Official Notice of Jim Thiel's Passing
This Email just crossed my desk from Thiel Speaker Company's Public Relations Firm. Anyone who's path ever crossed Jim's knows his infectious good cheer and pioneering spirit will be missed.
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James Edward Thiel 1947-2009
Jim Thiel co-founded THIEL Audio Products of Lexington, KY in 1976, and the company has grown to become one of the most respected manufacturers of loudspeakers in the world. Jim’s passion for music and his interest in electronics can both be traced back to childhood, when he began a lifelong love affair with the piano and also began to build and repair radios and other electronic gear. His academic background in physics and mathematics along with his naturally creative and inquisitive nature led him to pioneer the principle of time and phase accuracy in loudspeaker design. Over the last three decades, Jim Thiel’s speakers have received countless awards from the most prestigious audio publications worldwide, highlighted by Stereophile Magazine having adorned the THIEL CS3.6 as one of the Hot 100 – a group of the most important and influential audiophile components of all time.
"Not only was Jim Thiel a supremely talented and inventive speaker engineer, he was one of high-end audio's true gentlemen, a gentle man. Had we not been divided by the gulf between reviewer and manufacturer, I would have been proud to have counted Jim Thiel as a friend." - John Atkinson, Editor, Stereophile Magazine
When THIEL would host their dealers for training events in Lexington, many remarked that their favorite moments were spent with Jim in his lab, where he would detail his complex work in friendly and digestible language. Jim was known to listen thoughtfully and challenge gracefully, and he garnered a deep level of respect and affection from those who worked at his company. His employees remarked that he was so genuine—he was always fair, kind and reasonable. Jim was a man of science, possessing a profound respect for individuality and personal freedoms.
“Anyone who dealt with Jim Thiel had to admire his integrity, his firm dedication to real-world engineering, and his equal concern that the end result sound as much like live music as possible. He was truly dedicated to advancing the state of the art in loudspeakers, and he made steady breakthroughs during his career without ever losing a sense of quiet modesty and being unwilling to listen to comments and criticism. Virtually every new design he created marked a further step forward in his personal approach to the absolute sound, and it is a real tribute to him that his last major design—the Thiel C3.7—was not only his best speaker yet, but is one of the most outstanding speakers ever made. Jim will be deeply missed for his qualities as a person, his integrity, and his constant search to perfect his designs. He exemplified all the best in the high end.” —Anthony Cordesman, The Absolute Sound
Jim would like to thank Dr. Mark Rosenberg who extended the length and quality of his life. Jim felt strongly that Dr. Rosenberg’s alternative approach to cancer treatment was viable and would like to encourage anyone challenged by the disease to learn more about Dr. Rosenberg’s work at www.newhopeforcancer.org. Donations in honor of Jim Thiel can be made to the Rosenberg Integrative Cancer Treatment and Research Institute at the above URL or to:
RICTRI
2512 North Federal Highway
Suite 105
Del Ray Beach, FL 33483-6147
Jim is survived by everyone who ever loved him and a legion of devoted THIEL fans around the world…
THIEL welcomes everyone to share their thoughts or memories of Jim at www.thielaudio.com
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Comments
Jim Thiel was one of the founding fathers of American high-end audio. He had a consuming passion for loudspeaker design coupled with an amazingly inventive mind that devised innovative solutions to engineering challenges. He never stopped at “good enough,” always striving to push the boundaries of what was possible. Underlying his lifelong dedication to his art was a deep commitment to delivering the best possible musical experience for his customers. Jim was also a great human being who had tremendous integrity and a total lack of hubris despite his enormous talents. High-end audio has lost one of its greatest voices. —Robert Harley
Amen Bob....It appears that the audiophole life has been delt some severe blows this past month with the loss of some real heavyweights. Les Paul, J Gordon Holt and now Jim Thiel. These were not bit players, they were at the fiber of our glorious hobby. If it wasn't for men like these we may not even have a hobby. And on a personal note, I lost my Audio Mechanic who has kept me in great sound, by repair and recommendations for over the last 25 years. Its a big loss and from the same culprit, Cancer. Why God Why? I guess you needed some good sound engineers and an editor in heaven....May they all meet for a drink. Ask my friend Steve Bacho to join you guys, he is worthy of your company....Keep ABSOLUTIN....I finally subcribed to your rag.LOL. Always loved you when you were with SGHT....No obits for awile...at least not mine
A huge loss. RIP Jim!
