Considering Vandersteen Treo

@fastricky To respond to your post, I'll add a few more comments about the PS Audio Aspen FR10 speakers, first about the mids/highs and then about the bass performance.

After listening to the FR10s for over 10 months now, I have become addicted to the sound of planar-magnetic drivers. Most of my listening over the years has involved metal-dome tweeters and cone-based midranges. I've also had the opportunity to listen to electrostatic speakers (e.g., Martin-Logans) and some early versions of speakers using Heil AMTs. However, I've always felt that the highs and lows weren't well integrated in those speakers, which compromised "realism" in the midrange to some extent (at least to my ears). I've also been frustrated that metal-dome tweeters can develop a hardness or edge on some music, which too often caused me to tell myself "you can't handle the truth" -- at least as presented by revealing recordings and equipment. With the clarity and realistic detail presented by the FR10s, I have developed a new-found appreciation for transparency.

On the low end, the FR10s do a fantastic job on drums and stand-up bass. In fact, the designer of the Aspen speakers, Chris Brunhaver, is an accomplished bass player himself. For a solid review of the FR10 by a drummer, you might want to watch the YT video by Adrian Alexander from TAS. Adrian is really impressed that the FR10s sound so tight and real, which is what they're supposed to sound like, of course.

I hope these comments are helpful.

@sdl4 I am very curious to hear the Aspens. Based on very little experience, but nonetheless, I am not sure that I am a fan of ribbon tweeters. It might be their limited vertical dispersion compared to more natural dome tweeter. But planers are a different animal. How would you describe their off axis characteristics? If you are not in the sweet spot, how natural does your system sound?

@zlone  Good questions about the off-axis performance of the Aspen speakers. The horizontal dispersion of the Aspen tweeters and midranges is excellent, producing a very wide soundstage. The vertical dispersion is not as wide, but it's still quite manageable. You just have to be sure that the listening position has the tweeter height at approximately ear level. This is easy to do by either slightly raising the height of the speakers or raising/lowering the seating position for a listener.

These speakers also respond well to toe-in or lack of it, depending on your preferences. If you prefer a direct on-axis response, you can toe-in the speakers significantly. The speakers can also be positioned without any toe-in, which widens the soundstage as long as the room width allows it. I have my FR10s toed-in just slightly, with the left and right speakers roughly 4-5 feet away from the side walls.

One other issue I should mention is transient response. I haven't heard any dome tweeters that sound as fast and effortless as the Aspen planar tweeters. Reportedly, these planars are even lighter than the air they have to move. 

@sdl4 Thanks for the listening notes! 

@sdl4 Sorry, forgot to respond to this, thanks for the notes. I remain intrigued by these speakers.