Crustyloafer said:
Make sure you have the levels set correctly on the DV27A, including the bass management.
Yes, and this is a tricky business. Somebody at Arcam -- I think it was Andy Dutton -- said that the correct place to set levels is via the AVR300. When you use the multichannel analog outputs from the 27A into the AVR300, you kill the AVR300's DSP but not the analog level settings, so the most correct procedure is...
On the AVR300:
1 - Set your speaker levels normally.
2 - Set the DVD-A sub option to +10db.
On the 27A:
1 - Start by setting the sub's config to match the AVR300 as closely as possible -- i.e., if you have speakers set to Small and sub to Crossover on the AVR300, set them the same way on the 27A as well. Also be sure to use the same crossover frequency.
2 - Set all the 27A levels to 0db, or flat. As noted above, the AVR300's analog trim settings will still apply so you don't need to set them here (yet).
3 - Set the 27A delays to match the AVR300 as closely as possible. (No option for the sub and no option for different L/R delays...)
Once you've done all this, you may well find that you still need to tweak the bass levels on the 27A to get it to approximate the AVR300. I used the onboard test tones on the AVR300 to set the initial levels as noted above and then I fine-tuned the 27 with a test DVD. In my case, the bass is way out of line no matter which way you set the DVD-A 10db boost on the AVR300...and the 27A's test tones don't work properly.
Hope this helps.
Now for some commentary: this is easily the most confusing and least useful audio device pairing I've ever dealt with; it's really too bad that the 27A wasn't updated to make it play well with the AVR300 since these are both great pieces. (That said, once you get it set up it's pretty great.)
Off-topic, but I want to add that it's also unfortunate that Arcam went with a single crossover frequency. I have mains and a center with good bass extension (Thiel), but my surrounds (Linn) have considerably less range. If I set the crossover high enough for the surrounds, I cheat the Thiels and I can locate the sub; if I set it low enough for the Thiels, I lose surround information. Bummer.