One other thing to keep in mind, is his sound processing settings on his AVR. When I first got my setup, I liked some particular setting that expanded the sound stage. It provided a "bigger", but not an accurate sound. Later, I opted for something more accurate. If he has it on some such setting, this might also account for why it might sound "better".

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?...amp;usp=sharing