Vandersteen 5a carbon vs 5a

according to review in TAS the upgrade from 5a to 5a Carbon is available only to original owners

I am an original owner of 5A's and was going to send them back for the update.  My wife and I listened to the 5A Carbons and although the electronics were different, and maybe an unfair evaluation - but we both agreed they sounded so similar, it wouldn't have justified the cost.  MAYBE....a bit more clarity in the mids, but not sure.  If I were to buy new, I would probably get the 5A C's, but I'm quite contented with the speakers I have.

The upgrade path is marginally workable with freight both ways, new drivers, crossovers, and the hand tuning each speaker gets in the anechoic chamber - extended to original owners only for a good reason.
good as the scanspeak drivers are, the cost to handbuild the carbon fiber and or CF/balsa drivers is high. satellite grade CF and 3 axis machines balsa are not free.
call it confirmation bias IF you like but the fancy German laser shows the balsa / CF drivers as pistonic and in phase in some cases an order of magnitude better than other top rated mid ranges.
only your ears and budget can discern value....

enjoy the music :-)

Thanks for the replies. Would like to hear more from anyone heard both and feel the 5a carbon is worth the extra in terms of sound.

Any comparison to the Quatro Wood CT?