New Speaker + Refurb special pricing details

If you haven't read the post below, read it first.

If you buy:

• pair of SCS4s, or PowerPlane 1.2s - Get $200 off restoration of your old THIELs
• Pair of CS1.6s, an SS1, or an MCS1 - Get $250 off restoration of your old THIELs
• Pair of CS2.4s, pair of CS2.4SEs, 5 PowerPlane1.2s, or 5 PowerPoint1.2s, - Get $500 off restoration of your classic THIELs
• Pair of CS3.7s - Get $1000 (!) off restoration of your classic THIELs.

Fine print:

• No, if your restoration is cheaper than your discount you don't get the balance back in cash. Thanks for asking
• No, it's not retroactive - this is only for new THIEL purchases going forward...thanks for asking.
• No, we won't restore your JBLs, Advents, QUADs, or other speaker - we don't even know how.

Questions? Call or e-mail Gary!

Cat Scratch Fever!

I'm a big time animal lover, and I've got a cat who likes to keep warm on my Krell KRC-HR power supply. He doesn't cause any damage to my gear, and I generally get along with him except when he whines in the middle of the night and interrupts my already fragmented sleep. He's a troublemaker, but doesn't destroy stuff.

This guy must have done something really rotten to his cat to deserve this kind of punishment. We got these parts in after shutdown, and man they look rough. We see lots of cat scratch fever around here - I think audiophiles must be cat lovers. But man, this is bad. The customer said the woofers don't look bad at all which leads me to believe that his cat took running leaps at the speakers, landed on the low-mids, and clawed it's way to the top of the cabient shredding the grilles and everything beneath them on the way up. Despite our best efforts at protecting the delicate Scan-Speak tweeters with a tough screen, you can see that it was crushed by penetrating claws of destruction.

We've seen grilles that look worse than these before. Some have come in with actual tears in them. No such thing was found on these grilles probably because the cat got a great grip on the drivers. This poor guy is out more than $1100 bucks getting his speakers fixed. Bad kitty!

To all you cat owners wondering if you should upgrade to CS3.7s: A number of innovations have been developed to deter cat-scratch fever. 1) when the grille is in place, a screen covers the entire coax making it difficult for all but the most aggressive cats to shred the driver. 2) The tweeter is fortified by a rigid guard which provides a 2nd level of protection beyond the aforementioned screen. 3) The cast aluminum top is formed into a shape that makes it very unlikely that your cat will choose it as a perch.

THIEL Restoration Shipping Tips

There is a very active trade network for used THIEL speakers old and new. A search any day on Audiogon or ebay turns up several THIELs from all eras. Such robust enthusiasm for our older models prompted us to advertise the capabilities of our service department as savvy THIEL restoration experts. 

One of the great challenges (as clearly illustrated above) of getting a good restoration job is getting the speakers to THIEL in the same condition that they left your house.

It's no secret that THIEL speakers weigh a ton. Even our bookshelf speakers can be surprisingly heavy in their boxes. This mandates expensive and well padded shipping containers for all models, but even with very protective packages, damage happens sometimes. So, when returning your speakers to us for refurb, take some extra care in doing so.

1) When at all possible, use original packing material for your speaker. If you don't have it, buy it from us. Not only is the original packing the safest for your speaker, but if you need to file a claim, most shippers are more receptive to paying a claim if you are using original packing material.

2) If you're shipping CS2 series or larger, please contact me so we can arrange to get them back by truck. Surprisingly, it's not as expensive as you think to send these by truck compared to a common carrier. More? Yes, but not tons more.

3) Do your best to procure a pallet to which the speakers can be strapped. This creates a boundary around the speakers (albeit small) and also boosts the odds that the speakers will stay upright throughout their whole journey. Pallets are not too hard to find. Ask any big-box retailer or grocery store if they'll give you one, and they probably will. Or, you can find a place to buy one via the phone book or Google.

4) How do you strap the speakers to a pallet? Duct tape is pretty stout stuff and should do the trick. Or, you might even try a roll of kitchen grade cling-wrap. It's very strong - just ask my high-school friend Kevin how easy it was to get into his Toyota after my junior-year prank. Whichever you use, be generous!

5) If you live within a few hours of Lexington, KY consider bringing the speakers down yourself. I'm happy to show you around the place and spin a few tracks with you in our listening room. It'll be fun!

6) Don't worry if you're having trouble reconciling any of the above. If you have a special case, call me. I'm sure we can work something out. Long live your THIEL classics!

Your freight-claim filing friend,

Gary