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Room placement for Vandersteen Treo CT

I  am considering Vandersteen Treo CT's for purchase. In doing some research on them I read they are very sensitive to room placement in order to achieve their best performance.  I've some limitations on where I could place them in my listening room. My listening room is approximately 13'x22' with a cathedral ceiling roughly 16' high from the floor in the center of the room. eight foot high where it meets the front and rear walls.. The speakers will be located on the front long wall equally spaced from the center of that wall. There are a fair amount of furnishings in the room, furniture, built in bookshelves, a library table etc. 

My first questions is, what is the closest I could place the Treo's from the wall, I think "Johnny from AudioConnections" said, you might be able to place them as close as "seven to fourteen inches" from the wall, but I can't find the reference. Somebody else said wall placement was okay as it would reinforce the bass output, which the Treo would benefit from. I thought you were supposed to not put ported speakers near a wall, but these being bottom ported  maybe it doesn't matter.

The second question is, what would you guess to be the minimum distance they need to be from one another?  I have a four foot wide flat screen television centered on the front wall. I would love to be able to place the Treo's on either side of the flat screen, with the outside edges of the Treo's being seven feet apart, but am afraid this might be too close together.  I could place them another two feet or so apart, but the speaker on the right side would then partially block the view of a built-in in 120 gallon aquarium which would not be ideal, but doable.

What do you think?  I would appreciate your experience and guidance here. Thanks

Michael

skyscraper

Showing 5 responses by ctsooner

ctsooner's avatar
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
Sky, I sold my beloved Treo's to GNB.  I wanted him to come up to pick them up so he could hear them.  Sold on the spot! They were very close to the wall too.  Less than a foot.  They worked GREAT.  Johnny R set them up and he did a wonderful job.  I now have the Quatro's and they too are close to the wall (very close) and right up against the side walls too.  

I work with wood also.  I was going to do a really neat veneer (I had about 5 different ones I was thinking about), but ended up paying a spec more to get them painted in Audio Havana Black (the darkest brown you can find. It's a highly metallic black with a lot of copper metal fleck).  Stunning.  Everyone notices them, lol.  I had the cherry Treo's and as Bob will tell you, they are beautiful.  Tomic's are spectacular also.  What finish are you looking to do?
ctsooner's avatar
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
Ask Bob also.  If you gear can feed it strong deep bass it will recreate it down to 30hz.  I've had them rocking plenty of times when I owned them.  I needed to be able to control the bass as my room is so open, but the Treo's won't lack for quality bass, that's for sure.  Very tight, great tone and layered.
ctsooner's avatar
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
+1 on the quantity vs quality discussion.  So many love these high end speakers that offer gobs of bass, but not layering or differentiation of notes.  They THINK it does, but so many top speakers don't. as the cones break up quickly and are out of phase way too often. 

It's the same thing as letting the person giving the demo keeping the volume controller.  DON'T do it!!  They will goose the volume on certain passages to make the speaker they want to sell sound better.  It's BS and unfair to us.  Louder sounds great in the store, but not so much once you get them home and wonder where all the dynamics are at YOUR listening levels.  This is why the Vandersteen's stand out for MY ears.  They offer the micro and macro details that many others don't so you can play them lower and still get the details.  no smearing etc... Phase correct to me is so important as that's what live music gives us. 
ctsooner's avatar
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
Awesome stuff.  keep us posted on things.  I spoke to Jonny and Richard on my Quatro placement recently. I have MS and can't physically move things, so I rely on having friends come listen and help (son in law is strong like bull).  

I'm going to purchase a 3" piece of granite (three 1" pieces epoxied) and have them finish the edges and then I'll change the rake of the speakers (I think Richard said it would be 4 extra spacers on the spikes for a 3" lift).  I am going to move mine out from about 4" or so to about 16" I think I measured to see if that does anything to the sound.  Once I find the best position in my room, then they will stay there forever on top of the slabs.  It's good to have a great dealer who cares after the sale as much as during as well as a company who will even take calls from a schlep like me, lol.  Oh, I don't fly or build airplanes, other than balsa wood ones....

Hey, wait, Richard MAKES cones out of balsa wood.....I guess we do have something in common along with Tomic!  ;)
ctsooner's avatar
ctsooner
2,480 posts
 
Sky, I wish you were, lol...promise you that, lol
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