Decision between Zu Definition OR VS DB99

I believe Zu offers a trial period of 30 or, maybe even 60 days. This, and the fact that the Definition speakers are held in such high regard right now, would sway me into giving them a try. Indeed, they sound like special speakers from what I have read. It would really be great VS, or their dealers offered a similar audition policy. It's worth checking on since virtually all credible dealers provide an audition-at-home policy. The potential issue I see with this is that the DB99 may not be stocked. Therefore it will be difficult to auditon it unless VS provides an audition policy.

Verdict: If you can't listen to VS, go with the Zu's. You can always return them should they do not meet your fancy. But, I really don't think you will return them once the disk starts spinning.

I'd like to hear some comments on these two comparisons also. I own the 99's and have posted several times on my comments about their sound. Feel free to look those up by doing a search. I Use them with Consonance Cyber 211 mono blocks-would highly recommend these. Read enjoythemusic.com Dec review of them. Nice review.

It goes without saying that I do enjoy the 99's but since I have never heard the Zu's I will refrain from making a blind/deaf comment regarding the 99's being insanly great in comparison to the Zu's. Don't like other's doing that-won't do it myself.

Best

These two are quite different designs. Some things to consider just by LOOKING at them:
VS:
The VS uses a 10" seas woof, commendably placed low down to get benefit fm floor boost and with a transmission line. There's a 7" mid in a tapered back chamber (I think? What's a "terminated" transmission line?), & a tweet with a wave-guide (both drivers of undisclosed origin). The mid has a quoted 100db sensitivity -- which is unusually high given the quoted motor specs; maybe this sens is using the internal amp. In any case it's excellent.
The bass is active and, again it seems, they use a high input buffer on the internal amp to power the mid as well (difficult to understand VS' techno-marketing). There is a passive xover, possibly a series (what on earth is the quoted "Global Axis" this xover is supposed to integrate? Phase?) and L pads to help tune some of the drivers.
The system's sensitivity isn't evident; what's quoted "in room" looks like ~90-92 anechoic.
Interestingly, given the "booster" amp, the system's impedance should be very benign (with reserve re, the techno-maktg). Excellent characteristic.
OTOH, does this mean that one has to go through that amp's circuitry before reaching the mid+woof?

The Zu uses two 10" woofs (sourced possibly fm Eminence, "US made"), active, covering apparently a single octave (~50-~25 Hz) with a line-level 24 (L/R?) filter. Then there are two wide-range units in a MTM config and an Audax tweet with a wave-guide.
The two wide-rangers cover most of the musical spectrum, so you have a quasi point-source that's driven full-range -- i.e. there's no added xover (is there a notch filter s/where in there?). The amp drives these more or less directly and full-range.
The Audax tweet kicks in full blast very commendably high up, ~15kHz with its 1st order filter @ 12kHz (excellent idea, nice 90 degrees phase angle, and you can do that with ONE component only).

Design wise, this is starting to "sound" real good: minimal (if any) phase, delay, amplitude & power anomalies, in the critical range ~100-~10kHz.
OTOH, 1) you get narrow horizontal dispersion as you go up (due to the 10"ers beaming) 2) how do they integrate TWO drivers to simulate a single point-source???

So, on paper, the Zu looks as lovely as the VS interesting. In theory, the Zu should offer very good transient attack, coherent and well-balanced sound. In theory it won't image exquisitely -- but well enough. It should also be relatively easy to place and drive.
The VS should offer a meaty, dynamic sound, and should be exceptionally easy to drive, and should image easily and very well.

All this fm looking -- now how 'bout s/one who's tasted the pudding (to coin a phrase)? Cheers