Home cinema newbie questions...preamp advice

I disagree. The center channel on most 5.1 tracks is by far the most used. I think that for theater, the center is the most important speaker. Get a matching center and a sub and find another belles to power them both?

John,
I do agree with you on imaging properly. I guess that 5.1 is designed for 2 reasons these days: 1-It's idiot proof to put the center channel in to avoid imaging problems. 2-To most people, movies are a group or family event. Not everyone fits in the "sweet spot"-I'm not into cuddling with "the guys" when watching a game on the 6' TV!

By the way, I was listening to a downmixed DVD-A last night on my 2 channel triode system and it sounded amazing without 5.1 sound. So, I do this sometimes too.

Emery