Broken hearted...magnepan and vandersteen

And the TRIO CT is $9,000! That’s sure not an apples to apples comparison!

The problem with the vandersteen speakers is that they have drivers that overlap over a wide range. This is not only pointless but can cause a muddy sound. Other speakers have a smaller area which overlaps so you get less interference. 

No reason to be ashamed for your impressions. You pick the speaker you like, period. If I read you right, I think your wallet is crying.  ;) 

I can appreciate what you are saying about the panel sound. I enjoy panels and dynamic speakers, but they are obviously different in their characteristics, and it is easy to see why someone would be drawn to one or the other. 

As an alternative, you may wish to hear the PureAudioProject Trio15 Horn 1 (there are several versions; you can see on the website). It is a horn hybrid that is open baffle. That would give you further experience and let you conclude whether you enjoy or not open baffle. See my review of it at Dagogo.com 

Perhaps the Vandy 3 will be sufficient at a lower cost. It, too, is a terrific bargain performer.  

They’re definitely not on par with bose or sonos, Kenjit.  Don’t even get me started on how much better cheap ear buds are than any hi-fi product.  Don’t be duped into thinking otherwise...