Thiel CS3.6 what integrated pairs well with them

[Katoomer]

My friend just picked up a nice pair of Thiel CS3.6 speakers.

Can anyone recommend a nice integrated to pair with it. 2k max used.

Thanks in advance

 

[audio.bill]

I recently heard a used pair of Thiel CS3.6 at a local dealer being driven by the Sony TA-A1ES integrated amp (retails new at US$2,000) and it sounded superb! This is a real sleeper of an amp, which runs Class A with a unique bias circuit which varies via the volume control setting. Check out these reviews: REVIEW: Sony TA-A1ES amplifier | WORDS AND MUSIC and Sony HAP-Z1ES/TA-A1ES (£2000 each) - Network audio players/servers

 

[cmalak]

Tough ask. The 3.6 is a great speaker but it's a very tough load and required not only a lot of power but an amp with beefy power supplies that can deliver a lot of current (amperes). It's also a very revealing speaker so you want high quality watts/amperes. In the $2K range, you will likely come up short. Many will point to the NAD 375BEE as a good option but I don't think it will deliver enough on the current side. You may want to look for old school Class A Krell amps as a partnering amp (most of them will double power with each having of impedance and will be stable into a 2 ohm load). You will need an amp that is stable into a 2 ohm load because the 3.6 is under 3 ohms for much of the frequency band. From the Stereophile measurements section (http://www.stereophile.com/content/thiel-cs36-loudspeaker-measurements):

The CS3.6's impedance magnitude and phase plot (fig.1) reveals a very low impedance value. The loudspeaker is under 3 ohms through most of the range, dropping to a minimum of 2.3 ohms at 3.6kHz (the cursor position). The low impedance value explains the CS3.6's need for the iron-fisted Mark Levinson No.23.5 to provide control in the bass; the CS3.6 would appear to be current-hungry. There is, however, a consistency to the impedance curve that makes the CS3.6 look much like a resistor to the amplifier, rather than an impedance that varies greatly with frequency. The phase angle—represented by the dashed line—is quite benign. The passive radiator tuning can be seen as the valley centered at 29Hz.

Some options to consider include:

Krell KSA-100S (Class A): Krell KSA-100S power amplifier | Stereophile.com
Mark Levinson 23.5 Monos (Class AB): Mark Levinson No 23.5 Service refresh and ready | Solid state | Fort Collins, Colorado 80526 | AudiogoN - The High-end Audio Community (this was used in the Stereophile review of the 3.6 posted above)
Perreaux Prisma 350 (Class A): PERREAUX PRISMA 350 POWER AMPLIFIER | Solid state | Nashua, New Hampshire 03063 | AudiogoN - The High-end Audio Community (this looks like a beast and very good value)
Mark Levinson 332 (Class AB - 200wpc into 8ohms and doubles down to 800 wpc into 2ohms): Levinson 332 behemoth Amplifier - 800w into 2ohms, free delivery within 200 miles of Chicago | Solid state | Chicago, Illinois 60610 | AudiogoN - The High-end Audio Community

Hope this gives you some ideas to research

 

[Brf]

Try a Classe CA400.