This is one of the best speakers I have ever heard. But its amazing performance requires the "support" of associated equipment. Because of its steady low 3-ohm resistance covering 100 Hz-16KHz, it really needs a MUSCLE amplifier of high current capability. Once I used a Bryston 4B (rated 250w at 8 ohm), but the clipping light occasionally flashed when the low bass from the discs of Reference Recording popped up. At those moments, the sound deteriorated obviously. Later I substituted a pair of Bryston 7B for the 4B and paired them with the Audible Illusions M-3 preamp; then I stepped over the threshold of accoustic heaven. The sound stage, the tonal accuracy, and music subtlety all bloom up in my listening room. But the speaker does have limited dynamic range; the midranges and the tweeters cannot play too loud. The later midrange units have improved in this respect.

I dont get on the web very much, but today I was reading the reviews on this site when I found a review from the GREAT GORDOON? I happen to be his freind that (Proudly owns the thiel 3.6s} which at the time were driven with a Parasound 1500a amp although I never heard the word awful used in the thiels presense, I can say that they seemed to need more. MORE POWER! I replaced the amp with the new Parasound 3500, 350watts per in 8. Thats as close as im going to get to Krell ect. without selling the house and kids! The new amp gave the thiels a sense of density a more real sound that I simply didnt expect! The one downside of the Thiels is like others have said, if you have a crappy CD its gonna show Ya in all its splendor. P.S. Cardas Hex Link Fives worked great in this combo.

Source components and amplification! If you have this aspect of your system intact and on the cutting edge, you'd be silly to spend more money. Vocals, soundstaging, transparency, and dynamics are outstanding with the 3.6's. Current electronics in my sytem include the Classe Ca 300 power amp, Classe Five pre, Sonic Frontiers phono pre, Wadia 16 CD player, Transparent and MIT cables. I have owned the 3.6's for 2 years, have auditioned Dunleavy's, Avalon's, Genisis, Audio Physics, etc. None, I repeat none of these speakers which prices ranged up to $15,000 made me even think about switching.
In my opinion these are the best bargain in audio.

I've had my 3.6's for almost 2 years now and I still love them. I recently (finally!) added an SCS2 center channel speaker, and finally took my surround sound processor out of phantom mode. Even though the imaging on these puppies is great, the center speaker makes a big difference watching movies. So, yes, I'm an audiophile with a home theater rig. The rest is a Theta Casablanca and Krell KAV500. AC3 has made the SCS2 a necessity. Anyway, I did find the 3.6's slightly fatiguing at first, but after they were broken in and a large area rug put in my listening room, they sound fantastic and extremely accurate. They've encouraged me to upgrade every other component in my system. When comparing new gear, they make differences obvious and preferences easy to choose, from cables to sources to AC cords! Caveat: many of my friends love my sound, many of them do not. Audition them for HOURS at a time and with VARIED material.

I've owned the 3.6s for some 18 months and they are typically superb!! They are touchy about what electronics are used to power them. Usually a high current power amp such as one of the Brystons (4BST) will do the job. Any mediocre components such as a cheap CD player will be revealed for what it is. Quality cables are also crucial to the setup for the Thiels. It is very important to place them at least 3' from any wall surface or the bass can get very tubby. It is true that they don't play loudly very well but I feel these speakers are made to play at moderate levels with amazing detail, accuracy and presence. The 3.6s sound as good as the source material fed to them and the electronics on the front end. Superb contruction and finish.

I have had the Thiels for about 3 weeks now and they sound great! If you are looking for a speaker that is neutral,warm
and smooth CS3.6 have to be purchased!Great speakers for the money!
Probably the least colored speaker at this price range although you do
need a very capable amp. Something that will drive a 1-2 Ohms
load with high phase degree.

I auditioned the CS3.6's at Audio Ark in Edmonton, Alberta. The speakers were placed approximately 10 feet from the back wall, and around 5 feet from the sides in a 25'x18' room. Excellent midrange articulation and a very sweet tweeter. Mid-bass was accurate, but lacked punch on the bottom end. I suspect this is due to the speaker's poor efficiency; I've heard friends say that anything less than a Sunfire amp won't have the current to drive such a difficult load. Very nice if you have the right electronics and a very big room for proper speaker placement, but otherwise, I'd recommend steering clear.

I have owned a pair of Thiel 3.6's for about 2 years now and can say that the sound from these speakers is beyond reproach. As noted by others, they are extremely revealing and upstream electronics, especially the amplifier are very important. I started out with a Parasound HCA 1200 II which was a little harsh but since upgrading to the Aragon 8008ST things are smooth as silk. I auditioned the CS 3.6 in the same room as a set of Watt Puppies and frankly did not hear anything to justify the $11,000 difference. The Watt's were better but it wasn't obvious. One complaint, these speakers are not suited to be driven real hard. I have fried several tweeters in two years while playing at loud but well below what would be considered extreme levels (zero clipping). I suspect the first order crossover is allowing too much low frequency energy to pass to the tweeter and overheating the voice coil. Played at moderate levels they are an absolute pleasure to hear.

Coherence,accuracy,imaging and soundstage. Amazing woodwork.

Trash in, trash out (weakness?). Needs at least 250 watts to really shine.

I am very happy with this speaker. I agree with the previous post by Tom 100 %. If you want to hear accurate music reproduction, look no further. But be forewarned, you need good components up stream. If you have a good system, I think you will fall in love with this speakers deeeep soundstage. And the imaging is amazing. Lastly, the quality of the wood work is awsome. Even my wife loves the way it looks, and we all know how important that is in our hobby!! The best speaker in its' price range, no make that double its' price range. Check it out, you will be very pleased.

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Proarc, Meadowlark, B&W and others.

Powerful and deep bass, superior sound-stage depth and a very musical sound from nearly seamless intergration of the drive units.

Playiny loudly without sounding LOUD... (Weakness?). Will reveal EVERY weakness or change in upstream equipment... (Weakness?).

I have greatly enjoyed the Thiel 3.6es. The soundstage is immensely deep and wide. A Thiel hallmark. Bass is punchy and extended. Kick drum is lively and expressive. An amp that can drive a very intense load is an absolute requirement with these speakers. You should consider Levinson, Bryston, McCormack, Rowland, Classe (Sunfire???) and others. My experience with Krell and Boulder solid state amps tells me that they are often too forward and bright with Thiels. A budget amp will not cut it with these speakers. My guess is that a mega-buck tube amp would do wonderful things with the 3.6es, although I never owned one.
Tube preamps do work well if your Thiels need "calming". I also admire the Martin-Logan SL3 in this price catagory, but it is much more sensitive to room boundary interaction and won't play really loudly either. One reviewer once said that the Thiel 3.6 was the "Honda Accord" of high end loudspeakers. With proper equipment matching, the performance is much closer to BMW 3 series in my estimation.
The Thiel 3.6es are a stunning speaker and a bargain (full performance will require expensive electronics) at it's price point. It simply goes deeper into the music than all but a handful of REALLY expensive stuff. Enjoy.

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