Vandersteen Treo vs 3A Sig as upgrade

Wlutke ... I listened to a pair of Treos several years ago. The speakers were driven by an ARC VS-115 amp. IMO, even though the Treos were presumably set up properly, I was underwhelmed by their performance. I compared the Treos to a pair of Paradigm Tributes. IMO, the Tributes were considerably better sounding.

You might say that my reactions about the Treo were unfavorable. Well take what I just wrote with a grain of salt. About 9 months ago, I bought a DEQX PreMATE. It made a big deal difference in sound performance because it tamed my speakers and room.

So ... what I am saying is that even if your dealer followed Vandersteen's set up instructions to a tee, if his room was crummy, the Treo demo might not have done the speakers justice.

In my case, I suspect that my initial reactions might have been colored by poor room conditions. At this point, I'll never know for sure.

Just sayin'.

"Lastly, it has been my experience that dealers do not set the speakers up properly for demo. If they don't measure your ear height and sitting distance, there is NO way they are set up correctly."

The exception being the dealer the OP just insulted that's not his local dealer, and won't be making any money off him. Pat him on the back and tell him what he wants to hear.

I just recently purchased a pair of Vandy Treo CT's and in the process of breaking them in. I have about 100 hours on them. Right out of the box with no break in and less than proper set up, they did sound a little hard and harsh in the upper mids. But as I've been getting them broke in and with proper set-up from Richard Vandersteen the sound has improved significantly. Back tilt and toe-in seem to be extremely important to these speakers. With the correct placement and tilt, along with more break in time they are improving each day. I found these speakers not very forgiving toward mediocre recordings. If the recording has a significant amount of upper midrange hash you will hear it with the Treos. These speakers will not hide or sugar coat a poor recording. When the record is of good quality and lacks some of the over processing used now a days, I get some of the best sound I ever heard from my system. I have listened to 3A sigs, but did not like their lack of midrange resolution and dynamics. In fairness to the 3A's, this was a few years back and may not be current production. For reference, I'm using a Rogue Pharaoh integrated hybrid amp. Cambridge 851-C cd player, Well-Tempered Labs Amadeus Mk. II turntable, Soundsmith cartridge. Using MIT speaker cable for now, but my dealer says I should get these out of my system as soon as possible. Room is 15 1/2 feet long, 11 1/2 feet wide, vaulted ceiling with a balance of absorbing and reflecting surfaces. Hope this might be of some help to the OP. Cheers!

Mr m -

Thank you for the thoughtful and even handed review. Well done! Let us know how the bass breaks in.

OK Wlutke you might want to PM Ctsooner22, who owns the Treos or check past threads IF you want to get further insight from owner's of these speakers, some may not be posting or viewing. I do think you are being somewhat dismissive of a dealer that is highly regarded for his set-up acumen by owner's of Vandersteen speakers and you just MIGHT want to listen to him along with hearing from owners. There are actually some manufacturers and dealers that really do want to help as well as offer sound advice along with promoting their business, nothing wrong with that. It seems that you didn't have a really good experience with your audition to me, a less than helpful/knowledgable dealer maybe that couldn't answer questions to your satisfaction at the time? Or did you ask him?