The modern AVR that we are using are in fact a sound processing unit.
When Dirac Live is engaged, some strange side effects similar to the one's observed by a sound engineer could occur.
Here is an example of sibilance on an audio track and its correction:
We can see a little before and after 3khz a complex filter is applied.
Let us go back to an AVR:
1) My old Yamaha had a processing that was already attenuating the high frequencies by lack of performance.
Adding a manual PEQ filter I was able to fix the sibilance from one of my speakers.
2) New Onkyo RZ30.
As soon as it was powered on, I immediately eared the awful sound in the high frequencies.
I tried many adjustments but nothing is really completely removing the sibilance.
Switching Dirac Live on did not solved the issue and the manual EQ is not active with Dirac.
Anyway the manual EQ is not a PEQ.
May be I can force Dirac Live to apply a filter against the sibilance, but I am not sure that it is possible.
So clearly the propensity of an amplifier to enhance an already existing sibilance (or even to create it as a side effect of its DSP treatement) is not detected by the current measurements applied during the standard audio product tests . We can ear it, but not measure it, for now.