speaker efficiencey?? Starting point...? 92db??

I would say that the relative levels of the individual channels and how closely they match one another has absolutely nothing to do with the system's ability to provide flat frequency response. That would be a whole different topic and to measure it you'd need test tones recorded at identical volume throughout the audible frequency range, and an SPL meter to chart the results.

Most combinations of rooms and speakers virtually guarantee that the frequency response arriving at your ears will deviate quite a bit from "flat." Then again, if it actually measured flat (nearly impossible without EQ) it would sound way too bright to those with normal high-frequency hearing ability.

A gradual rolloff in the lower high frequencies (probably with some degree of boost in the upper highs) sounds "natural" to most people. And that's a whole different topic unto itself, as well. :)

Plato is right.We may be onverge where even HT recievers have room correction to flatenntheings out buit that is now perveiw of #,600 DEQX (great pre/pro),$10K TACT.Some speakers like Infinity have RABOS to take out upper bass "hump" and produce flatter response.But this strays from the question path.
92 db may mean in say 12x14 room you could get into esoteric SET (single ended triode)amps that put out 6 watts as long as you didn't want to blow walls down.But this is another application that you are not into.This efficincy means you will be happy with your 75 watts while another person with 87db speakers would crave more current.As far as what audiokenisis and Matrix were saying I have also heard room of thumb is that-every increase of 3db is like doubling power.But as Laryken points out this is speakers that are 92db with an easy load.I sold B&W for a time and even though 803Nautilus was rated at 90db effcinecy 100 quality watts (an amp stable to say 2 or 1.5 ohms).I thought 200 watts was what folks needed and if in a big room maybe 300 wats so they got CURRENT whose amps may be important than wats.The reason for this even though the speaker was rated at 90db (should be easy to drive right?) it had a nasty impedance dip down into that 2ohm or so range.I do not think that the current delivery from 75 yamaha Watts is at all close to beter made (read more expensive amp) from another company.Even when selling HT I noticed that Harmon Kardon might be rated 65 watts but was louder than a 100 watt reciver (stereo or HT ) from another mid fi brand.Not knocking Yamaha at all they introduced a lot of HT invotaions in HT reciver market and are a good choice at the asking price (which can go to $3K for a top of the line unit),But don't expect it to run like a Krell set up or any other with 200 rms and high curent delivery all around.In sum I don't think if you hear it breaking up where it shoudn't (don't expect the reciver to not distort say the cannon fire in "Last Of The Mohicans".Almost all gear will.Be reasonable).The thing is in Hifi one spec is realtive to another.Things in 70's got so bad the goverment imposed certain standards because companies were coming out with "1000 watt" audio and car gear that would play no louder than one that rated for 60 watts that kept it's ratings to an industry norm and folks complained to FTC.An easy to see example of this is speaker measurement.Measuring speaker you get much better idea on paper of what you will hear if spec is for say low freqency say 60 Hrz. is Plus or minus 2db not plus or minus 6db.Both might be "true" but you'd much rather the bass within the 2 db measurement.The goverment standards were just to keep things from getting into total BS/deceptive advertising but as wuith my comparrison of HK verus Yamaha I sold the goverment standards did not ame evryuthing "absolute" just from getting out of hand.Still you can find those 1000 watt monster amps at Costco for $89.99 so againn by empahsizing one spec while deviating from accepted norm still happens.Not sure why your meter readings trouble you(or if they do) is importanty to you as to paraphrase Duke Ellington "if it sounds good it is good"
Chazzbo

Ah, um, I think i was less confused when i initiated the thread. Maybe my question was incorrectly phrased do to my ignorance. Basically, since being on the gon I have learned that your "system" is only going to sound as good as your equiptment and "set up"(bass mgt, speaker distance, etc, etc.) is. I know my Yamaha, Adcom, Def tech system is, well, some sort of "fi", call it what you will, and i am not even sure i will get any benefit out of mapping out the frequency response from my speakers. I just figured it couldnt hurt. I guess i may be confusing the terms themselves at this point.

As per the manual on my Yamaha i set the main volume to 0db and sent test tones to each speaker. Now, the Yamaha does have this Ypao(mic that you put in your main listening position and it calibrates speaker distance, level, "small/large", eq, etc. I have done the set up numerous times and after each set up i always find that the overall sound can best be described as sort of "meak". I have to turn the volume up much further. When i manually check the speaker settings the fronts and center are set from (1db)left to 0 center and .5db right. Usually i end up setting them to 4 db, 3db and 3.5 respectively to get some more "oomph". This is why i puchased an spl to compare what the YPAO settings were to a handheld spl. NOW, i am clueless!! When i manually adjust the speaker levels am i screwing up the soundstaging, etc.?

Is there a site for maybe "midfigon for newbies".
Audiokinesis, dude what are heck are ANECHOIC CONDITIONS anyways, better yet maybe i dont want to know. I am just looking for inexpensive tweaks here and there to get the maximum out of the equiptment i have well basically because, well how my wife phrased it " this stuff needs to last you for the rest of your natural born days". I think that means she wont even let me by a dictionary to look up anechoic.

Don't worry about getting "flat" in-room response. This is what makes audiophiles wear tinfoil hats and wait for "them" to come.

The numbers in the on-screen display of your Yamaha are relative volume levels. THe numbers themselves mean nothing. Your turning them all up about equaly simply means that you don't have to turn the main volume up as high to acheive the same volume level. The ideal is to simply have all of your speakers playing at the same volume level when you run the receivers test tone. That way when you are listening to multi channel recordings you hear the whiz-bang effects at the volume level the recording engenier intended.

The SPL meter will get you close to the right relative volume levels. From there close your eyes and adjust according to what YOU hear. If your rear right speaker sounds muted turn it up. You will be listening to the sound coming from your speakrs... not your SPL meter.

Good luck!

Dziogn,

Sorry didn't realize I was making things more confusing. "Anechoic" means "without echo", and in this context refers to measuring only the direct sound coming straight from the speaker to the microphone, without any reflected sound reaching the microphone and being included in the measurement. Don't worry - it's not on the final exam, but that is the condition normally used when a loudspeaker's efficiency is measured.

I have no familiarity with the Yamaha YPAO system, so can't comment on it.

Can you turn your system up so that it no longer sounds "meek", but sounds right to you? If so, then you're in good shape. If not, is it because you're running out of volume control adjustment range, or is it because the sound starts to distort?

As far as soundstaging goes, so long as you have your speakers at the correct loudness relative to one another your soundstaging should be fine.

I suspect that the slight imbalance in perceived loudness that causes you to set the levels differently for your front 3 channels is related to room acoustics. The ears don't perceive loudness exactly the same way that an SPL meter measures SPL (let me know if you want more details on this phenomenon). Since ultimately it's your ears that you listen through, I'd say give them the final say as you fine-tune the relative channel levels. You're doing great if you can tell that one channel is .5 dB too loud or too soft!

Duke