Always the good die young.
May you be peaceful, at last, Jim, and you passed, knowing what a great contribution to the world you made, Something a lot of us, including me, cannot say.
Mike
VinylGuy
Rest in Peace Jim,
You will be missed
-Peder Beckman-
Electrocompaniet Inc.
There are several stalwarts in this industry who started with a great idea and then spent the rest of their careers embroidering it. Though Jim did start with a great idea, he was not one of these. He continued to bring fresh thinking to his subject--the dynamic loudspeaker and the dynamic driver--developing one, new, ingenious, soundly engineered design after another, right up until his death. He was a man who combined the highest craft and diligence with ceaseless imagination and exceptional intelligence. He was rare, and he will be missed.
My sincerest condolences to Kathy and the rest of the Thiel team. --Jonathan
This is very sad news.
I love his designs.
And the question is, how about the future of Thiel loudspeakers ? Is this the end of it ?
We will miss him.
He was the one who brought me into this high performance stereo system hobby.
His CS1.6 brough me into this. It was also his speakers that first showed me that
each cables sounds different from each other. It was his speakers that showed me
that cold, unwarmed up gears sound very bad. Without his great speakers, I will never learn these.
My condolescent to all his family members and teammates.
I am very saddened by this news. I only met Jim a couple of times, but his passion for his products, his humility, charm and integrity were without parallel.
My thoughts are with his friends, family and workmates at this time.
He will be sorely missed.
Alan Sircom
Editor, Hi-Fi Plus Magazine
London, England
editor [at] hifiplus [dot] com
Although I never met the man, Mr. Thiel's products have provided me with abiding joy. Condolences to the family and close friends.
I met Jim many years ago when I attended the University of Kentucky. He was just starting out but already making a name for himself and his products. In spite of his busy schedule, he happily took off a couple of hours to just sit and talk. Rest in peace, Jim. We'll miss you.
R.I.P. Mr. Thiel. My condolences to the family and close friends.
I've always loved his design.
This is very sad news. I had the good fortune to meet Jim a couple of times over the years at shows and he was a very nice man who was always willing to take the time to talk audio and music, as well as a most talented engineer. The entire high end community is poorer for his passing.
I would like to say how deeply saddened I was to hear that Jim had passed away. I have known both Jim and Kathy for over 20 years and I have always enjoyed the times I had spent with them in all corners of the world. Jim was one of the kindest gentlest souls I had the pleasure of knowing. I will miss seeing his smiling face at Shows, his enthusiasm and passion for this industry never wavered. His pursuit of aural perfection can be heard in all of designs, and the longevity of each product is testament to that innovational spirit. To Kathy, Dawn, Tom and every on else at Thiel, I send you my deepest condolences.
I was absolutely shocked and saddened to hear of Jim's untimely death. Jim was always gracious and a gentleman--even with competitors. We would generally cross paths at every major show; often listening to each other's demonstrations. To the best of my recollection, that began in 1976. Those were very lean days for brand-new small companies, but exciting as we all got to participate in the evolution of high-end audio. There was a sense of camaraderie, competitors or not, as we all were on the quest for better sound. My most sincere condolences to everyone at Theil; especially to Kathy, Dawn and Tom.
Kevin Voecks
My condolences to Jim's family and all those at Thiel. I have great respect for Jim's work in loudspeaker design. He was especially welcoming and free with his time and ideas, even when I just dropped-in at the shop one day years ago. Jim Thiel really epitomized the best of the best in our industry. He'll be missed.
