3
doesn't everyone do this? Because it is
more expensive to build an enclosure on
an angle.
The front edges of the enclosure are
beveled. This reduces air turbulence
from the drivers, and reduces coloration
of the sound. Again, it's an expensive
piece of carpentry to do this.
The CS2.4s are 4 Ohms nominal and
medium sensitivity, so a high quality
amplifier must be used to drive them.
The Sound
I tested the CS2.4s with a McCormack
CD Transport and DAC, Balanced Audio
Technology VK-5i preamplifier,
Balanced Audio Technology VK-500
Power Amplifier, McIntosh MC-602
Power Amplifier, and Nordost Cables. I
toed the speakers in at about 15
0
towards my listening position.
It took several days of constant music
playing to break these speakers in, but
the major change occurred in the first
couple of hours. They started out with a
slightly harsh upper end and thin bass,
but they soon opened up. I broke them
in with some pretty heavy music, played
at medium volume, with about 30 - 60
watts of power.
I have to say right off the bat that the
CS2.4s are some of the best speakers I
have ever heard. The soundstage was
very tall, as if the whole wall were alive,
almost like listening to my planar
speakers. However, planar speakers
sometimes tend to lose a bit of detail
because the sound is coming from such
a large surface. The CS2.4s, on the
other hand, although having a large
soundstage, still maintained a
magnificent amount of detail, probably in
part because of the coincident tweeter
and midrange drivers.
The bass was tight, never boomy or
chesty, the mids were clean and never
overly sibilant, and the upper
frequencies were crisp without being
edgy.
One of my favorite CDs of all time is the
Telarc recording of Copland's Fanfare
for the Common Man. It has high
pitched trumpets and thundering bass. It
is also a good test for any audio system.
The Thiel's handled this piece in stride,
without breaking up at all. The bass was
tight and clean, and the huge bass drum
used in this recording is a stress test to
end all tests. (You can click on any of
the album cover art photos to see more
details, including catalog numbers.)
Tony Bennett, Mary Chapin Carpenter,
and Natalie Cole stand close to their
microphones, and their voices are so
clear, that any chestiness or sibilance
produced by speakers becomes very
apparent. The CS2.4s put these terrific
performers into my room for a private
concert, with no hint of such artifacts.
