Hi. I'm hoping one of you Outlaws can help me with an issue specific to the bass management of the new Denon DVD-2900 & 2200. Specifically, they both do bass management in the digital domain. And they do it well. For the most part. Problem is that SACD & DVD-A both have different optimum LFE settings. I wonder if even with the excellent digital BM of the Denons, would an ICBM work better?

To answer this I realize you'd have to know the ideosyncracies of the Denons, but I wonder if running setting all speakers to "LARGE" and sub to "YES" and running that into the ICBM and using it to turn on my speakers to small and feed my pair of Hsu TN-1220's would work better?

Anyone that has had to resort to this, please chime in. And anyone who's found a good solution using the onboard digital b/m, please let me know that, too.

The ICBM is such a screaming bargain that I want to get on anyway (too good and too versatile X-over to not have one socked away), but I'm curious what you guys think.

>Problem is that SACD & DVD-A both have different optimum LFE settings.<

I am not sure I understand the premise. Why would they be different?

I would agree that recordings can differ in terms of how they use/don't use the LFE channel, but I don't know that the formats should be different.

I run a Pio 45A into an ICBM, and find that some titles want more bass, some less, but its not a format issue, its a title issue.

In any event, the ICBM does offer a sub channel trim knob (the combined redirected bass and the LFE channel) AND a LFE attenuation knob.

I suppose you could use those to match whatever you feel is optimum for the format.

BGL

[This message has been edited by BrianL (edited October 20, 2003).]

Hi Brian. The technical specs for LFE are different for the 2 formats. I don't know why this decision was made; perhaps just out of spite. It doesn't make a lick of sense, but perhaps it stems from the fact that each formats maker wants theirs to be the only one to succeed.

I've pretty much got the bass dialed in now. The bass management of the Denon is superb, and very complete.

I still may get an ICBM down the road; the Denon works perfectly, but the preamp I'd like to buy has no b/m at all. Without the ICBM, this would mean only my Denon would work correctly.

>Hi Brian. The technical specs for LFE are different for the 2 formats. I don't know why this decision was made; perhaps just out of spite. It doesn't make a lick of sense, but perhaps it stems from the fact that each formats maker wants theirs to be the only one to succeed.<

Can you point me to any links on that?

What I have noticed with the hi-rez titles that I own (on both formats) is that if there are specs and standards, the folks doing the mixing sure seem to be ignoring them!

I have discs with no .1, discs with double bass (.1 and main channels), discs with almost all the bass in the .1, and all points in between.

BGL

I also have a Denon DVD-2900, but my problem is that its BM crossover is fixed at 80Hz for DVD-Audio and SACD. I have tower speakers (DefTech BP-2006TL) with built-in powered subwoofers that do well down to 30Hz. Hence, my options are to set my speakers to small and not take advantage of their sub-woofers, sending all the bass to my HSU VTF-3, or, setting my speakers to large, and losing the bottom octave. [My receiver is a Denon-AVR 3803.]

I just ordered an ICBM (with the concurrence of Dr. Hsu) and hope to solve this problem--I'll report on the conclusion.


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