I just came upon this excellent thread today. Love the passion for the hobby that I've been reading here. I am 10 days into owning my new Treo CTs. I have played music and the Purist Audio Design System Enhancer disc to break in the drivers and crossover components continuously. Out of the box revealed the promise of fine sound...they just needed time to get there. Well, they are pretty much there. I am using mine with a pair of 2wq subwoofers. The Treo CTs mate beautifully with the subs.(expected) I have had to turn down the gain on the subs. from where they were set for use with my 3A Sigs. Look... set up and system being equal, the Treo CTs are much more detailed but at the same time smoother....more refined than the 3s that I owned for 22 years!! I would never go back, but I also have countless fond memories of enjoyable 3A Sig. listening sessions. Richard knows who he is what his design concept is about and he has simply?? refined that concept over time applying ever more sophisticated driver and crossover components into his designs. The laudable comments about Johnny R at Audio Connection are spot on. Just met him 10 days ago and enjoyed the couple hours we spent in his shop. He knows electronics and speaker design concepts and "gets" Vandersteens.
One thing we all need to remember, Vandys will never be for everyone with passion for this hobby. If they were, there wouldn't be gazillions of speaker designers out in stereo land! I understand Richard's design goals and the meticulous nature in which he has met success throughout his career as a premier designer. Appreciating the amazing attention to driver, cabinet and crossover details, the Treo CTs are to me yet another amazing offering of extreme value from Vandersteen Audio.