Thiel CS1.2 local pickup in Miami $1200 retail
This might imply that these speakers are basically updates of each other, in order, but that's far from the truth. Even the '1.2, which shares the cabinet dimensions of the '1, is substantially different from its predecessor. Had Thiel given it a new name, rather than a "point two" designation, they would not have been going overboard. Though possessing the same dimensions, the '1.2 weighs 18% more than the '1, due to additional internal bracing and a grille that's twice as thick (to improve the anti-diffractive grille design it shares with the CS2). Like the Spica Angelus, the '1.2 sports really a lot of weight for a speaker in this price range, particularly if you factor in the expensive crossover components used in each case, and the expensive drivers in the '1.2. High end is a good deal!
In addition, a new woofer from Vifa is used in the '1.2, as well as Thiel's first metal-dome tweeter (an aluminum-dome unit from SEAS with a 28kHz "oil-can" resonance). The crossover has been modified to suit the new drivers, but is not in itself an advance over the '1.0. It does not, as do some crossovers used with metal-dome tweeters, use any form of electrical damping or notch-filtering to deal with the tweeter's peak at resonance. Metal-dome tweeters all come with high-Q resonances; depending on the location of the resonance—the original Celestion SL6 and SL600 rang at 22kHz, which had to be suppressed—and the designer's preference, the resonance will be dealt with mechanically, electrically, or simply allowed to ring away. I was not surprised to find that Jim Thiel had chosen to use the tweeter in its "natural" form. In the past he has refused to include even gentle high-frequency rolloffs in his products, in spite of the criticisms directed his way, simply because he didn't like the sound of the filters. I can't imagine him liking the sound of the more drastic filters needed to suppress the fairly high resonant peaks found in metal domes.
In exterior appearance the '1.2 is identical to the CS1, and in that is simply a smaller version of the basic Thiel shape. Finish quality is the same—excellent. I was supplied with the black-plastic–laminate version, which I have found most handsome. (Until January 1 1989, black plastic cost nothing extra, but from that date a surcharge applies—ca $100, I'm told—due to high rejection rates.) In fact, my samples of black plastic and rosewood (which costs $250 extra on the '1.2) Thiels have made me less tolerant of their standard teak. Part of this is due to my general lack of affection for teak—cherry, rosewood, old walnut are my favorites—but it's also that I've now been spoiled by Thiel themselves. If you're seriously in the market for any of the Thiel models, I recommend exploring their more exotic finishes. Believe me, they'll welcome it—Tom Thiel, in charge of production, is a wood fanatic, as are they all.
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