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A Zu / Tekton / Omega Speaker Positioning Thread

Friends,

I'm a couple of months into ownership of a pair of 10-inch fullrangers, Zu Omens in this case. In extensive play with positioning, I've managed to get incredible tone out of them, the best I've ever heard -- but great soundstaging still eludes me. Specifically they fail at creating images outside of the speakers. On a recording of Bill Berry's Ellington Allstars, for example, my old 2-way monitors placed a trumpet 2.5 feet to the outside of the right speaker, and a sax just to the left, still outside the speaker. Now it's just two _great-sounding_ horns emerging directly from the right speaker.

We may be up against a reality that the limitation of 10-inch fullrangers is the inability to completely disappear, but let us have a discussion of best practices when positioning these guys.
cymbop
cymbop OP
315 posts
 
Ah, the 4.5's have a driver that's half the size of Omens or Lores. Makes sense that they might to a far better job with the disappearing act. I'll listen to "Cowgirl" and "Down by the River" tonight for comparison.
genjamon
96 posts
 
I have Lores. Not sure my exact dimensions off the top of my head, but it's something like 35" from front wall to rear of speakers, low-20's inches from side walls to middle of drivers, and toe-in is so that they cross about a foot in FRONT of my face. I have preferred this approach as it gives a wider sweet spot and doesn't really sacrifice on imaging as far as I can tell.

One thing not mentioned yet that I also do - tilt the speakers up a bit. I have the front spikes elevated about 1/2 inch above the back spikes (a 1/2" wood block under the front ones). I haven't experimented with different amounts of elevation, which would probably be a good idea, but the elevating completely transformed the imaging/soundstage from laser-focused and sometimes intense to the point of listener fatigue to much more natural, spacious, and still with good imaging. If the point of toe-in is to listen just slightly off-axis, it probably makes sense to do so in the vertical dimension as well as the horizontal.

Also important to note might be room treatments. I have GIK panels at first reflections on sidewalls, GIK bass triangles floor to ceiling in front corners, and a GIK panel I put in front of my flat screen TV. I also have four GIK 2'X2' diffusion panels - two at front left and front right, and two directly to the rear of listening position.
mikirob
955 posts
 
First, let me state that my measurements really won't help you, completely different type of room, speakers and so forth...yet, it is interesting to explore because I know my circumstance breaks with conventional wisdom.

As stated, my office is 14x16, to exit there is a small hall of 4x4 feet with a 1 foot 45 degree angle (about where Neil Young's rhythm guitar player is). The ceiling height starts at 9 feet slope upward to around 12 feet, has a 3 foot run before it slopes back down to 9 feet.

My Tekton 4.5s sit on a 6 foot long heavy duty solid maple piece that holds albums, cd's and books. The speakers are only 6 inches from the back wall toed in 1/2 inch from edge back left, 1 and 1/4 inches from edge front left. Same measurement on the right 1/2 inch from edge back right, etc. the center of the 4.5 inch Teckton speaker is basically 60 inches apart and they are 43 inches to the center of the single driver off the floor which is carpeted. My desk is on the opposite side of the room and I face speakers from about 10 feet distance, my ears just slightly below 43 inches, which to me sounds best. My chair adjusts up and down.

When I swapped in the Lore just to see what they would do in this room I ended up placing them exactly as the 4.5s with the following difference: as a 39 inch floor stander I placed them 2 inches away from the side edge of the maple cabinet and 2 inches in front of the front edge of said cabinet. As stated the toe in and distance from back wall stayed nearly the same. This room has a 2 person couch and 1 over-stuffed chair and wood filing cabinet, no room treatments. That pretty much covers it and I am sure it doesn't help you one wit in your room. I want to state one other thing though, the bass on the little 4.5 is very good given its parameters, probably beats its specs a tad. As for the Lores, tuneful, warm, gets very close to the measured specs.
mikirob
955 posts
 
One thing I forgot: I also tilt the Lore up slightly, about 1/2 inch. Also, the Lore loses about a foot laterally, but still well outside the speakers. Depth is superb on both speakers. If I swap in my Cary 280 v12 with KT66s, the depth increase, the height increase, it's wall-to-wall on good recordings like Muddy Waters "Folk Singer."
mikirob
955 posts
 
Cymbop,

I am now going o give you my main listening room positioning for Lores only. Room dimensions are 16x26. 9 foot ceiling. When I use the Lores in this room I have them along the short wall 4 feet out into the room, 4 feet from each side wall 8 feet apart. I sit about 10 feet from speakers. Toe in is basically the same angle as my office. This room has an abundance of furniture, plants, paintings, hardwood floors with rugs, and so forth. Sound stage is wall-to-wall with either the Lores or Infinity Prelude Compositions. With the Compositions there is no toe in, fires straight ahead. I usually have my Cary 280 V12 with Cary SLP 98, a Rega P3 with Grado Platinum, or Sony DVP S9000ES as transport with Eastern Electric DAC upgraded fuse and Shuguang Black Treasure 12AU7, plus either Silnote Reference II IC, sometimes Alpha Core Silver Saphire; PS Audio Statement speaker cables. I also have used Kimber 8TC, Alpha Core Silver AG1s. Digital is either Black Cat Veloce or MIT. Power cords are all Custom Power Cords.
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