Thiel CS.5 Dimensions

EUROPE’S FIRST HOME THEATER MAGAZINE • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1999
Loudpeakers of Craftsmanship and Perfection
Thiel MCS1 / CS2.3
T
he smaller that speaker manufac-
turers are, the less often they are
able to realize their own ideas and
concepts. Especially with drivers, they are
largely dependent on standard available
units. The same applies vice-versa. Large
manufacturers, with their own driver
production, often lack the time for
innovative technology and
involved woodworking.
Very high level, depth of
production. In this area,
Thiel can be counted
among the rare excep-
tions. The small manu-
facturer in the American state
of Kentucky performs woodwork-
ing according to best tradition of
craftsmanship and has also recently been
manufacturing all drivers in-house. But
that’s not all: physicist and mathematician
Jim Thiel’s speakers also exhibit a series of
special construction features, from the
cabinet, to woofer with metal diaphragm,
to complex crossovers. Aside from the
“trivial” demand of a linear frequency
response, Thiel pays special attention to
two other parameters: having low distor-
tion and very minimal phase shift to
ensure great dynamics and correct spatial
information—virtues which are also
important in home theaters.
Speakers for every purpose. With the
MCS1, Thiel has recently introduced a
speaker predestined for home theaters.
Of course, two MCS1s can also be used
magnificently in a two-channel system.
Thanks to its flexibility of positioning—
it can be used vertically as well as
horizontally—nothing stands in the way
of its use as a center channel speaker
either. For this test, we supplemented
one MCS1 with two floor-standing
THIEL CS2.3s featuring the same
midrange-tweeter, but making a
subwoofer unnecessary as the CS2.3 has
sufficiently powerful bass. For rear
speakers, either two MCS1’s or alterna-
tively small floor-standing speakers such
as the Thiel CS.5 were used.
Reprinted from

Unique construction. Thiel’s MCS1
and CS2.3 speakers’ crucial and central
feature is the unique midrange/tweeter
they share. From the front, the driver
looks like a standard coaxial speaker
whose typical characteristic is a tweeter
amidst a separate midrange diaphragm.
At second glance, the unusual connection
between tweeter dome and midrange
diaphragm stands out. Where otherwise
an air gap permits independent move-
ment, here a plastic coupler connects
both diaphragms to each other. High
frequencies, meaning fast diaphragm
movements, are performed exclusively by
an interior aluminum dome, while low
frequencies are increasingly passed to the
large outer diaphragm surface. With this
mechanical type of division, an electrical
crossover becomes unnecessary. An
electrical network is used for gently
separating the midrange/tweeter and the
woofer’s low frequencies.
Optimal perfection. Supported by a
so-called “passive radiator,” the Thiel
CS2.3 covers the bass range with a large
diaphragm woofer, also made from
aluminum like the mid-tweeter. What
looks like a bass driver with a flat
diaphragm from the front, is actually
only a “passive” diaphragm with the
ability to vibrate and without a motor
system of its own. The passive diaphragm
fulfills the same function as a bass reflex
design, but by covering the opening, the
disadvantages such as port noise or
midrange frequencies escaping from the
cabinet are eliminated. On the other
hand, due to space considerations, Thiel
uses bass reflex ports for the new MCS1.
Thiel minimizes the cited disadvantages
with internal tubes behind the ports, and
are rounded at the front exit of the
openings for strong interior absorption
and easier flow. The cabinets have an
extremely rigid, heavily rounded front
baffle, so diffraction at the cabinet edges
are therefore of no concern. Due to less
enclosure volume, the MCS1 does not
quite extend as low in the bass as the
large floor-standing speakers, however
the MCS1 easily outperforms the
majority of center speakers in the bass
thanks to its two aluminum woofers,
which measure 6.5" each.
Vibrations at the right time. Like the
other THIEL drivers, these woofers
distinguish themselves with their short
voice coil in a very long air gap. This rare
construction is rather unfavorable for
efficiency, however, is advantageous to
distortion-free reproduction. Like other
THIEL speakers, also used are first-order
crossovers, only sloping at 6 dB per
octave, but also creating the lowest phase
shift, which define the design. All other
crossover components are only used to
level the impedance to make it easier on
the driving amplifier. Due to the high
driver quality with their clever aluminum
diaphragms, the frequency response does
not require extensive electrical correction,
which in turn benefits the impulse
response. For the outputs of the indi-
vidual drivers to reach the listener’s ears
as simultaneously as possible, the sound
sources of each must be properly aligned.
With its visually attractive grille, and a front baffle that has no
sharp edges or corners, the center channel MCS1 speaker’s cabinet
design does not take away from its looks or its sonic performance.
A cutaway cabinet of the CS2.3 clearly shows the
complex cabinet built with internal braces and a
massive front baffle.
Aluminum as a diaphragm material combines low
mass with high rigidity—prerequisites for great
dynamics. Excellent workmanship with well-built
drivers and attractive mounting easily visible here.
EXCLUSIVE

