Don’t know how I could have missed the Tri Arts since they’re so weird looking, but I didn’t hear them.
Always hard to make assessments at audio shows because there are so many variables. For all I know, the recording I heard on the Sanders was bright. Certainly, everyone I’ve ever spoken to who has heard them has spoken positively of them. I heard so many speakers at the show that obviously weren’t doing their best because of the room or bad demo material or even just being played too loud.
In any case, I think that comments here, my own or anybody else's, shouldn't be treated as reviews, rather than show impressions! I've made the mistake of deciding that speakers are bad on the basis of show performance, only to discover later on that the speakers themselves weren't at fault. But if something sounds really *good,* well, you can't fake that. :-)