About that Auto Set-up with the mic. I rearranged some things and ran the auto calibrate again. The distances after auto detection are not the actual distances in a few cases. I measured each distance and set accordingly, then tweaked distances while watching all three Lord of Rings.

I think if the distance is decreased the speaker fires later to give the perception of a larger room/space. I also noticed if the sub’s distance increased, the sub fires earlier and gives the perception of quick and agile base. My center channel speaker is above the TV. In order to get the sound to emit from center screen, messing with the distance can steer the sound up and down – that’s interesting. I think this is due to interaction with the mains which are mostly below the TV screen. I set the center to the exact distance and then +/- a foot or two and found it – the spot where the center sounded similar to the mains tonally. They are different brands of speaker and the center has always been bright and edgy. Then I modified the volume of the center and I finally have a uniform front. Stuff moves from left center right and it’s smooth! Not possible with my old preamp. The distance setting ability makes it for me. The share center with mains helps too; I have it on 2. Wow, the 990 is sweet. Still quirky though, ie: where’s the Fwd through preset FM channels button?

With night mode off – it’s insane! My sub shows it’s the weakest link with night mode off (unrestricted dynamics and killer base). I’ve answered the door twice in the last week to find it must have been the stereo. I don’t mind.