1) Is the HDMI issue the same for any of them (BD, STB), or is it maybe just from an HTPC? Does the power amp use a grounded power cord?
YES. IT DOES. I SWITCHED MY MC352 W/GROUNDED CORD TO ONE OF MY MC7100 NON-GROUNED CORDS - PROBLEM SOLVED.

2) When you calibrated the speakers, where did the gain trims come out? Are there any that are very low? Might seem silly, but could try shifting all of them up by 6 dB to see if that helps.
GAINS ARE CRANKED. STILL NOT VERY LOUD AT ALL AT "MAX" VOLUME. REALLY STRANGE - I'M THINKING IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE INTERFACE OF THE 975 AND MY AT&T U-VERSE BOX. MY PIONEER SC-25 RECEIVER I WAS USING FOR PROCESSING DUTIES HAD NO ISSUES. BTW, I'M USING A OPTICAL AUDIO OUTPUT (I HAVE A PROJECTOR) FROM THE AT&T BOX TO INPUT #1 ON THE 975.

Well, it is not recommended to cheat the ground in case there is an electrical problem in the amp. But it may not be easy to solve any other way.

Maybe it doesn't seem loud because of all the SHOUTING?

What surround mode are you using? Does the loudness change if you try different modes?

Do you have an SPL meter and any calibration discs, like a DVD with THX Optimizer, the AIX test BD, a Disney disc with audio setup tones? If so, would be useful to see what volume setting gives a 75 dB SPL reading.

Also, would be good if you could report all the channel gain trim settings.

You didn't happen to put the 975 in "Night" mode did you?

J Wags: Did you ever get any resolution on the low volume issue?

My 975/750 combo isn't nearly as loud as it should be, based on the system's previous performance with an Outlaw 950, then a Marantz SR5007 used as a preamp. This is on all sources, connected via HDMI.

Before speaker calibration, the maximum output setting on the 975 volume control was 0dB.

I used the 975 test tones to set the trims, which ranged from -2dB to +7dB.

The 975's volume control then only went up to -7dB before the display said Max Volume. So a 7dB increase in the trims triggered a corresponding 7dB decrease in the maximum available volume level.

I then tried to increase the overall level by bumping the trims up an additional 3dB (they max out at +10dB).

This additional 3dB increase in the trims resulted in another 3dB decrease in the maximum volume setting, which was now -10dB before hitting Max Volume.

There appears to be a hard limit to the output level (so you can't use the trims to cheat the output higher) and it's significantly below what I'm used to.

The 975 is not in night mode.

I can do more testing with the Disney WOW and DVE discs tomorrow.

So how loud was it before you set the speaker trims, when it went to "0"?

With all channel trims at 0, a -30dB setting on the 975 volume control produces a 75dB test tone from the 975.

The same -30dB volume setting produces a 60dB test tone from the Disney WoW Blu-ray. Cable box and Apple TV sources seem roughly the same.

Sounds good. About the same for me.


That's right. Those signals are recorded at -20dBFS, so to get them to 85 dB SPL (Reference Level), the volume would be set to -5. That is very loud, so I normally back it down 10-15 dB below reference.

ampeg66, are you satisfied with the volume output with your 975/750 combo with your Paradigm 11 speakers? I have a 950/750 combo with B&W CM4 speakers as mains which are slighty less efficient than your Paradigms. I have been waiting for years for this replacement for my 950 but the volume issue you have has caused me not to purchase a 975 as of now.

I should be able to do comparison testing Monday or Tuesday between the 975 and the Marantz. Just got busy and haven't had a chance yet.

Based on this thread and opening a ticket with Outlaw, it appears the 975 is functioning as it should.

For reference, the efficiency on the Monitor 11 is 94dB room/91dB anechoic.

Output from the 975 with my Blu-ray player and Apple TV is fine. Definitely enough for movies, and maxes out around 98-100dB average output level when I need to crank up some music. I don’t listen that loud for hours on end, but I’m a bass player, and sometimes you just gotta have that thump. :-)

My problem is that with the cable box/DVR - my primary daily viewing source - the system maxes out at 77dB average at the listening position (12 feet from mains in a 13’ x 21’ room).

It’s most bothersome when watching concerts. Soundgarden, Rush, Foo Fighters, Austin City Limits...it’s just not an involving experience at that volume. I tested several recordings from different channels, and I tried both HDMI and coax with the same results.

So the DVR volume isn't really workable for concert viewing, it’s OK for casual tv/movie viewing, and it doesn’t quite get there for critical movie viewing. (To be fair, I don’t do much critical movie viewing on cable, but I DO watch a lot of concerts.)

By comparison, with the DVR source, the 950 produces a 90dB level with a 0dB volume setting, with an additional 10dB of gain still available.

And the Marantz SR5007 produces an 80dB level with a 0dB volume setting, with an additional 18dB of gain still available.

So my issue seems to be that my two previous processors either offer more gain to start with, or offer enough boost to compensate for the lower source level coming from the DVR, while the 975 doesn’t provide a way to get the output level up where it needs to be.

I have to weigh that against my issues with the 5007: It’s a big waste of space, it runs VERY warm even though I’m just using it as a preamp, and it’s got a random black crush video problem that I can’t track down. I've been waiting through the 978/998/997 development as well, so I REALLY want the 975 to work for me...

Depending on your sources, the 975 could work great in your system. I’m not seeing anyone else having any volume issues. With Outlaw’s return policy, it’s probably at least worth a try for you.