Disappointed with the sonic performance of DVD-A or SACD with your bookshelf speakers? Does your player only offer the options to select small or large speakers and not adjust the frequency cutoff for your Aperion Intimus system? Then consider the Outlaw ICBM system. Your high-res discs will develop a whole new dimension that you thought should have been there in the first place.
The problem with DVD-A and SACD is that sound engineers assume that you own full range speakers for both the stereo mixes and the surround mixes (translation up to 6 full range speakers) and create the mixes to support that assumption. Now if you're fortunate enough to own 5 or 6 powered tower speakers, you experience this in all its glory (and PS, I envy you). However, if you are like most people who have bookshelf systems with a sub, you are getting only a portion of the intended sonic glory. That is where a bass management system comes into play.
While some receivers offer bass management for DVD-A and SACD, this is often done in a DSP mode (much as 2.1 stereo actually digitally processes the signal before it is output to the speakers). This can color and even degrade the signal being output to your speakers. I have even noted crosstalk in a friend's system (a very high-end system I might add) when he enabled his receiver's built in bass management for SACD. Being the audio snob that I am, this was not acceptable to me. Doing some research, I came across some reviews from reputable audiophiles about the Outlaw ICBM.
How it works:
You plug the analog outputs from the player to the ICBM unit. You then plug the outputs from the unit into the 5.1 analog inputs on the back of your receiver. Adjust the basic settings (which even a novice can do), insert your favorite high-res disc and press play, and voila, a new sonic experience to blow your socks off. For the Aperion Intimus series, you'll find that setting the crossover to 80 Hz works best.
The unit is very simple outside and uses very basic audio circuitry inside (to reduce any interference with the audio signal), so it seems a bit expensive when you consider how simple it is, but the sound experience it delivers is worth the $200 price tag. I've included a link to the product info and you can purchase directly from Outlaw (just like our favorite people at Aperion):
http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/icbm.html