Ken, the first thing that comes to mind is are you sure that when you set the speaker configuration on your HK525 that you set the center speaker to "none"? The surround and surround back should also be "none", of course, and the left and right front "small". As long as the center is set none the center channel information is sent equally to the 2 front speakers and the effect is that someone about equidistant from them hears the center info coming from a phantom center speaker.

-----------------------------------

Enjoy the music, not the equipment.