Did you run the Audssey setup in your room?
Try turning Audssey off and see if you like it better. I can't tell you exactly how to do that since all my stuff is packed away at the moment (long story :() and it's newer so who knows.... And I agree, this thing is really old. It probably has...
For sale: SVS PC-2000 sub. Purchased in 2014 and used a few times a month until last year when I had break up my home theater :(
Asking $475. Local pickup only (Harrisburg PA area).
I think it is somewhere in between. The ability to measure your system is great but what are you going to do with that information? Next you're spending even more to get the sound just a little better (or worse depending on your perspective).
I used mine strictly for speaker placement and...
The MiniDSP UMIC-1 plugs directly into your computer. It is calibrated at the factory and comes with a profile you can load into your software. Without the calibration you have no idea if what the mic thinks it hears is accurate.
There are a few software packages you can use. There's a free...
Instead of buying 'a better player' why not invest in a couple decent bookshelf speakers. The sound will be better and you won't have to manipulate things so much to get sound out of the TV speakers.
FYI - The 8 positions should all be close to the primary listening position (and your first mic location). They shouldn't be more than a foot or 2 apart.
Receivers tend to have gimachs like 'sound restorer' or some other silly name that usually just makes things louder. It is not possible to make it sound a whole lot better since there's so much missing from the source (compression often means dropping things to make it smaller - things like...