Considering Vandersteen Treo

@zlone I have two reasons:

I have heard Vandersteens at dealers and in homes. I was never impressed. It was lean, dull, mediocre sound. There were details and dynamics but it felt - for a lack of a better term - just for measurements’ sake.

If you liked them, you should absolutely ignore me.

I also have the Ones and I like them a lot. They sound way better than anything else I had heard from Vandersteen. The setup is also different, it’s a small space. They are not my primary speakers mainly because the tweeters are way below my ears.

I had a friend over at my house who is about 10 times more knowledgeable than I am. I asked about this paradox - Ones in a small space - good, new models in bigger spaces - not so good. His take is that the Ones were a simple and lucky copy from another brand, way back when. They work very well. However the next generations didn’t get anything right. They have more drivers, more expensive components, but there is no design and synergy that yields a better sound. 

It sounded credible to me but of course I have no facts to back it up. Obviously my friend does not think highly of Vandersteen. It matches my experience that I would never want anything other than the Ones I have.

I am a monitors+sub guy, I don’t need big sound, big space, I want sound that moves me, sound I can connect with. I am also low budget, the Qln 3s are very high end speakers, and I don’t know anything that’s better (from personal experience). With your budget you can try a lot of speakers - hence my list, based on numbers, reviews, sessions at friends’ houses, etc. 

I should add: I am not here to argue about how good Vandersteens are, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Your room is small. TAD ME1. I heard them at a show and they were special. But more importantly, an audiophile friend changed up his Vandys for these, and he does not compromise!

@mapman The Totem's look interesting, I will read up on them.

@2psyop This is good advice. I am obviously on the fence.

@soix I may try a sub again, but the whole goal going from standmounts to floorstanders, was to get it all in one package. It is not important to me to have bass down to 20 Hz, and the QLN's already hit the high 20's, though probably not with the force of a sub.

@parkergetdean Thank you for the detailed response. There are few 'facts' beyond measurements when it comes to speaker selection, just too many variables, the greatest being the listener. I appreciate the opinion.

@noromance Yeah, TAD. I have been to AXPONA the last two years, and I could kick myself for missing the TAD room both times. I really want to hear what all the fuss is about. People universally love these speakers. And FWIW, I heard the Vandersteen Quatro's at AXPONA and all I could hear was the speakers themselves, which tells me they are probably very position dependent as I was a couple rows back from the hotseat.

Thanks for all the comments. I will keep my options open for a bit.

It is not important to me to have bass down to 20 Hz, and the QLN's already hit the high 20's, though probably not with the force of a sub.

The point of going down to 20Hz isn’t all about bass — there’s critical information down there that contains spatial cues that greatly enhance soundstage and imaging as well, which I know are important to you and why I thought subs would be of particular benefit among potential other things (added heft/fullness).  If you’ve ever heard a good system with properly integrated subs it’s why the whole soundstage collapses and imaging suffers when the subs are turned off.  The difference is striking. 

Last year, I was considering the Vandersteen Treo or the Sonus Faber Olympica Nova III to replace my aging Thiel 2.2 speakers. I've always liked the concept of time coherent speakers (such as those from Vandersteen or Thiel), but I've also been tempted by the fast, transparent sound produced by planar tweeters and midranges. Blended with the right woofers, this option could be the answer to my search for new speakers.

My casual listening to Sonus Fabers and Vandersteens in dealer showrooms didn't impress me enough to give up on my Thiels, so I started reading reviews of speakers with planar-magnetic drivers, such as those from Borresen and PS Audio. I liked the fact that the PS Audio Aspen speakers use planers in both tweeters and mids, while the Borresens use planars only for tweeters; also, the Aspens devote serious attention to bass impact and extension (combining multiple woofers with several passive radiators). Given that I could use trade-in discounts from PS Audio to get the price much lower than the Borresen options, combined with a 30-day in-home trial, I took a chance on the smallest Aspen floorstander, the FR10.

Wow, the FR10s are great speakers! My Thiels are now boxed up in my basement, and the FR10s are providing the most transparent and natural mids/highs I have ever heard in my listening room. Realism and "liveness" are now a routine part of my listening experience, and bass is tight and impactful. My Thiels had a tendency to sound a bit too bright at times, but the FR10s provide transparency and detail without harshness or edginess. Soundstage is wide and deep, and voices and instruments are presented in space in realistic positions with sufficient "air" around them to sound lively and real.

As you continue your search for new speakers, I would encourage you to take a look/listen to the Aspen FR10s. These are great speakers for small to midsize rooms.