I'm confused

Lej1447, as I said previously if your speakers are currently set to "large", before considering any further purchases I would definitely recommend changing them to "small" then take the time to evaluate your system.

If the 8.3s are reproducing full-range sound, they may be struggling during transient spikes and dynamic movie scenes. Using the Denon's bass management to set the crossover in the 80-100Hz area would definitley help ease the workload on the 8.3s. Let the sub handle the dirty work!

If you feel you're still experiencing this same problem, then consider buying a good three-channel amp for your front speakers. As some of the previous posters have mentioned, having matching speakers AND power across the front is important for timbre matching and good panning/steering.

Try the cheap fixes first!

Large/Small: A "Large" speaker is one which receives a full range of sound, 32Hz to 20Khz basically. A "Small" speaker setting is one in which the pre amp/processor routes the low frequencies, say 80Hz and below to the subwoofer. This is a ball park guesestimate, others please correct if totally off base, but I think the vast majority of the receivers available power(75%) is used to create the low frequencies, ~80Hz and below.

With your setup I see a few problems. One, you have a subwoofer, let it do it's job with the low frequencies. Two, your receiver is simply not capable of creating these low frequencies at the volume level you desire. Also creating these frequencies from both your subwoofer and main speakers does really weird/bad things. What can happen is the two can cancel each other out. So all this hard works ends up being canceled out by the time the sound reaches your ear.

Think of it this way, your subwoofer has a built in amplifier just to these low frequencies(150watt) and your are also trying to do these plus everything else with it's built in 90 watt amplifier, 5 times over. NOTE:You subwoofer will have it's limits, I guessing these limits will be below your desires(next thread..:).

Power coordinators-I'm all for power conditioners. Given this situation I would advise you forget about this and focus on the core components. Amps/subs/speakers/processors. If the power at your wall is fairly clean, power conditioners will have a much lesser effect. How do we know if the power is clean/dirty...still have not figured this one out. Did a thread on this and was left thinking I should just call NASA. IT all comes down to trail and error with power conditioners.

If your serious about working on the power issue I strongly suggest installing/having installed a dedicated line or two. Dollar for dollar I have yet to find a tweak that improved my personal system as much. Some people can hear grass grow, I can't. I heard a big improvement when I did this one. Plus the cost can be far less than most power conditioners. Don't be afraid to try your system with out any power conditioners, you might be surprised.

Separates: I think most people can hear a large improvement. Just an opinion. Plus you can upgrade only the component(processor/amp) you desire instead of being forced to upgrade both at once. It's funny, if you look into your receiver you will see a big transformer, big heavy metal thingy plus all the other circuitry. In a stand alone amp, that is all thats in the box, and it takes up the whole box.

Outlaw: I have never heard this gear. No clue, everybody seems to give high praise here on the web about this gear. I think they have a return policy, I assume your stuck paying to ship it at least one direction if not two.

8 ohms=good for receiver.

Marty

Marty, the 80Hz LFE setting you mention IS actually quite standard. Although many processors and AVRs these days have bass management systems that allow adjustability of this frequency, 80HZ seems to be the THX standard [for whatever that's worth], heheh. My old Marantz AV550's LFE however is stuck only at 100Hz, but it works fine for me.

About five years ago when Outlaw came out with its first amp it was rumored that it was an OEM ATI AT1505 exactly like the one I own. The casing and most of the innards were nearly identical, but the price was considerably lower. Since then, and I haven't really kept close tabs, they have released AV procesors and receivers, but I can't vouch for their quality. However, they seem to offer good products at a good value.

Lej1447, as a whole I feel that getting more amp than you need is better than not having enough, and this is especially true for 5.1 encoded movies and their big bang effect tracks. I use dinky NHT mini monitors that are anywhere from five to eight years old being driven by 150 watts to each channel and have never had a problem with lack of dynamics, clipping or being overdriven. Having a lot of clean power on tap reduces the tendency of the amp going into clipping possibly like your Denon is with the AR 8.3s. Setting your speakers to small will help in this direction.

Lej1447, here is a simple experiment. Unplug the Denon receiver from the power strip, and plug it directly into the wall. See if you notice a difference in the capability of reproducing dynamic passages.

Let us know of your results.

Guys, thank you very much. I have a heading direction. Glad that I came here to seek your expertise for valuable advice.

Marty9876 and Gunbei, I will experiment with "small speaker" setting on my AVR as I dump more load onto the subwoofer.

Buscis2, I will try your suggested experiment before I toss out my Monster Powerbar and head out for a power conditioner.

Sean and Cytocycle, I love your ideas, i.e. getting a multi-channel amp, and still working on it. By experimenting the setting on gears per recommendations of other Audigon members, I will definitely have more time to wait for a good pre-owned multi-channel amp to show up. Once I have a good amp, hopefully, I can change the setting to "large speakers" on AVR in order to experience the full frequency, which the Phantom speakers offer.

I'm not confused any more!!!!!!