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Help . . . I’m dumber than my active speakers!

Bought a pair of Dutch & Dutch 8C because I was curious about active speakers. Have read many great reviews and comments, so my expectations were high. Set them up with their app, inputting their distance from the front wall, sidewalls, and listening chair. They are a Roon endpoint, so the source is a Roon Nucleus on my network. They cannot touch my main system and I think I’m doing something wrong. They are not as dynamic as I expected. They have great bass. I’ve read that they have a wide soundstage, but these do not. In fact, they lack dimensionality in my opinion.  I’ve never used REW, but I’m thinking I should get a microphone and give it a try. Any thoughts?
 

The digital side of my main system is:

dCS Bartök Apex

Audio Research Ref 6SE into

Parasound JC1 monoblocks

Wilson Yvette loudspeakers

Transparent Ultra Gen 6 balanced interconnects and speaker cables

Nordost Red Dawn power cords

Carpeted floor over concrete with no other room treatments 

kcpellethead
celtic66
1,610 posts
 

Can only assume these are new and need serious break-in time. Simple as that.  I've no experience with that active, only with several ATC actives and they are quite good in the areas of expectation mentioned.

As I understand, your above system is your main system divested completely from the Dutch & Dutch.  So what source are you running directly into the D&D? Streaming?

Hope it gets better for you.  Cheers

 

kcpellethead OP
137 posts
 

Streaming directly into the D&D 8C via a Roon Nucleus. I am the second owner, so I’m pretty sure they have been broken in.

erik_squires
15,714 posts
 

It could very well be placement or your room.  Try this.  Set them up as close as you can to your listening location.  This will remove the room acoustics.  If they suddenly sound fantastic it's your room.

mofojo
2,172 posts
 

I had Dynaudio Focus Actives. The biggest tower ones they had on the last gen. Tons of great reviews. Nah they were not my cuppa tea at all! They were however the most intelligible speaker I’ve ever had for tv. Music they were dull as hell. 

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