The $1,000 Deal

Thiel Audio hasn't wasted any time and hasn't slacked in the race for affordable hi-end audio gear. Even if some time has passed since we last heard of Thiel doing something great apart form the recent Innovations Award, they've been quite busy.

Building on the proven nobility of the SCS3 heritage and excellence of the award-winning CS3.7, Thiel are threatening us with yet another exquisite piece of technology in the shape of the new SCS series model, the SCS4.

The new "blaster" comes to reinforce the shelf/stand series and promises a totally coherent LCR deploy of sonic pleasure. What's the luxury in Thiel loudspeakers is well known, but this time there is something more to them: Thiel struggles to deliver the same outstanding quality and reliability for a more affordable price, so the goal behind SCS4 is "less than $1,000 each".

While this price is definitely alluring, let's take a look on the new SCS-series item coming this spring in a hi-end store near you! The SCS4 is a bookshelf LCR speaker, which means it will work in excellent conditions in front, rear or center position when part of a surround system.

The two-way sound-engine is made of a 6.5" metal diaphragm woofer surrounding the 1" tweeter, thus acting as a guidance for the high frequencies (actually the tweeter is the same unit as in the exquisite Thiel CS 7.2 box).

The coaxial design was chosen because it tends to limit the sonic diffraction often met in such driver-arrays; adding the neodymium magnets behind all drivers provided with a stronger response and overall improved efficiency of the unit, as stated by the manufacturer.

Speaking of efficiency, I must tell you that the Thiel SCS4 runs on 90 dB@1M/1W speakers hence the higher output the new Thiel creation will offer.

The manufacturers claim that the phase response of the SCS4 unit is perfectly coherent as a better crossover was used in its construction and this feature, combined with the coaxial placement of both drivers will ensure an even distribution of phase no matter whether the unit is placed vertically or horizontally.

The SCS4 will have 3 different "flavors" as far as the wood finishes are concerned: Natural Cherry, Dark Cherry and Black Ash. The rest is up to you!