THIEL Audio is on a new track these days. Since Jim Thiel, the founder of the company, passed away in September 2009, Kathy Gornick, then-president of THIEL Audio sold the company in November 2012 to a group of Nashville enthusiasts who have been revitalizing all aspects of the company’s operations, from investment into factory infrastructure, to engineering and R&D, even installing Bob Brown, the new Chief Operating Officer and Stephen DeFuria, the new National Sales Manager . THIEL took the industry by storm in the 80s when it introduced the revolutionary CS5, a work of profound vision and statement. At that time, and for a good many years, the CS5 was the pinnacle in loudspeaker art and technology. I auditioned it at Audio Consultant of Evanston, Illinois when it first came out, as driven by Threshold amplification, and the memory of that session lives on to this day, vividly.
Today, THIEL Audio is announcing the launch of a CS1.7 Coherent Source® floorstanding loudspeaker. Featuring an utterly benign, first-order acoustic crossover network that goes a long way in maintaining phase and time coherency, the CS1.7 also employs a new voice coil, magnetic circuit and reworked aluminum diaphragm with increased linearity and reduced distortion. A special aluminum woofer with a star-shaped diaphragm and magnetic structure is said to enable the driver to operate as a piston through an extended frequency range. The CS1.7 now boasts an efficiency a full 3dB higher than that of the previous model with a much flatter impedance curve. A one-inch thick colossal baffle with a two-inch thick turbulence vertical port provided considerable rigidity and inertness. In addition to the included leveling feet, an optional brushed aluminum Outrigger base provides maximum stability on virtually any surface.
Per Stephen DeFuria, THIEL National Sales Manager, “The CS1.7 delivers superb musicality from a sleek floorstanding loudspeaker that is décor friendly thanks to its moderate size and elegant array of real wood veneers, [and it] represents the performance and value that our dealers and worldwide distribution have been asking for.” Measuring 38 inches tall with the Outriggers, 13.8 inches wide at the bottom and 15 inches deep, the CS1.7 weighs 54 lbs and retails for $3,999 the pair!
THIEL Audio Products Company of Lexington, Kentucky is a privately-held, engineering driven organization that performs research, design, and manufacturing of loudspeakers for the highest quality music and video sound reproduction in the home. The beauty of THIEL loudspeakers can be traced back to design concepts born from powerfully innovative thinking. For over 30 years, THIEL has woven a nearly magical synergy between engineering brilliance and an unfailing passion to create the most lifelike reproduction of recorded music. Along this quest for sonic perfection, THIEL’s customers, music aficionados, and audio press from around the world have lauded THIEL’s loudspeaker designs as some of the best ever conceived. THIEL manufactures ten individual products ranging in price from $1090 each to $14,700 per pair. www.thielaudio.com
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