Wow,
Sad.
Ok, some of your disagree w/ me. Fine..., but then you neglect to actually explain how I'm wrong -making your opinions baseless and flaming. You can do better than that can't you?
bstan. You made just enough effort to post a generalized insult as to the quality of ALL my previous posts? Low. Very low. And quite without a leg (or fact based point) to stand on.

Here's the plain and simple version of my two main points.
"There's a TON of variables involved in level matching your surround system w/ an SPL meter, and NO consensus as to exactly how to do it."
and
"Beyond this, there's many other huge factors that more than counter any sincere efforts to calibrate you system w/ an SPL meter".

Many of the variables I posted have already been posted in this thread by others. By people who are very much in favor of SLP meter calibration, yet don't see these variables as any kind of a flaw in the process actually being accurate.

Like I said -I'd LIKE to be in favor of SPL calib. myself.
I've got a rat shack 5 min. away, and enough money for the meter any day of the week. I've thought for years about getting one because of all the recommendations.

Sadly, all these MANY variables that keep cropping up (and seemingly ignored by everyone as irrelevant) make the 'calibration method' highly flawed, or at best of little sonic value even if it were perfect. -unless your ears are just awful and your own judgement of the test tone's volume is way way off.
Someone could have mentioned this in a point against me.
I concede to this being possible though, so -'too late'.

Here's one more variable (and please go back and read all the others I posted if you want to debate this with me, and leave the personal insults OUT of it. You should be able to do that.)

Do you all calibrate w/ the meter dead center in the prime sweet spot? Great, but unless you all watch movies alone, or you insist on always sitting in that 'sweet spot' you just threw off your calibration in yet another way by sitting even slightly off to one side -(and screwed up your distance settings or digital room correction systems too which are diff. issues, but in the exact same vein).

And not to change the subject but as for you who think all amps bascially sound the same. You're just flat out wrong, and none of you should then own amps that are anything but the cheapest available, or you'd pointlessly be wasting money.

My new eARTwo digital amp was instantly FAR FAR better than my previous and long broken in Audiosource digital AMP7 -in every way. My wife and I were both shocked at the difference. It's incredible how much better my 950 sounds through it. And the 950 certainly not the best sounding front end in the world -great as it it.

And compared to my amp before that, my AMP7 had a much tighter/faster low end, slightly more recessed midrange, and faster, more transparent yet slightly less smooth highs. This is at at any point in normal volume range so don't fool yourself that level matching played any part in the issue either.