to find in loudspeakers than reviewers seem to appreciate)- and they are built like a battleship. You DON'T need a sub for music. (AC3 soundtracks are another matter - GET A SUB or you will blow midrange drivers NOW!)

If there is a better all-around loudspeaker with fewer faults in this price range (yes, I think B&W 801's ARE murky on piano & accoustic guitar, sorry) I haven't heard it.

I've had these speakers for about 3 years now and have tried them with several different amps and pre-amps. There is no question that, with mediocre components and source material, the sound can present as harsh, cold, analytic, uninvolving. However, with the right electronics and source material, these speakers shine. Excellent, well-defined bass, crisp and realistic treble, exceptional speed and dynamics, excellent soundstage and an overall well-integrated sound. Yes, these speakers are highly resolving and lack any distinct coloration--a virtue, in my opinion. Mate them with the right components and source material and they soar! They are fairly priced, beautifully crafted, and the support from Thiel is first rate. Five stars.