I haven't yet played it at very loud volumes, I've heard Emotiva's have had some reliability problems and I don't want to risk straining it at ear-splitting levels. I've been listening at comfortable levels, appx -12db. Everything sounds so smooth and crystal clear at this level, I'm tempted to blast the thing, but I'm going to wait a few weeks before putting it to the test. As for increasing surround volumes, I wonder if switching to the external amp has made some inconsistencies in the level matching but if it has it isn't dramatic. I will re-check everything when I get home this afternoon.
