Another Zu Thread

There is nothing problematic about Druids or Definitions but there are certain considerations which apply to optimal implementation.
The Definition is designed with a recommended 10 foot mimnimum between the forward plane of the speakers and your listening position. I have not noticed a sidewall problem at all. My right speaker is about 3 feet from the wall and there is no wall on the left. They are about 12 inches from the wall behind them.
Druids are different in two ways. First, you need to experiment with the distance between the speaker's plinth and the floor under it. This is accomplished by threading the spikes up or down to increase or decrease the gap. There is a rule of thumb. Definitions do not require spacing because they are not bottom ported like the Druids. Defs have their woofers in a sealed enclosure.
Toe in will effect the soundstage, naturally, and that will require experimentation just like with any other speaker. It will also impact the sweet spot. I don't think you can make it narrow but it is possible to make it wider by rotating the speaker position. I do not experience any "head in the vise" problems with mine.
For some reason, rumors abound concerning this brand name.

Aktchi - no, I don't have the speakers. I am considering taking the 60-day test drive, but would avoid even that if something about my situation and those speakers would make it an obvious misfit.

I have no problem with the 10 foot distance minimum. I have two rooms to potentially put them in, one where I'm pretty much obligated to sit about 12 feet (or less) back from the speakers which would be 6-10 feet apart. Rectangular, well damped. My other room is a big living area in a contemporary house that opens up to eternity. The speakers would be in the "end" of a rectangle, and I could split them about as far apart as I like, and I could sit any distance away. This is the preferred room to put them into.

I'm intrigued by the descriptions of the dynamics and the "live" sound, as well as the full extension. I listen to mostly rock, blues and jazz.

I currently have Dynaudio Confidence 2's, which I like a lot, but would probably want to move to a bigger speaker in the Dynaudio line for the room I'm in and the music I like if I stay in suit.

Thanks for the feedback. -Kirk

Audiofeil, there is a significant difference with different kinds of spikes. There are spikes and there are spikes. Kind of like silk ties and the like. The Zu boys have told me that their spikes are really not the best, and they were thinking of auditioning the Starsound points. Regardless of the type of floor, spikes make a difference in the sound one can get from any speaker. Put the spikes on the Audiopoint discs and it is easy to shift the speaker. They won't dig into the floor. On carpet? That's a major pain in the ass. Me? Wood under my Defs? Not in a million years. Not under any speaker...

Having owned the Druids, Def. 1.5's and now Def. Pros, I can say these are all really different speakers. The Druids are mellower sounding than the other two but also less revealing. All can fill a large room with a handfull of watts. If you're a bass junkie, you'll need subs for the Druids, if you're not, they actually have very nice bass. I love huge bass and the 1.5s weren't enough in my room, but it's a bass vacuum and they seem to be fine for most. None are particularly sensitive to room positioning, as I've had all within a foot of the front wall with no problems.

Not everyone likes the Zu speakers. I'm not sure what the issue is with the Druids, and I'd still have them if I didn't fall into a little money. Lots of folks are very happy with them, but not all. In my giant bass suckout of a room, the 1.5 bass was light and the presence band was peaky. I suspect the active presence band is one reason some folks don't like the Definitions - it serves some music exquisitely but gets agitated with a few keys of a piano and with blazing guitar music.

To solve both problems, I went for the Definition Pros. This required a separate amp and EQ in the bass. I ended up with a Crown K2 and TacT 2.2XP, which fully controls the crossover between the main and sub arrays as well as EQ potential. I drop the presence band down a few db, raise the crossover frequency from the 40 hz in the 1.5s to 65 hz and now I have a setup that will serve ALL music at ANY volume. Yes, I like girl with guitar, yes, I like Metallica, and Snoop Dogg, and heavy electronic, and yes I like to CRANK it some times. Set up this way, even my 2 watt SET amp can happily oblige.

But, it plays very well quietly which is how I normally listen. SET magic and still the ability to bring the house down. It sounds like an Aphile wet dream but it's the real deal. It's also a fairly complex setup but it's transparent, revealing, warm and honest. 20 hz to 20 khz can be as flat as you want in-room or you can choose to skew the response to taste. The subs and mains blend perfectly, as they are essentially coincident.

I'm not one to exaggerate to make a point. The reward is a setup that can be tuned to suit any reasonable listener.

And, oh, flame away all ye naysayers about that which could not be. If I had that attitude, I wouldn't have "made it".