I did a bit more checking and the 1050 isn't QUITE that smart. Here is the scenario:

Front = small
center = small
Surround = large
LFE = off

In this case the system has no LFE output and the bass is pretty much gone. I suspect any bass that was sent to left, right or LFE is never sent to RS,CS,C or LS.

In short the 'bass management' seems to be a matter of shuffling low pass signal between front and LFE. Pretty weak. I have to admit I'm a bit dissapointed.

The 'Bass Managment' section in the manual is a bit misleading in that it strongly implies any speakers marked 'large' get bass routed to them. The actual behavior is a reasonable compromise but should be stated explicitly in the user manual. I downloaded and read the manual before my purchase, and this would have given me pause.

It's STILL a steal at $550 and, well, it still sounds fine. ;-)

Charlie