Jim Thiel, Audio Pioneer, Passes Away By Mark Fleischmann September 22, 2009 — The high-end audio industry mourned as Jim Thiel, who cofounded the speaker brand that bears his name, died last week. He was 61.

Thiel started the company in Lexington, Kentucky with two partners in 1976. One of them was Kathy Gornik, a college friend, who later became president and co-owner of the company. She noted in a 2007 profile: "The thing about Jim as an engineer is that he takes the work so seriously. In the 30 years that we've been doing this, he has never, never once stopped pushing the envelope to achieve perfection in sound. That was really wonderful for me to be able to pick up on: To be able to look somebody in the eye and say, 'This is a really serious piece of engineering, and I think I can demonstrate why it's better'."

Thiel had a gentlemanly demeanor. His company staged a long series of high-profile press conferences at trade shows and these would always be substantive islands in a sea of content-free events. His products had a distinctive personality marked by high resolution and superb imaging. With his passing, the audio industry loses one of its best minds and spirits.

See official notice in our sister publication Stereophile. A memorial blog has been set up for those who wish to share memories. The family requests that donations be made in Jim Thiel's name to the Rosenberg Integrative Cancer Treatment and Research Institute.