Keep in mind, the $50 Radio Shack meter is great for calibrating and what not, but it is not as fast as some of the more expensive meters.
For example, you could have a 15-20dB jump during a dynamic passage of a song, however, the Radio Shack meter may only show you a 5dB swing as it can't react in time like professional lab meters.
I believe this was the problem I was having when my previous Emotiva amp kept shutting down my 80s. The meter only showed jumps of 5-6dB, when in fact I was getting 15-20dB spikes.
