I don't know what it is, but there is just something that isn't right about my home theatre setup. Speaker position-wise, I think everything is alright. I think the problem lies with speaker volume and bass crossover/volume. Bass usually doesn't have a very even "punch". It kind of rumbles and makes noise, but it doesn't feel right. Also, the audio sounds very "contained", almost as if it's simple stereo instead of Dolby Digital. Anyone have any tips as what I can do, from the standpoint of just starting over? Should I set all the speakers to 0db and see what to do from there?

Also, I have normal front speakers... should my subwoofer's crossover be set to the higher range or the lower?

Finally, DVD special features typically sound off on my setup because when outputted in Dolby Digital, the player only outputs from the left and right speaker - no center. It actually sounds better when changed to PLII. Is this a problem with my receiver or my DVD player?

I apologize for the rather redundant title, by the way.

It is impossible to know all that can be wrong in your setup without going to your home.

I would at a minimum purchase Avia and go through the audio setup on that disc.

The other option is to hire someone like me to set it up properly.

Well off the top of my head,I would say check make sure drc,dynamic range control is set to off? Other than that,calibration disc. Jim

Bass usually doesn't have a very even "punch". It kind of rumbles and makes noise, but it doesn't feel right.

This is very common and the problem is likely your room acoustics. Have you ever measured the bass response and ringing of your system?

--Ethan

What speakers? What sub? What receiver?

Did you set up the receiver properly for 5.1? To what size do you have the speakers set? What is the crossover setting in the receiver? And on the sub?

Have you calibrated the setup properly?

Are you using a digital connection from the DVD player to the receiver? Is the receiver set up to automatically detect what sort of media is entering it and apply the correct decoding?

Like Ethan said, your problem is extremely common. You seem to hear bass, but it has no punch and things rattle but you feel no shake. It's called phase cancellation. What happens is sound from your speakers fans out and hits all the walls in your room. Regular drywall that is in most homes will reflect the sound back. Sometimes the sound waves that are bouncing off the walls come back in phase, a little out of phase, or a lot out of phase. Those waves hit the sound coming from the speakers. If they hit out of phase they will cancel/disappear. Depending on how out of phase the sound waves are from each other will determine how much sound is cancelled out. A little out of phase will be a slight dip in volume as where totally out of phase will result in total loss of sound. A few things can cause this problem. The subwoofer and the main speakers can be out of phase at the crossover point and/or the most likely cause is the room. Different placement of the speakers and sub in the room can make dramatic improvements. Experimenting with placement is key. Nobody will be able to tell you exactly where to place your speakers, so you must experiment. On top of that if you want to further maximize your results you can place absorbing material on the walls and corners to help keep the sound waves from reflecting directly off the wall in the first place. That is Ethan's specialty here and I will let him explain further if you wish. It is the mid bass that gives you that "punch" you're looking for, and that is what most unoptimized setups lack. Bottom line is move your stuff around to find the best sounding arrangement. A lot of people here use Avia or DVE. I've always used Bass Mechanic. I have a test tone from 200 to 20Hz. I also have 1Hz to 60Hz, 61Hz to 120Hz, 121Hz to 200Hz which really help to pinpoint the problem area or confirm flat response. Good luck.

Punch?
Someone posted this link to amplifier requirement calculator.
http://www.crownaudio.com/apps_htm/designtools/elect-pwr-req.htm
For me, with 90db sensitivity speakers, I need 252 watts to reach 105dB SPL at 2 meters.
Using 91dB sensitivity speakers drops the requirement to a measly 200 watts.

Punch?
Someone posted this link to amplifier requirement calculator.
http://www.crownaudio.com/apps_htm/designtools/elect-pwr-req.htm
For me, with 90db sensitivity speakers, I need 252 watts to reach 105dB SPL at 2 meters.
Using 91dB sensitivity speakers drops the requirement to a measly 200 watts.

This is a better way to look at it for a home environment. http://myhometheater.homestead.com/splcalculator.html

The more room treatment you have will require more.

Lots of good advice here. Since you already have the system, you should first make sure you have done the correct settings in all the menus and scrupulously set the channel levels and distances. Make sure you have also selected the correct modes for the sources you use.

If have done this and you are still experiencing disappointment such as you describe, it is likely that you will have to reconsider speaker/listener positioning and also room treatments.