Hi New2Axiom,
Excellent thread you prompted and timely, too. You're right to turn off the Denon's Auto-EQ, and leave it off. The auto-level setting for channels is OK, but in virtually all cases the auto-EQ function will do far more harm than good with neutral, well-designed speakers like Axioms.
As to the center-channel dialog issue, here's an excerpt from a feature on "Do's" and "Don'ts" that will appear in the next Axiom Newsletter, due out on Tuesday, April 25th, which addresses this problem:
"Don’t get too fixated on perfectly “calibrating” the level of each channel so they are identical in a 5.1 or 7.1 system. Balancing the relative channel levels is an excellent starting point, but be prepared to make individual channel adjustments until you get a smooth, seamless blend of front channel music and effects, dialog clarity, and surround effects when they’re needed, and just the right amount of subwoofer bass. Note that dialog recording quality may vary quite a lot from one movie to the next, or even from scene to scene in the same movie. Some foreign or independent movies are poorly done, with dialog levels that vary constantly from scene to scene. The regional accents may make matters worse. So don’t be afraid to make center-channel level adjustments while you’re watching if you have trouble hearing the dialog. That’s what the center-channel level control is there for."
The comments about uneven dialog recording in some foreign and independent features were based on some recent experiences of mine and colleagues watching a British movie and an Indian movie, both with English dialog. At times, I bumped up the center-channel level to +8 dB so we could hear the dialog clearly.
Regards,
