What is the minimum distant for Zu?

You all have good points, but my prior speakers were the Zu Presence and they were rectangular so totally different shape than the Definition 3, I think they worked best close to the side wall like 14 in but the def3 doesnt like it so much

Zu has said in the past that Def models with rear-firing sub-bass arrays can be used as close as 2" from the wall behind them. And it's true. Is that ideal? Depends on your room and how much flexibility you have for placement.

What's more important with Definitions is making sure the distance between you, the listener, and the speakers is usable. Def 1.5 and Def2 did not soundstage nor tonally integrate well if the listener sat closer than 10' from the speakers. Sean Casey told me that Def3 and 4 are usable as close as 8' from the listener. While I suggest more, I have to say the deleterious effects of sitting too close to Def 4s are much less troublesome to illusion of fidelity than doing same with Def2 or earlier.

The rear-firing sub drivers are active below 40Hz unless you set the EQ to roll them I higher. Don't. Let your Def3s end up as close to the wall behind them as is necessary for you to achieve full tonal and spatial integration at an appropriate distance listening. Prioritizing distance to the wall over correct minimum listening distance will make deny you the speaker's full benefits. Work with your room.

Phil

Onhwy61, You are right about the listening position being fixed. I have experienced this in the last three homes I have lived in with a variety of speakers from Martin Logan full range electrstatics, Magnepan, Vandersteen and Dunlavy to smaller speakers from Green Mountain Audio, Von Schweikert and Revel. All of these speakers performed their best in the same location. There will always be minor adjustments, but the room plays a bigger part in the overall sound than most people realize.

52tiger, If you specify your room dimensions and constraints for moving your listening chair we could offer some more detailed advice.

I don't own Zu's but the more you pull your speakers away from the back wall the longer the arrival time is for the reflected sound. If the arrival time is too short it is perseived as direct sound and smears the image. You may want to read up on room acoustics for more information.

Sean

On any NON PANEL speaker (A speaker in a box) You will find that the closer the speaker is to a back wall, the more bass reinforcement you will add. The closer your are to a side wall, the more reflective frequencies that you have to deal with. On side walls, the more tow in that you have the closer you can get to side walls without huge issues.
So start with your your room size and how far your seating position is from the back wall...
In general, I have always been able to obtain very good speaker placement. Start with measuring how far your seating position is in front of how far you would consider where you would want your speakers pulled out into the room. So, pull your speakers out to where you believe they should be... hopefully a minimum of a few feet from a back wall. Measure now from your speakers to about where your head placement would be if you were sitting in listening position. If this is 6 feet, try to get a 6 foot distance between your left speaker driver and your right speaker driver... if it is 8 ft from your head, try to get a distance of 8ft between your left and right drivers. This does not need to be exact, but in general works well. Now that they are seperated left from right, how far are they from the side walls?, try to ensure a minimum of 2 ft, 30 inches is better. Now, tow your speakers in to point at your ears when in your seating position. This should give you pin point imaging... if you have a hot spot or your speakers are a bit bright, start towing them outward, just an inch or so at a time. With some speakers, you can tow them outward until they are straight forward front firing, others you will destroy your stage with just a few inches.
The close that you get to a full front fire, the more the side walls will cause reflect and cause frequeny peaks where you will need to deal with room treatments or pull your speakers in more to the middle of the room ... 36 inches, 40 inches etc.
This method has proven very good for me. I hope that i've explained it well, good luck, Tim