Is it possible to have Good Imaging close to wall

I have absolutely no freaking idea, but every speaker maker except the ones "who make speakers to work close to the wall" use exactly that phrase when I ask them why their speakers don't image when they are not obeying the Cardas rule or some other arbitrary speaker law of physics to do with reflected sound and how the brain perceives it. I can't be the only Audionut in the universe who is told this!

My Tonians are just 18" from the front wall and they "image" quite well, thank you. Depth is the only thing that is compromised but image specifity and placement never waver and what is layered is good enough for my mind to complete the illusion.

Better recordings are the exception with layering as good as it gets, IMO.

If room constraints require near field listening, I wouldn't worry at all.

All the best,
Nonoise

sure speakers will image well when placed near a wall - but it might not produce the best a speaker is capable.

My Zu Def 4s are only a few inches from the wall. Imaging is fine.

Early reflections off a wall is what compromises imaging
usually.

Some distance from the walls is needed to avoid. Its more
the location of the front of the speaker where sound is
emitted and other characteristics like the dispersion
pattern of teh drivers and baffle shape that
matter. Proximity to rear wall will affect imaging depth
more than width, proximity to side walls more width.

The key is to get the right delay and levels between direct
and reflected sound. Imaging is minimal without this.
Details of the recording are the biggest factor regarding
good imaging and large soundstage. Information must be in
the recording or else no dice. Some recordings have little
imaging, some a lot. The best ones often also have
potential for large well defined soundstage.

PRoximity to walls always works against imaging potential,
but results can still be quite good depending. It's all
relative.

The best imaging I have heard was with mbl speakers in a
large show room designed to maximize soundstage and imaging
for the omni design with a good 12 feet of tapered down
room behind the speakers and a good 8-10 feet to side walls.
Listening location was just slightly front and and center,
with similar volume of more rectangular room space behind
me. The players in the orchestral
recordings all had distinct locations within the space
behind the speakers.
Very holographic, very impressive!