I'm not much for typical surround sound. I honestly don't believe most us truly have a room large enough to make it work. I have enjoyed demo's of dedicated 3 channel audio reproduction when all 3 channels were identical. I have found that in the better surround sound systems (in truly huge rooms) I've heard, the front mains were positioned further apart than would be typical in 2 channel stereo. In these cases the matching center channel seemed appropriate if not indeed necessary, especially for those out of the sweet spot.
Stereo Imaging
I think I've written about this before, but I wonder how many of us who use the same system for HT and music get fooled into suspecting the center channel must be generating the center image. I was playing the Abkco disc of "Let It Bleed" and found myself compelled once again to put my ear to the center channel to assure it was not generating the strong centered image I was hearing. Intellectually I knew it wasn't because I've tested it before, but the image is so strong it creates a cognitive dissonance. In a world of 7.1, I'm afraid I forget just how effective stereo can be in generating a soundstage.
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