I just sell last years model and upgrade usually get around 1200-1500 for it so upgrading isnt so bad.
I did compare dolby surround and neurel:x a little vs 9ch stereo what i noticed is it really matters what your listning to and how it was recorded/encoded. Some stuff sounds better with dd/dts (dvd, live recorded in 5.1\7.1) some stuff neo:music other 9channel stereo . Dd and dts seemed a little hot on the center channel to me for most music what i liked about 9ch stereo is it sounded more like 2 channel With with good surround fill that works very well for 2 ch recordings making it feel more eveloping (like your there) especially for for newer high quality live recordings which are what ive been listing to alot lately. The quality of Concert recording is getting amazing both audio and visual.
Living the dream.
Yeah, it does seem DSU and DTSNX provide more center-speaker presence. For vocals, it seems like the movies or SACD music where the vocal is mainly in the center speaker.
For me, MCH Stereo seems to have its place in instrumental music (no vocals).
Bottom line is, I agree with you that now, more than ever, MCH Stereo, DSU, and DTSNX sound pretty darn great for both music and movies.