I'm new to this forum, and hoping someone here can help. I've read through the posts on the 3805, and not finding anyone with a similar problem. I hooked up a new 3805 last weekend, and was shocked at the poor audio quality from the first moment I turned it on. I've got one specific problem, and one more general one, which I'll describe.
background: I'd had a Denon AVR-2500 for almost 10 years; I believe it was the last Pro-Logic receiver they released in the $1000 range before coming out with 5.1. I read all the rave reviews of the 3805, and since I'd liked my previous Denon so much, the 3805 seemed a no-brainer. I'm using B&W Matrix 803 front speakers, with matching B&W center and 2 small rear speakers. Velodyne 16" powered sub. Dish 721 PVR and Sony RDR-GX300 DVD-R.
the one specific problem: the sub is almost non-existent. In setup, I selected large fronts and LFE, and auto-EQ set the sub to -5.0dB. And no matter what source I use, the sub is just barely there. With the old Denon, if I set volume about halfway, it would shake the walls (I had my old Denon wired to the sub using the pre-out/main-in; I guess that kind of hookup doesn't exist anymore...). Now with the 3805 you can't even tell there's a sub in the system, even if I turn the sub volume up to 7 or 8 on the sub's volume control. I've tried cranking it up all the way to the max output on the Denon (~+12.0dB?), and still barely any bass. I had the sub's crossover set to max when I ran auto-EQ on the Denon. Any thoughts?
the overall problem: the sound quality is just a huge drop from what I was getting on the old Denon. I'd thought moving from 10-year old Pro-Logic to the latest DD/DTS would be a huge upgrade, but the output from the 3805 sounds brassy and tinny, with no depth to it at all. It's like the whole mid-range is non-existent. Music CDs which used to sound great now sound empty and lifeless. There's somewhat of a "listening inside a tin can" effect as well.
I've rerun setup with the Denon mic a few times, and tried playing around with the large/small speaker settings, the LFE setting, and adjusting individual speaker levels, and can improve things somewhat, but not much. Am I missing something, or is it possible I just got a dud receiver? The dealer tells me I must just be used to listening to PL for so long, that it's going to take me awhile to get used to digital sound...
any help is appreciated...