Such a sad day. Jim was a true gentleman and ambassador for audio. Our all too few conversations always started and ended with smiles. He will truly be missed. My best to family and company.
Curt Chisholm
Velodyne Acoustics
R.I.P. Jim Thiel
I was sitting in the sweet spot between his CS3.6 speakers when I read the email.
They stand as monuments to his designing excellence.
I got into high end audio with a pair of 2.4's in 2003 (when they were just released) - and as an engineer I can always sense the work of a well engineered wonderful product. While everything else has changed in my setup, the speakers have stayed put. I had heard of his kindness, genius and generosity of spirit, and regret never having been able to meet him, yet I feel I got to know him at least a little bit through his design.
He will be missed, and I offer my condolances to his family and the team at Thiel.
Jim Thiel will live on in the wonderful loudspeakers he designed and in the fond memories shared by those of us who knew him. Always a gentleman, you will be missed Jim. My condolences to Kathy, Dawn, Tom and the entire Thiel family.
Dave Nauber
I am very sorry to hear about the passing of Jim Thiel. A great loss for the HighEnd-community.
Very sad indeed.
Rainer
I had the good fortune to represent the outstanding line of Thiel loudspeakers for a number of years, and a proud owner as well. On many occasions having had the opportunity to spend time with Jim, time always well spent.
Jim was a great designer, advocate for the art of listening to music at it's best and a great man. He will be greatly missed as a human being and for his contribution to the audio video industry.
My best wishes to his family, his professional family at Thiel and especially to Kathy Gornik.
There is so much you want to say and all of it falls so short...
Thank you Jim for the music.
Thank you for submitting this cool story - Trackback from Dotbot.
MTS Converter
I grew into the audiophile world when my father brought home a pair of Thiel cs 3.5's back in 1990. They completely opened up my mind, my ears, and my since ever growing passion for music and the art of high end audio. The Thiel sound has continued to be my benchmark for greatness and for real electronic musical neutrality and it's uncanny ability to reveal every last nuance of anything you put into it. My dad still has those speakers knowing that to replace them would be near impossible lest he endevours into the newer models. The industry has lost a giant. Thoughts to the family and employee's of Thiel. I hope this doesn't mark the end of the namesake nor the end to the ingenuity and art of Thiel speakers.
Toronto
May God grant Jim rest and peace indeed.
I've never met Mr. Thiel but always read about his loudspeaker designs and reviews while I was in college, hoping for that day when I could afford to get his designs. Its really sad that the good die young and its really not fair at all! This is one of those times where death sucks indeed.
My prayer to his wife and family. May God grant them His Peace and Wisdom through these very difficult times in their lives.
Peace!
Ten years ago, a small Thiel 1.5 helped me to understand what transparency really meant in hifi. I'm grateful to Mr. Thiel because one of his designs has changed the way I listen to music in the home, and I hope his innovative brand will do well in the future. RIP
Wow, I had no idea he was ill. Absolutely shocked. Godspeed to his family both near and far.
RIP, Jim.
mark
I only wish that those left at the company he co founded (I choke on that terminology) were of the same quality as Jim was. Nothing lasts forever. We are fortunate to have had the opportunity to be able to enjoy the talents and and grounded presence Jim embodied. Hearing of his passing I wll look upon my 22's with an even higher degree of respect than was already the case. RIP Jim.
Jim left a grand legacy, he created speakers that let us live in the moment, authentic and glorious.
I'm sorry for his family's loss, he looks to have been a really nice person .
He must have improved the lives of many, many people.
I'm grateful that we have benefited from his vision and skill.
REST IN PEACE ,GOD BLESS THE THIEL FAMILY.
My living room is graced by a pair of 2.4s that speak the wisdom of Carl Nielsen and others. In some irony, my first high end speakers were Snell A units by the late Peter Snell. So sad to hear Jim is gone. A class company in every way!! I hope his legacy is continued in the spirit he would want!
Merry Christmas Jim.