None of the above.
IMO, there's no way any kind of processing is going to work for 30-40 people (unless of course, your Sunfire is in a dedicated theather room that's designed to accommodate that many people). People will be standing, getting refills, chatting and blocking sound even for those lucky guests staking out seats in the "sweet spot."
When you've got a party that size in a standard living room, (say 20' - 25' x 30') and a big screen TV, your only fighting shot at making the announcers & commercials audible over the din of conversation & snacking is to go "all channels" or "party" mode where every speaker has the same information output. You're giving nothing up by going this way, as all of the ambiance retrieval & other effects are lost just by having all the people and moving parts that make up a superbowl party.
Added benefit of party mode is setting it, forgetting it, and tending to more pressing hosting responsibilities: Making sure the beer stays cold, shaming the double dippers, etc.
IMO, there's no way any kind of processing is going to work for 30-40 people (unless of course, your Sunfire is in a dedicated theather room that's designed to accommodate that many people). People will be standing, getting refills, chatting and blocking sound even for those lucky guests staking out seats in the "sweet spot."
When you've got a party that size in a standard living room, (say 20' - 25' x 30') and a big screen TV, your only fighting shot at making the announcers & commercials audible over the din of conversation & snacking is to go "all channels" or "party" mode where every speaker has the same information output. You're giving nothing up by going this way, as all of the ambiance retrieval & other effects are lost just by having all the people and moving parts that make up a superbowl party.
Added benefit of party mode is setting it, forgetting it, and tending to more pressing hosting responsibilities: Making sure the beer stays cold, shaming the double dippers, etc.