If you can put your hand on the speaker side nearest the fire and not have to take it away right away, then it's probably OK. But over time, the fires could start drying out the cabinet, and not be good for the speaker binding posts, maybe even the wire. Veneer might even decide to come loose or get air bubbles over time, which obviously would be bad.

12" would be a minimum I'd say and actually closer to the back wall as heat disperses in a circular manner. Overall, it's really not a great idea, but then again, it still depends on how hot you have your fire going, etc.

Quote:
Is there potential damage placing speakers (Dali Ikon 6) on either side of a fireplace? It's a gas fireplace, and each speaker would be off-set about 8-12 inches from the side of the fireplace.

I am concerned that the heat may damage the wood, or may affect the components inside.

Thoughts?

Keep speakers at room temperature.

Why not just check each speaker at your desired position with a thermometer after the fireplace has been burning awhile and see if it goes much above normal room temperature? No sense trying to guess.

I have a fireplace and one speaker is near th mantle. I keep mine about 3 feet from the opening, off to the side. As dbowker said, your speaker probably won't malfunction, but over time the wood could dry out, etc. To find out the distance, I touched the speaker after the fire had been burning for a few hours and if it felt warm, I moved it further away. I know "warm" is kind of vague, but I guess I was feeling for an amount noticeably over room temp.

I made this mistake many years ago. The venier started to bubble, the foam around the mid/woof began to deteriorate and the paper tweeter became brittle. My suggestion would be to try sitting for an hour or so in the spot where the speakers are to be placed...with the fireplace ablaze. If you become uncomfortable then that is not the spot for the speakers.