I currently use Gallo Ref A/V speakers for 2 channel sound and have found for stereo they sound better at around -6 setting Left/Right. These are driven by an H/K AVR 247. At higher levels or Ref level (0 or above) they don't sound nearly as smooth and sound like they are being driven too hard, Also at lower settings -6 or so, they seem to blend with my sub much better. Is this normal? Is this because the speaker are highly sensitive? any advice would be much appreciated. :)

I find myself having to adjust the sub volume down a bit when cranking it. Also different types of music or the levels when recorded are inconsistent requiring fine tuning. When things start sounding worse when you turn it up real loud my guess is either your over-driving the amp or you have reached the limits of the speakers. Try setting the crossover higher as this will take some load off both the amp and speakers. If you have pre-outs on the receiver you could try running a bigger amp to determine if power is an issue.

Sounds to me like the comfortable limits of something has been reached.

Not familar enough with any of the things you mentioned to suggest which it might be.

I guess what I'm asking is, are my speaker level settings typical? Most people I talk to say they are usually at -0 or above, most in the +2 area or above. When I set levels at -0 or above the speakers lose the smooth sound & sound more harsh, and are harder to blend with the sub.

The 247 may not be enough to drive your Gallos. They have a 300 watt peak rating.

Add a 200 wpc amp, and I bet they shine.

I currently use Gallo Ref A/V speakers for 2 channel sound and have found for stereo they sound better at around -6 setting Left/Right. These are driven by an H/K AVR 247. At higher levels or Ref level (0 or above) they don't sound nearly as smooth and sound like they are being driven too hard...............The level settings and master volume setting are relative. So, in setting the speakers to -6dB you are simply lowering their volume relative to the master volume setting. Leaving the speaker level trims set to "0.0dB" and setting the master volume -6dB lower will accomplish the same thing.


Also at lower settings -6 or so, they seem to blend with my sub much better. Is this normal? Is this because the speaker are highly sensitive? any advice would be much appreciated.That doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Similarly to what I stated above, as far as the relative level of the speakers to the sub is concerned, setting the speakers -6dB down is the same thing as turning up the sub by 6dB.

You need to calibrate your setup properly.