When i play music through my hk 525 it sounds a lot better when only using 2 m22s. When i use all 4 m22s it is less loud(probably due to power capability of reciever) but it also sounds less clear and precise. With 2 speakers the soundstage is excellent, but with 4 speakers the soundstage is absent and it doesnt sound very good at all

any suggestions?

It's because it's going through the 5-Stereo DSP. Try it with DPL II-Music. I use that all the time, and all I've got is 2 speakers! It sounds way better than plain Stereo.

Yeah but thats not the way the music is supposed to sound though.

{loaded question}If it sounds better to me, is that any different than running it through a tube amp?{/loaded question} Besides, how do you know?

so the hk 525 is unable to reproduce effective multi channel stereo? I bought 4 m22s instead of a theater package so i could listen to good 4 channel stereo.
And the dp-II music mode does not sound like stereo at all. the rear channels are rarely used.
is there any way to simply reproduce 2 channel stereo across 4 channels?

Wheres the fcken disclaimer on this?

Perhaps you should call H/K? As I don't have 4 speakers, I can't really answer all the questions. Now that I read your post, I realize that of course DPLII doesn't work in your situation.

Hawk, as I've said before, I don't care for all-channel stereo because it isn't really natural to have the same sounds coming from in front and behind. However, I assume that you heard it before and liked it. If so, the 525 should be as good at it as any other receiver that has the feature. 4 speakers are louder than 2 speakers; the 525 has more than enough power for them and if the gain in 5-channel stereo mode is lower it simply means that the volume control has to be set a bit higher. So far as clarity goes, the sound coming from different directions would tend to reduce clarity, but you should double-check your wiring to make sure that one or more of the speakers isn't wired out of phase.

where are the four speakers placed in relation to the listening area?

I have a 525 and never use multi-channel stereo. Logic 7 for TV, DD and DTS ofcourse, standard stereo, and 5.1 analog.

Never an issue with volume levels even before I got an external amp.

no
i bought everything over the internet(sub, receiver, speakers)

the loudness is not an issue because i can always turn it up. But the sound quality is definetely worse. I cant put my finger on it, but the speaker is no longer giving me the wide expansive feeling it does with 2 channel stereo mode. In the channel mode the sound opens up. In 4 channel stereo the sound seems stagnant.

Maybe i am being harsh, but the only reason i bought a full 4.1 system for $2200 was for multi channel stereo(i dont watch too many movies on a 20 inch tv)

Is this what its like on other recievers? I think i might be returning the HK 525. Is there any way to fix this?

I think I would return the second pair of M22s before I returned the 525. AFAIK, it is like that on all receivers. What led you to the conclusion that you wanted 4 channel stereo?