The **OFFICIAL** Denon AVR-XX13 Model Owner's Thread & FAQ - Page 163

Please note that the "fixed volume" component only applies to the pre-outs; if you are only running a 5.1 setup and reassigning the two surr.back amps to power zone 2, then you can control the volume internally with the receiver. This is exactly how I have my 2113 setup, powering two speakers in the back yard with the surr.back amps and a 5.1 setup in main zone.

If you use the pre-outs, the volume control will either be supplied by the external amp itself, or by some other in-line volume control. Many dedicated 2ch amps don't have volume controls themselves, but if you wanted to go this route you could just an old stereo receiver and control the volume via the second receiver. Or you could feed Zone 2 pre-outs to an amp, and then run the speaker wire to the speakers, with some sort of wall-mounted volume control dial in-line between the amps and the speakers.

Thanks for the kind words

Can't speak for JD, but yes I do have a day job, a wife, a small child (18 month old daughter). The addition of the baby has definitely diminished my overall participation level... 2-3 years ago I was even more active. JD at this point seems to be much more active on this forum than me. There are a lot of things I want to do with my website but I just don't have the time and inclination during my off hours because family time is more important.

Ironically, the fact that I have a job is actually the reason I am as active as I am! Like many, I am stuck at a desk working on a computer most of the day, and thus the bulk of my internet surfing is done while at work. I always have a browser open in the background with things like email, facebook, AVS, etc. open in different tabs. So I frequently will take breaks and refresh my subscriptions page, and if there are new posts I can read through them and respond when needed. Honestly, it doesn't take *that* long to bang out some responses to basic questions. When I'm not at work, I'm often checking on iPhone or iPad, so I will usually only respond if I can provide an answer quickly enough to make typing on that little virtual keyboard palatable, and then respond to more involved questions later at a time when I have access to a real keyboard (typically the next morning at work).

So, following on that, my most active times are during "business hours", and I rarely check in during the evenings and especially weekends, when I am typically hanging out with the wife and kid.

As to how I do it... I honestly enjoy it. I'm the type that becomes obsessed with my hobbies, so I spend a lot of my internet time on forums related to that. With HT, it's AVS. And I'm sort of naturally a teacher at heart, so I like explaining things to people and trying to frame it in ways that they can understand.

As to the final question... no, I don't really get mad at any posters. At least not sincere ones who are looking for help. There's no shame in not knowing something; modern A/V is a complicated subject area, and lack of knowledge isn't synonymous with stupidity or lack of effort. Lord knows there are subject areas where if I tried to wade in, I would be asking a bunch of silly basic questions as well. The only time I get annoyed is when somebody gets rude (e.g. when people bump their post after 45 minutes and act indignant about the fact that they haven't received an immediate response) or in the face of willful ignorance.

The distance component isn't a problem -- it's perfectly normal for a subwoofer to "measure long". What Audyssey (or any other calibration system) is measuring is actually delay, not distance. It's represented as distance because "7 feet" is easier to understand than 700 milliseconds or whatever, but the point of the process is to "time align" the system so that all the sounds from each speaker reach your ears at the same time.

Because subwoofers (unlike passive speakers) have internal circuitry like low pass filters, gain controls, phase adjustment, etc. there is a slight delay and thus the "distance" acoustically may be measured as longer than the literal physical distance.

Now the level part..... that's a problem. It's a bit shocking that you are still getting -12dB even at the minimal subwoofer level! Do you have access to an SPL meter? It may be helpful to have some sort of external measurement to spot check what's happening.

If the 4311ci is in your budget then that's what I would suggest. It's packed with features, rock solid reliable, and a proven performer. I wouldn't worry about the fact that the amps are built in -- there are some pre/pros out there with XT32 but they are typically even more expensive than the receivers. The 4311ci is a real bargain if you can get it for $1.3k or less.

if the chassis of the unit itself is clean and undented, I wouldn't worry about some warping in those "extra" panels. Nobody really knows why or when they started being added, but as Selden notes we speculate it's just some additional shielding for hot areas.