speakers to the sub, "Growing Up" or "The Barry Williams Show" will reveal that sub’s relative position. The SS2 and PX05 did a fantastic job of convincing me that the deep bass was anchored to each speaker.
The PowerPoint surrounds sounded bigger and the CS2.4s delivered more authoritative bass when the SS2 was added. The massive drum strokes on Kodo’s "Daraijin," from Mondo Head [SACD, Red Ink/Sony 56111], appeared from behind me with surprising weight and slam. Experiencing the Thiels’ impressive integration was exhilarating with film soundtracks and music alike. I had never heard a speaker system that disappeared quite as the Thiels did, or a subwoofer that performed as transparently as did the SS2.
I was never left wanting for the bracing dynamics of Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite, from Eiji Oue and the Minnesota Orchestra’s Showcase [CD, Reference RR- 907CC], or Leonard Bernstein’s adoring interpretation of Mahler’s Symphony 3 [CD, Deutsche Grammophon 427 328-2]. Brass and cymbals always sounded pure and extended, with a nice balance of shimmer and controlled decay.
The Thiels’ utter lack of coloration and outstanding three-dimensional imaging made the hair on the back of my neck stand up on end countless times. Every sound remained anchored in physical space. The well-recorded score of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village [CD, Hollywood 162464], and such pop recordings as Seal’s newest DVD-Audio release, Seal IV [Warner Bros. 47947], sounded wonderfully rich and intoxicatingly sweet through the Thiels, while the system’s considerable speed and resolution made me tap my foot to the desperate melodies and pulsating bass lines of synthesizer wizard BT’s "Lullaby for Gaia," from ESCM [CD, Reprise 46799].
Coherent competition?
I have been very happy with my Canton Ergo home-theater speaker system. At a little over $5500, the Canton system provides an exciting music and home-theater experience at not much more than a third of the Thiels’ price. The three-way Ergo RC-A is an incredible bargain; this big speaker’s built-in powered subwoofer gives it a huge advantage when space is at a premium, with none of the integration challenges of a standalone sub. And Canton’s exclusive room-compensation circuit makes speaker placement a snap. The subs, coupled with the passive driver’s speed, deliver breathtaking dynamic impact.
The Thiels sounded considerably more refined and coherent than the Canton Ergos. Although transparent, the Cantons can get a bit edgy in the upper midrange, a little lightweight in the upper bass. They also sound a bit unfocused in the low mids and upper bass. The Thiels, however, always sounded smooth and natural across their response curve. In terms of imaging, the difference between the two systems is the difference between the accomplished and the merely competent. The Cantons produce a wide but relatively
shallow soundstage; the Thiels countered with unbelievably composed and uniformly dense images that extended both in front and to the rear of the speakers’ baffles — no matter how far apart they were placed or how loudly they were played.
Bass was where the two systems almost met. Alone, the CS2.4s produced pure, effortless bass that reached deeper than I would have expected from speakers of their size. With the SS2 sub, that bass had more harmonic weight and was perfectly controlled and extended. The RC-As’ built-in subs offer as much detail and control as the CS2.4s, but can’t produce quite the level of harmonic integrity or extension of the CS2.4s plus SS2.
The MCS1 and PowerPoint simply outclassed Canton’s Ergo CM 500 DC center-channel and Ergo F surround speakers. Thiel’s coincident driver enabled the MCS1 and PowerPoints to remain rock-solid off- axis when compared to the Ergo CM 500 DC’s smaller midrange- tweeter-midrange design and the Ergo F’s standard two-way array. Size gave the MCS1 the edge over the CM 500 DC in terms of bass extension and weight, while the Ergo Fs couldn’t muster the PowerPoints’ bass detail and refinement.
The Cantons did exhibit a little more high-frequency bite, though by bite I don’t mean extension or detail, but snap and shimmer. The crash of cymbals and the swell of orchestra were a touch more exciting through the Cantons. Although this could be considered a slight distortion of the music, it did get my blood moving without inducing listening fatigue.
While the Ergo RC-A costs about the same as the CS2.4, keep in mind that the MCS1 is more than twice the price of the CM 500 DC, and a pair of PowerPoints costs about four times as much as a pair of Ergo-Fs. So while it’s easy to hear major improvements through the Thiels, the complete Canton system does a nice job of making music with perfectly integrated bass for a much lower price.
Coherence concluded
I spoke to Jim Thiel several times while researching this system, and there was no denying the passion with which he approaches his work. He explained with boundless enthusiasm his unique design philosophy and methodology, describing in great detail every nuance, every nut and bolt. Each question I asked was answered with an overabundance of description. His grasp of science was as obvious as his love of music.
The Thiel speakers reviewed here made beautiful music. Their sound wasn’t sweet or warm or exciting; rather, it expressed whatever sweetness, warmth, or excitement was contained in the recording. Thiel’s Coherent Source technology has forever changed my perception of what a great loudspeaker system should accomplish, especially in terms of subwoofer integration and the stability of both two-channel and surround-sound images. Is this Thiel system a Reviewers' Choice? Absolutely.
