ICBM Upgrade???

With the release of the 950/770 coming shortly, has anyone heard if an upgraded ICBM is going to be released. The current version requires a Y-Adapter for 7 channels. I am aware that the rear center channels are only mono for the time being, but once that changes the current ICBM will no longer process the information correctly.

I don't think the Outlaws have mentioned any plans for such an upgrade. How critical would that 7th channel be, since the primary purpose of the ICBM is either between DVD-A/SACD players and a receiver or pre/pro (a connection that will remain only 5.1 for the forseeable future -- which these days admittedly doesn't go much past some time next week...) or between a receiver or pre/pro with marginal bass management and an amp (and a receiver with bad bass management is not likely to be producing 7.1). There has been talk about a revised ICBM with 5.1 switching, possibly with volume control to allow it to act as an analog pre/pro -- if they make such a unit, it would make sense to include true 7.1 on it.

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Gonk

I really doubt they're doing much of anything until both the 950 and the 770 are out the door, and they have a chance to catch their breath. If I were them, I'd be taking a month long vacation after all that is over.

An ICBM-2 with two 7.1 inputs and a volume control would definitely be a very cool product, though.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

Gonk and Matt,
Thanks for the reply. My thought on this moved more toward using the ICBM module on the output side of the amp. I'm considering buying the modified version for the Maggies which definetly need an addtional tweek on the bass management regardless of the functions of the reciever or the DVD-Audio players bass management capabilities. Even Outlaw recommends using the ICBM between the processor/pre-amp and the amp when you are outputing sound the Maggie speakers. I would be managing my entire bass output for all audio output including music and theater with the ICBM and from that standpoint as 7.1 has become the standard it would make sense to have a unit that supports all 7 channels independently.

From the standpoint of new products, it would be awesome if the next generation has a dual 7.1 switcher that acts independently of the bass mangement so that you could have swither inputs and outputs as well as ICBM inputs and outputs, with an internal switch that could bypass the switcher outputs and route them directly to the ICBM inputs if you want the ICBM to work on the input side of your procesor/pre-amp, but you could also then use the ICBM to combine 6.1 inputs and have the ICBM manage the bass on the output side like I want to if they have separate in/outs. Just a thought...