The **OFFICIAL** Denon AVR-XX12 Model Owner's Thread - Page 97

the actual volume limit is +18, but this can be lowered if there is positive gain elsewhere in the chain (e.g. if your source level is set to +5, then +13 will be the max).

after you calibrate with Audyssey, the volume of "0" should correspond to "reference" for movie soundtracks. That means watching a Blu-ray or DVD (with Dynamic Volume and any other compression turned off) you will hear the same SPL in your room as you would in a movie theater when the volume is at "0".

for a variety of reasons, most rooms cannot handle full "reference" volume, so typical volume for a loud "movie night" viewing would be -10 to -20 or so (10 to 20 dB below reference). Some people go higher, some lower, depending.

with other sources it's more dicey because there is no specified reference. Music is often "hotter" and more compressed so -10 would probably shake the room, -20 to -30 might be more reasonable for loud music. With cable TV content you might find you are a bit lower also, but it depends on the channel.

there are other factors, e.g. if you are using Dynamic Volume, if you use "source level" to balance input volumes, etc. But, as a general rule, anywhere from -40 up to 0 (reference) is "normal".

because it's not just balancing them RELATIVELY, it's calibrating your volume dial, setting them at a specific ABSOLUTE level such that 0 on the volume dial corresponds precisely to film reference (75dB on the internal test tones). Because your speakers are very sensitive (93dB) they need to be trimmed down to play at the correct volume.

turning up the trims by 3dB won't do anything but change the number you see on the volume display.