Vandersteen Model 2D?

pistonic not much good IF ya throw it all away with a filter that screws up phase because non pistonic is out of phase behavior...they are same thing, one is mechanical.
now having said that, obviously w very worthy goal and a reason why the CF/ Balsa drivers are a wonder.... I can tell you they are electrostatic like in purity...

but yes they are expensive....the balsa must be top grade, indeed aerospace grade, ditto the CF, CNC machining required for tapered cone - optimized for mass, stiffness, and as others aptly pointed out breakup modes far away from filter set points. Autoclave required for cobonding and oh ya, cobond to end grade balsa is a trade secret, nobody else doing it..because it is hard and requires years of R&D = ¥€¥ or $...then all that needs to be integrated into an aerodynamic ( patent expired ) driver. Think this thru you go to all the trouble and expense to design/ build a pistonic driver only to let an out of phase reflected back wave go right thru the cone....

but yes, some of us stay up late thinking about how to build that driver for less money...........
Kaizen is life
or so my sensei says, he would know......Chihiro Nakao 

Beetle....maybe....but perhaps we might compare speakers a bit closer to price parity 3:1
is a stretch even for the frugal Dutchman to overcome...

but yes, i would say the KEF and B& W alumni who believed in FFT and laser inferometry of drivers would have a bent for that..

the steep slopes make it easier to get pistonic behavior in the passband....

i am spoiled, admit it.....

search utube and you can find some cool video of Vandersteen 7 drivers and another brand X undergoing the lastest laser measuring technique...out of phase in RED, sometimes 10% of output... 

and yes I was being dramatic, I think understanding the trade ratio of pistonic vs phase and time accuracy might be interesting, especially as measured vs what we actually hear...

yes i thought we were essentially on same page and if we use the 5a carbon it flips 2:1 ish the other way, also not fair...

not many choices IF one values both....

i am excited about some emerging technology in both materials and process that might get the rather significant cost savings needed to compete with woven prepregs, etc...

i think if we look at the real costs ( capital opportunity ) machined aluminum is pretty expensive
wish Jim T were here tho.....

i think at these  levels of performance ignoring the cabinet is perilous also...

not to beat a dead horse but it is freaking amazing the value in a pair of 7’s
just try to find a used pair....candy everybody wants to quote a band I enjoy

when I spoke w Jaclyn at Vandy she said: “ no release date, no price just yet” re the VLR with CT and I also believe a change in sourcing to Scanspeak....

this really is just my two cents worth, RV  fights every day to build in usa and deliver exceptional value, the 2 really is high end on a beer budget, my guess is $4 k starts to push beyond that.....