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I was also planning on running stereo subs and was planning on taking care of all bass management via an ICBM (which I would put between the 950 and the 7100). In the set-up I'm looking at, the front left and right speakers would be full range, so I really don't want to have the low frequently information for the front speakers summed and directed to the LFE channel. Nor do I want the low frequeny information in the surround channels summed, since the plan was to have the ICBM direct the low frequency info on the left surrounds to the left subwoofer and the low frequency info on the right surrounds to the right subwoofer. Obviously, this is only a problem if you're using a DVD-Audio or Multichannel SACD player via the 5.1 input, but that's exactly what I was planning to do.

I suppose that one solution would be to bypass the 950 entirely and connect the DVD-Audio/Multichannel SACD player directly to a 5.1 switcher, and then connect the outputs of the 950 to the switcher as well, and then connect the switcher to the ICBM. But then we're dealing with (1) an awful lot of cables and (2) two devices inserted between the 950 and the amp, resulting in god knows how much degradation of the audio signal. Maybe someday we'll get an ICBM2, with two sets of 5.1 inputs.

Personally, I still don't understand why the Outlaws bothered to incorporate flawed analog bass management into the 950. It would have made far more sense not to have messed with the 5.1 input, and then those people who needed bass management for their DVD-A/SACD player could simply buy the ICBM.