I had a 5.1 system and went back to 2.1 because I wanted to use my surrounds in a desktop setup. So I sold my center channel.
While I liked the 5.1, I really don't miss it at all. Voices are centered and perfectly intelligible. Sure, the cool effect of sound coming from behind me is gone, but really it was more of a novelty...the real impact of movies comes from the fronts and sub.
I think the commonly recited theory that a center channel is the most important speaker in a HT system is completely false.
I use a Marantz AVR to decode into 2.1 though, so I can't say how it would sound with a regular integrated.
Ryan
While I liked the 5.1, I really don't miss it at all. Voices are centered and perfectly intelligible. Sure, the cool effect of sound coming from behind me is gone, but really it was more of a novelty...the real impact of movies comes from the fronts and sub.
I think the commonly recited theory that a center channel is the most important speaker in a HT system is completely false.
I use a Marantz AVR to decode into 2.1 though, so I can't say how it would sound with a regular integrated.
Ryan