Ok, did a quick listening session during lunch and found out the problem to my lack of 'punch' using the sub with two channel listening.
First I tested the LFE and LFE+main setting with my mains set to small. I could not tell a difference. I guess I was thinking of direct vs stereo when I said that there was an audible difference on these two settings. I believe that LFE+main with mains set to small has no effect, and the only reason the option is there is becasue the programmers were to lazy to use an if statment:
IF mains are set to small
THEN disable ability to select LFE+main
now that wasn't too hard was it?
Anyway, a while ago I recalibrated my sub. I adjusted the knob on the back of the ep500 so that I could increase the denon from -10 db to -2db and keep the same spl output from the sub.
Well, I adjusted the sub to -2db under speaker setup, but not under the 2 channel setup. There is a very good reason why I forgot to do this: as far as I know the only way to adjust channel levels in 2 channel mode is to click in the center button on the remote and adjust the levels while listening in two channel mode. There is no place to adjust channel levels in the gui under manual setup for 2 channel mode like there is for surround modes (not that I can find at least.)
Unfortunately, when listening to two channel music via the network the center button no longer is the channel adjust mode, but instead is the "pause" button... so I know of no way to adjust channel levels in stereo mode while listening to network audio. (and That is the only source I have used for 2 channel music lately.)
I thought this might be the problem so I put a cd in my dvd player and clicked in the center remote button and saw the sub was still at -10db... adjusted it and now I am very happy. Music sounded great in stereo mode with speakers set to small and a 60 hz crossover. (apparently this changed it for the network audio source as well)
This brings up another problem that I have been having- Often times when watching movies I will click in the channel level button (center button) and see that all of my settings have resorts back to the first time I ever ran audessey (and the sub is at -10db.) I readjust them and they are fine for a few days, then for no apparent reason the resort back to the incorrect default setting. Does anyone know why this is happening?
Also- Jakewash: I went ahead and upped the crossover to 100 hz and placed the mains on large. I switched back and forth between LFE and 'LFE+main' while keeping my hand on the m80 woofers. If the lower frequencies were getting cut out of the m80's on the LFE+main setting I couldn't tell b/c they kept thumping back and forth just as hard on both settings.
Anyway, If anyone knows why my settings keep resorting to the 'default', or how to adjust channel levels when in network audio mode I would love to hear it.
