I am in the process of setting up and testing the 950/7100.

First thoughts (and I am doing my best to avoid "groupthink") is that is does sound very good. Turning up the volume is interesting - it "feels" rather than sounds loud...i.e. no distortion, just gets loud without any effort. Hard to describe in words. I am using Orb Audio speakers plus a sub in a 5.1 set up. No issues with the sound being too "bright" either. FYI - I kept the xover at 120 .

So a few questions, and I apologize if they sound simplistic...

1) I used a Radio Shack SPL meter to calibrate the speakers. In order to set them at 75db as specified in the manual, I had to adjust them to as low as -8dB. The sub-woofer was adjusted to -15dB. Does this make sense? It seems a bit low and I have to turn the volume up a lot more than my Denon to get to the same level. This is not a big issue...just want to make sure I am not doing something wrong.

2) Stacking - I have the 950 on top of the 7100, but the rear and sides of the rack are open allowing for airflow. The 7100 gets a little warm but I was curious if this is ok to do. Right now side-by-side would take a lot of rearranging.

So these are initial thoughts. Any other suggestions on how I can test this unit out...i.e. see what works well (or not)?

Thanks,

Mukund

In regard to your questions:

You could calibrate at 85db instead of 75db. Your settings may end up at about +2db for the speakers and -5db for you sub, closer the center of the adjustment range. This causes no harm. You would just realize that the ‘reference level’ playback on your 950 would happen at a master volume setting of -10db instead of 0db. This is no great loss since various sources provide playback signal levels that are not entirely consistent from source to source anyway, making the pursuit of ‘reference level’ playback a never-ending task. I don’t bother with reference level playback myself. After all, the ‘correct’ overall level is what sounds best for the source and circumstances at the time you are listening.

Regarding stacking, by ‘on top of,’ do you mean directly on top or with two or more inches in between and air intake room as well from below the amp? If I were stacking, I would put the amp above the 950 with at least two inches freely open in between and nothing above the amp for at least six inches. A warm solid-state amp is nothing to be concerned about. If it is regularly getting almost too hot to touch anywhere on the upper vent area of the amp, it would be best to consider a different arrangement for better ventilation.

And yes, the ample availability of more volume without noticeable distortion is something that still puts a smile on my face. I didn’t know what I was missing until I went Outlaw! Enjoy!

1) So with the volume set to 0dB, calibrating with the test tones forces you to crank everything down a great deal? It's a little unusual, but not necessarily a sign of anything wrong. Keep in mind that you are not restricted solely to the 75dB calibration point - if you wanted to, you could set the volume to -5dB and calibrate to 75dB (which would raise all of your trims about 5dB). The big goal is consistency.

2) In general I strongly recommend keeping the space above an amplifier unobstructed. The top of the 7100 is covered in vents for a reason - that's where the air passing across the heat sinks wants to go. If you don't have a separate shelf above the 7100 to set the 950 on, I would suggest adding an inch and a half or two inches of spacers (wood blocks roughly the same size as the 950's feet would suffice) between the two.

As for testing it out, I'd suggest grabbing a few of your favorite CD's and DVD's and giving them a spin, see what you think of the way they sound with all your new gear.

I used 75 as suggested in the manual though will try with 85 to see if there is a big difference.

By stacking, I mean "directly on top" with no spacers. It isn't too hot right now...more warm than hot.

I hadn't thought of spacers. I need to make sure it looks nice since this is in our living room. I was thinking of using squash/racketballs cut in half, though I am not sure they would take the weight. Any suggestions other than wood blocks?

Thanks for the suggestions. I haven't done any serious listening yet, though initial trials with a few CD's and one DVD have been very positive.

I don't think the raquetballs would work out too well and you might get a funny rubber smell. When the 7100 gets going for a while it gets pretty warm. I have about 6 inches of free space on top of it and about 2 inches over the 950 with separate shelves.

I should really look at older threads...most of these questions have been addressed. Thanks for answering these questions for the nth time!