If you have the 950s main volume control at "00" when you set main and surrounds to 75db on the RadioShack sound level meter (weighting to "C" and averaging to "slow"), then you have calibrated it so that the film _should_ play back at the same level as it did when it was mixed. Contrary to popular practice, I just set my sub by ear for what I consider to my liking.

HOWEVER - calibrating your speaker levels to 75db is not gospel!

If you consider the volume level to be inadequate with the recommended setup, do the same calibration but do it _either_ with the main volume control at minus 10db (-10) _or_ adjust for a sound level of 85db verses 75db. Either way will give you 10db more volume. Ideally your power amps will have input level controls. If this is the case, set all the trims in the 950 to "0" and adjust for 75 or 85db by the level controls on your power amps. If your power amps do not have input level controls, use the trims in the 950 to set the level. If you do it by raising the trims in the 950, just be aware that that increases the hiss somewhat from the 950.

Since the advent of Home Theatre, no preamp/processors that I am aware of will drive the power amps into clipping (calibrated for reference level) unless they are of pretty low wattage and/or your speakers are very inefficient. There is nothing wrong with this, and you're not missing out on anything, it's just that the manufacturers consider that most people would never play a movie at more than 10db or so louder than the 'reference' level. Personally, I do play some movies at near max level if I really want to shake the house. Some CDs are recorded at a lower level (especially classical and some jazz) and the range of the main volume control of the 950 is not adequate. I bypass the 950 in that case to a stereo preamp I have in-line with my main left and right front speakers.

[This message has been edited by soundhound (edited October 18, 2002).]