I don't know about the mk1 version but it sure looks radically different from my mk2 version. The sole reason I ended up choosing the VTF-3 mk2 was for its better musicability performance. My system is used 90-95% for stereo music.
But if I had an enormous room and wanted a subwoofer to play back at reference level, then I too would have got one of the big SVS subs, as they can play louder.