Thiel Audio Products CS3.7 User Manual

THIE L

Model CS3.7

Coherent
Source

®

loudspeaker
system

OWNER
INFORMATION

®

ongratulations on your purchase of

C

the THIEL CS3.7 Coherent Source
loudspeaker system. The CS3.7 is the
result of a long and dedicated effort to
provide the most accurate music
reproduction possible. We have used
only the highest quality components
and taken great care in the CS3.7’s
construction. Properly set up and used
with good associated equipment, the
CS3.7 will provide a great deal of
musical enjoyment for many years.

®

CONTENTS

Design philosophy..................................1

Positioning the speakers ....................... 2

Connecting the speakers ....................... 5

Leveling feet ......................................... 5

Break-in ................................................ 6

Associated equipment........................... 6

Power requirements .............................. 6

Grille..................................................... 7

Outrigger Base (optional) ..................... 7

Care....................................................... 7

Service....................................................7

Warranty ............................................... 9

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

The CS3.7 is a precision
instrument designed to translate,
as accurately as possible,
electronic information into
musical sound. All our efforts
have been directed toward
achieving extremely faithful
translation of all tonal, spatial
and dynamic information
supplied by the amplifier.

The CS3.7 is not intended to
mask or mitigate shortcomings
of the recording or other
components in the music
playback system.

We believe this approach is
the only way to provide the
potential of experiencing all the
subtle aspects that help make
reproduced music a most
enjoyable human experience.

Jim Thiel,
Founder/Chief Design Engineer,
THIEL Audio

1

POSITIONING THE SPEAKERS

Because of their unipolar radiation pattern, the CS3.7s will provide good results when placed in a variety of room
locations. However, speaker placement will affect the accuracy of timbre, spatial performance, and bass perfor­mance. Here are some guidelines to help you achieve the best sound from your speakers. (The pointed metal
stabilizer pins should not be installed until the final positioning has been determined.)

All aspects of speaker placement are dependent on the particulars of the room. Since every room is different, no

hard rules can be given, and experimentation is necessary to achieve the best results.

Distance from walls

The CS3.7s, like most speakers, sound best
if they are placed well away from all walls.

Direct sound
Reflected sound
Difference in arrival times

Such placement optimizes imaging charac­teristics, and musical timbres are repro­duced with the least coloration because the
initial sound coming from the speaker is
distinctly separated in time from the
secondary sound of wall reflections. If
reflections are heard too soon after the
primary sound, the brain tends to interpret
them as part of the initial sound, causing the
perceived timbre to be altered and the
spatial characteristics to be confused.

Figure 1 illustrates the problems caused

Figure 1. Early reflection problems caused by speakers placed
too close to side walls

by early side wall reflections. When the
speaker is placed too close to side walls, the
difference in arrival times between the
primary sound waves and the reflected sound

Direct sound
Reflected sound
Difference in arrival times

waves is too short for the brain to discrimi­nate between them.

Figure 2 illustrates the advantages of
placing the loudspeakers farther from side
walls. The arrival times of the primary,
forward radiating sound waves and the
secondary, reflected sound waves are well
separated, providing the proper delay needed
for faithful tonal and spatial reproduction.

There will also be a noticeable improve­ment in openness when the speakers are even
two feet from the rear wall instead of one. If

Figure 2. Optimum placement for reducing reflection problems

possible, we prefer the speakers three feet or
more from the rear wall and five feet or more
from the side walls. Also, it is not desirable for large objects to be placed very near the speakers since these will also
be a source of unwanted early reflections that reduce imaging accuracy.

2