Thanks to the sloped, rounded front
baffle on the CS2.3 and the driver
positioning on the MCS1, this require-
ment has been well met by Thiel.
Perfect woodworking craftsmanship.
Yet all these endeavors on the technical
side only come to bear with an adequate
enclosure. For this reason, Thiel pays
much attention to building rigid cabinets
with minimal resonance. If one knocks
on the cabinet walls, one gets an idea of
the complex interior bracing—outside of
aching knuckles. Aside from our MCS1
review sample cabinet finished in shiny
black laminate, every type of wood
conceivable is available, as can be seen in
the example of the floor-standing CS2.3
speakers, shown above, finished with
fine rosewood. Three floor spikes ensure
the CS2.3’s secure set-up, while stands
(filled with sand and spike-reinforced for
DM1,200/$580 U.S. in Germany) for
horizontal, as well as vertical positions,
are available for the compact MCS1.
Powerful output, high precision.
Already, after only listening for the first
time, the sonic result of the effort
undertaken by Thiel is overwhelming.
After several days’ of warm-up time and
during intense listening, ultimately the
subtle details, such as spatially precise
positioning, are uncovered. In particular,
the center channel especially benefits
from the breathtaking fine resolution
and natural voice reproduction, while
the rich bass as well as powerful dynam-
ics are achieved with music and films.
One should only note that the CS2.3
requires placement a good distance from
walls (1 meter to the rear, preferably
more to the sides) in order not to over-
accentuate the low frequency range. In
tests, there is often talk of rhythmically
jigging feet or goose bumps and some-
times a shiver running down one’s spine.
No question, this may also happen with
Thiel speakers. However, as has always
been the case, the performance in the
recording is responsible for such emo-
tional outbursts, while speakers act no
more and no less as agents between the
soundtrack or music and our ears. And
this role of an impartial agent is exactly
filled by Thiel’s speakers in a thoroughly
outstanding manner. And thanks to their
dimensions as well as their distortion-free
and bass-proficient construction, they are
also capable of terrific and fierce thunder.
Conclusion. Jim Thiel’s speakers’
craftsmanship quality and extraordinary
technical finesse already arouse enthusi-
asm. We were astonished to experience
the worlds of sound revealed at last: light,
dynamic and with utterly natural sound,
Thiel’s products can be counted among
the best speakers for film and music.
The bass-proficient Thiel CS2.3, by using the similar driver technology as the
MCS1, integrates well with it as a right and left speaker. The sloped front
baffle positions the outputs of each of the drivers along a vertical axis.
The tweeter/midrange driver works with a single
voice coil. Thanks to the coupling connection with
the inner dome, the outer diaphragm rolls off on its
own at high frequencies.Thiel calls this a mechanical
crossover.
Two excellent woofers and the unique midrange/tweeter mounted
in a massive front baffle creates the basis for great sound.
Thiel CS 2.3 / MCS 1
Sales: Sun Audio, Munich, Germany
Dimensions: (W x D X H)
MCS1 10” x 12.25” x 28.5”
CS2.3 11” x 15” x 41.5”
Price (each, in Germany):
MCS1 DM6,000 ($3000 US)
CS2.3 DM4,900 ($2400 US)
EXCLUSIVE
Heimkino