Hi all,
I've been loving my Dutch & Dutch 8Cs through Roon for years (previously paired with a Matrix Audio Element X before the 8Cs were Roon-ready) in my condo. My family and I recently moved into a house, and I'm planning to turn a windowless upstairs room (21'x15' with 9' ceilings) into a hybrid media room for music and home theater. My wife and two kids love movie nights, but I spend most of my time with the 8Cs listening to music in 2-channel mode. My goal is to balance a dedicated listening room with a family-friendly home theater setup.
The room is currently at the stud stage, and I've had four dedicated 20A circuits installed. I'm running 12-gauge speaker wire, Canare L-4E6S microphone cable, Monoprice balanced cable, and coaxial cable to the left/right mains, surrounds, and surround backs, with 12-gauge wire for four Atmos channels. The AV rack/stand will sit in front of the TV on the floor.
Music is my priority, but I want to do home theater right for the family. My plan is to keep the 8Cs as left/right mains and add GoldenEar Triton One or Two speakers for surrounds and surround backs, with GoldenEar in-ceiling speakers for Atmos. I'm considering a Trinnov Altitude processor to tie it all together and possibly the Amplitude8 amplifier for the surround and Atmos channels, though I’m open to more affordable amp options.
I know many prefer matching speakers across a home theater for tonal consistency, but since I'm prioritizing music, is mixing the 8Cs with GoldenEars a major mistake? Has anyone tried a similar hybrid setup?
For the center channel, I'm stuck. A third 8C would match perfectly but can't be placed horizontally, and I think it’d look awkward vertically with the TV setup (I’d also need a second AV rack, which I’d rather avoid). I’m considering an active Genelec center for its neutrality but am open to other suggestions. Would a phantom center work in a room this size for family movie nights?
Am I overcomplicating things by integrating the 8Cs into a full home theater setup? Any advice on center channel options, amp choices, or making this hybrid room work would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I've been loving my Dutch & Dutch 8Cs through Roon for years (previously paired with a Matrix Audio Element X before the 8Cs were Roon-ready) in my condo. My family and I recently moved into a house, and I'm planning to turn a windowless upstairs room (21'x15' with 9' ceilings) into a hybrid media room for music and home theater. My wife and two kids love movie nights, but I spend most of my time with the 8Cs listening to music in 2-channel mode. My goal is to balance a dedicated listening room with a family-friendly home theater setup.
The room is currently at the stud stage, and I've had four dedicated 20A circuits installed. I'm running 12-gauge speaker wire, Canare L-4E6S microphone cable, Monoprice balanced cable, and coaxial cable to the left/right mains, surrounds, and surround backs, with 12-gauge wire for four Atmos channels. The AV rack/stand will sit in front of the TV on the floor.
Music is my priority, but I want to do home theater right for the family. My plan is to keep the 8Cs as left/right mains and add GoldenEar Triton One or Two speakers for surrounds and surround backs, with GoldenEar in-ceiling speakers for Atmos. I'm considering a Trinnov Altitude processor to tie it all together and possibly the Amplitude8 amplifier for the surround and Atmos channels, though I’m open to more affordable amp options.
I know many prefer matching speakers across a home theater for tonal consistency, but since I'm prioritizing music, is mixing the 8Cs with GoldenEars a major mistake? Has anyone tried a similar hybrid setup?
For the center channel, I'm stuck. A third 8C would match perfectly but can't be placed horizontally, and I think it’d look awkward vertically with the TV setup (I’d also need a second AV rack, which I’d rather avoid). I’m considering an active Genelec center for its neutrality but am open to other suggestions. Would a phantom center work in a room this size for family movie nights?
Am I overcomplicating things by integrating the 8Cs into a full home theater setup? Any advice on center channel options, amp choices, or making this hybrid room work would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
). Since you have a wider seating area there should be a dedicated center channel. My setup is a mix of 3 active and 6 passive speakers, no problem at all. The Trinnov will make all speakers sound coherent, no idea about the Golden Sound speakers though. My (in comparison) tiny surround speakers are already enough for me, listening area is 16'x'13' (in a 24'x 13' room). Will depend on your need how much amp power is really sufficient.
Of course, there are alternatives... Perlisten is up there, also Kef (R6, Reference 4 etc.) or Revel for example. Decided solely based on ASR review/measurements, the reasonably compact size and because I didn't want to add a power amp as another piece of equipment to the lowboard. It's just a practical approach. You have a larger, dedicated room so there are more options. Since you plan on installing a Trinnov the "subwoofer-situation" (wave forming subwoofer array) is unique. Never listened to such a system and have no idea which configuration is suitable for your room but you should look into it ...
