OK, I did a re-cal and did all six positions. The problem is that after I was finished I checked levels with my meter and most of them were different?? Only the two back surrounds were at 75db. All the rest were different by up to 8db. Anyone have this happen to them? I will redo the test but it seemed to go thru the tests fine.
I honestly can't remember what differences I have received with the few/several cals I have done, but yes there can be significant level differences depending on mic placement and varying distances. Surrounds are usually a lot closer to the listener.
I think* I remember that Audyssey set my sub about 13.5 db lower than most/all of the speakers. I added shelving down low with my Crown using bandmanager.
Believe it or not, your Audyssey mic will be more accurate than a RS meter, particularly for the bass, so far as I know.
However, most of us still tinker with the calibration after it's done. You can readjust trims however you want.
I can't exactly recall the distance issue with the Danley, since it's a horn, and I think there isn't enough leeway for some people to get that right. I think mine came out fine enough, but it surprised someone or other. Maybe something is going on, or a phase thingy or something.
Otherwise, Audyssey is accurate. It will nail your distance within a smaller margin that 0.1 ft I believe it was (but Chris won't reveal the exact number). The reason some neophytes think Audyssey is so off is because they don't realize that distance measurement has to account for electrical distance, besides physical distance; things like filters, DSP, etc, built into the subs themselves.