The strange part is that the rear speakers "come to life" and have good clarity/punch when I swap the Amp-side RCA's Front to rear & Rear to front. Also, the front speakers have the same problem that the rears had when this is done. I tried doing this again, but this time at the Z1's end. I got the same results. My installer looked at it, and he can't figure it out either. He thinks it's a problem with how the Z1 is processing the rear channel.
When I turn off "staging", the rear speakers clear up a lot. Studio and Dynamic are by far the worst (rears sound the most muffled--sounds like it's getting too much bass and no highs).
Setting info:
-Arc 4x50 amp 4 ohm
-Arc 6.5 component (KAR 265)
-Arc 6X9 3-way (KAR 6932)
-Monster 4ch RCA - Sorry no model# (Red, 16FT, $80)
-Adjustment for rear speakers is set to full.
-Dynamic theater mode (non 5.1 & it happens in any of these modes except living room).
-"Powerful" sound option
-Loudness "On/High"
-HPF "Off"
Arc Audio KAR 400.4 Specs
Price & Contact: $699; 209-543-8706; http://www.arcaudio.com
Test Voltage: 14.4Vdc
Test Results
Measured output power (At 14.4 Vdc less than 1% THD+Noise): 70.2 x 4 into 4 ohms, 124.2 x 4 into 2 ohms, 248.5 x 2 into 4 ohms bridged.
Measured Current Draw (At Max Power): 27.8 amps into 4 ohms stereo, 47.7 amps into 2-ohms stereo and 4 ohms bridged
Measure Amplifier Efficiency (At Max Power): 70% amps into 4 ohms stereo, 72% amps into 2 ohms stereo and 4 ohms bridged
Measure 1/3 Amplifier Efficiency: 32%
Signal-to-noise dBA (Reference 1 watt): 92 dBA
Rated OutOutput power: 50 watts x 4 @ 4 ohms, 90 watts x 4 @ 2 ohms, and 180 watts x 2 4 ohms bridged
Transient distortion: less than 0.1% @ 4 ohms
Frequency response: 20 Hz-20 KHz
S/N ratio(A wtg): greater than 95 dB
Bass boost: + 18 dB @45 Hz
Input sensitivity: 250 mV - 2.5 V
Crossover: 55 Hz-5.5 KHz variable 12 dB
Fuse: 40A x1
Dimensions: 13 inches x 8.5 inches x 2.5 inches
Maybe it's just a setting issue that I've overlooked. I would appreciate any advice/ideas that may solve my problem. Can anyone tell me if what I am experiencing with the staging effects is normal? Thanks.