Sluggy,

1. If this is about the same for all sources, then, yes, that's what you should expect. As long as you can get the volume you want, then there's no problem. It just means you have a wider volume range (higher resolution, so to speak). If you got blasted at a low setting, you would have difficulty adjusting for just the right volume.

2. You need to sit down with your owner's manual and read over the bass management information more carefully.

Larry
www.fineelectricco.com