5.1 came out as a result of the failure of Quadaphonic sound in the 70s. The companies studied human hearing, and found that the center channel was needed to help differentate between front and back.
The problem comes, in that when they started adding more and more speakers, less and less people could tell the difference. Lets face the fact, some people have VERY exceptional hearing, while others lack in certain areas. We are all different, and to recognize the extreme potential arrangement of our ears is a very hard task. Doctors and Psycologists have been working for decades now understanding the principles of sound.
First is how we hear the music... What comes into our ears, the volume, direction, and distortion all effect our opinion
Second is how we feel the BASS... This area is not audible but actually is felt on the skin.
Third is how the sound makes us Feel... This is an overall experiance of what happens when we hear music. This is less objective then the past two, and is where psycologists are needed.
From what I understand, that without a very large area (like a theater) the sound wont develop, and just wont be noticed. The problem has been tested and have shown that this is the case for a large population.
However, this will remain an area of debate, in a world were people insist that $10,000 speaker cable makes a difference to the sound then $10 lamp cord wire. BTW; I saw a test using a half of a million dollars of sound equipment, and then put Audiophiles in a room and listened to a $10,000 speaker cable vrs 5 strung together coat hangers. Turns out the coat hangers won the contest by 1 vote.
