I've been very interested in the information of this thread. I've had my Axiom system running for about 4 months now (M22s, VP150, QS4s)...when I first purchased my Denon receiver, I blindly ran the Audyssey Auto Calibration. Ever since then, I have been running with the MultiEQ turned...I never turned it off to hear the difference because I figured "the receiver knows best!" I know, I know...it was a newbie mistake.
Anyway, this morning, I pulled out my RadioShack analog sound meter and tape measure and manually calibrated speaker distance and volume level using the built in receiver test tones. Then I turned off Audyssey. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!
I've been listening to many albums listed in the "Stunning recordings" thread and while many times people describe the musicians as seeming to be in the room with them, I have not experienced this. After turning off Audyssey, I can finally say that I understand now what people are talking about! Vocals are full and rich...and I was amazed that I can hear the subtle sounds of the singers inhalations. Amazing! Like others have said, the Audyssey MultiEQ calibration just sounds flat, thin, and lifeless. I feel like I've lost 4 months of my life
After saying all of this, I do actually have one question for the knowledgeable people on this forum. When I first set up my system, I did check the speaker volume levels with my sound meter, making sure they were all at 75db. This morning when I redid the calibration, I noticed that my right main speaker had become much "quieter"...in other words, I had to turn the channel level up by 2.0db to bring the level back to 75db. Nothing has changed in my setup or room. Is this amount of volume change natural as the speakers "age?" Is there something I should be concerned about or check into? Thanks in advance!
