Thanks. I did not realize the information was still passed via analog.

Maybe I am not, well not maybe, understanding how this works. Is the "analog" output really analog, or is it digital over analog cables kind of like the coax output you can use in place of the optical?

When I saw analog I was thinking 2 channel stereo signals waveform versus a digital stream of data.

What I getting is that the multichannel outs are really just like the SPIDF style out but with each port only having 1 portion of the track.

I know this is how SACD/DVD-A work, does DTS/DD work the same?

My 2500 has quite a few options only a few of which I am now starting to understand because of waht I've read on the ICBM. I plan on sitting down and playing around with it today.

I did not care for any of the DSP modes on my 2500 and was just using STRAIGHT since it seemed to produce the best sound but maybe that is also causing me to run into the same bass problems. Every mode seemed to offer something better than the others.

Answering this question would help. Are these DSP/Decoders independant of each other? If I have it set on STRAIGHT it comes up either Dobly Digital or DTS deppending on what I am playing.

If I set it on one of the other modes I can pick Pro Logic II/IIx, Neo6, and regular Pro Logic. Do those settings superdede DD and DTS or do they apply their own rules to the DD/DTS track?

Last one...if I have it set to straight there is no bass management in the reciever, correct?

If I am not losing anything as far as straight data is concerned using the multichannel outputs then it would see, like it would be the way to go with the ICBM if it just were for simplicities sake. I just answered part of my own question here...if I use multichannel then the DVD player is doing the decoding and if I'm using optical then the receiver is doing the decoding. To make things clearer in my mind you could put in a DTS disc, hit play, hook up an amp to the multichannel, then the speakers to the amp and get DTS/DD sound without every using a reciever, correct? I know you would not want to do it but I'm just trying to think it through. Basically the data coming out of the multichannel in the back of my DVD player regardless of format(DD/DTS) would be the exact same data that would come out of the L&R/C/SR&SL/Sub out of the back of my reciever, its just being passed through the reciever with no additional processing, right?

So in this case the ICBM becomes a post processor in all cases with my setup. I have to think of the reciever as just an amp at that point in time,nothing else.

Thank you very much for your time in explaining all of this. I prefer to know the technicals of things and even at the better A/V stores don't know how things like this work.

Once I understand how the data is passed, what each mode does, and what data maybe passed via SPIDF/Optical/MultiChannel then I'll be able to setup things alot better. I've already got an email into Defintive asking for the ranges of the speakers I have. I know there is printed info but just the same I am sure there is the printed info and then there is the real sweet spot for each speaker.