Last round as far as I'm concerned. I kindly ask to re-read my post because you ask questions that are really answered in there.

1.
You make the assumption that I'm against the LFE. Not at all, but understand please that the E stands for Enhancement read effects. There is NO NEED to put porgrammatically important information in this channel. Do not mix the LFE with the sub. LFE is a channel carrying the signal, the sub is a loudspeaker capable of handling low frequency at decent level.

I like the LFE, because it gives the low frequency effects a chance. Mind you, in historical sense, without the LFE we wouldn't have so many subs to choose from.

The sub is great if your loudspeakers don't carry so low.

2.
I did not leave a step out. I think I assumed in the post that the engineer has a playback system with a bass manager. For him it is a matter of coat pocket versus trouser pocket where the bass manager can be set such that it compensates for the mistake made at the recording. This does then thus not reveal the mistake, since it sounds great in the studio. And of course it does!

The consequence of leaving total freedom at the recording is that the consumer has to change the settings at the bass manager for each and every recording.


3.
Situation B
Well, let me try again to explain this rather simple example:

DC to 80 Hz in the LFE, since the engineer mixed this frequency range in that channel.
40 to 80 Hz from the main loudspeakers, as the bass management is set to match the capability of the loudspeaker.

So, 40 to 80 Hz is played twice!

Note here that the 80 HZ is somewhat arbitrarily. If we keep freedom here, we have to read at the back of the CD at which frequency the engineer has chosen to set his or her crossover in the studio so that we consumer can make adjustments in our system, compensating for our own system layout.


4.
The bad news is: inept engineers exist, and what's worse, they come in bundles of 10. Even worse, some of the celebrated ones (and rightfully so) may make great recordings, but are also still very confused about the issue. May I plug a good read here again?

Bass management at fault, perhaps. But may we at least assume that a consious audio lover has adapted the sub in the specific system to match the other loudspeakers such that it makes for a nice and flat frequency response when listening to music? If that setting is wrong, sure, we have a problem at the home side. It is indeed very likely that it is wrong in many households but I give the audiophiles a chance here

Note the word music, as for DVD-V the LFE is allowed to go up to, I believe 120 Hz for LFE effects. This is why some people have a music and a DVD-V setting, so they optimally enjoy both.

Also note that a badly routed recording will be very difficult to compensate for unless you have an - here it is - Outlaw bass management box and a driver layout that has some room (read range). I hope I don't have to explain this one.


5.
And yes, what a surprize, I know all those loudspeakers you talk about, and can even name a few others. That was not the point of my question...

With the Outlaw bass manager you can enjoy sitting inside a cirlce of handsome standmounted two-ways and a sub or two and decently enjoy full range music. Indeed, the sub is a handy thing, especially with a good bass manager.

But I want that bass manager to be analog unless it can handle the high resolution signals of SACD and, if you like, DVD-A. I would avoid any cascading of AD-DA steps, how good the convertors may sound, even if that is at the cost of handy features. Timing can be solved with schlepping for now.

Personal preference indeed; I'd almost suggest listening to both signal streams (straigh out and via an AD-DA step) carefully, but I won't. All the talk about focus and grain and air and space and envelopment and all that other HiEnd talk should apply there.

6.
My appreciation of the analog bass manager is with regard to the ICBM (or whatever it is called) and not the 950. Is that only 80% off since it still says Outlaw on the outside? Sorry about that, but read the post again and you will see that the specific paragraphs about settings apply to this analog fellow and not the 950.


Snarf