Perhaps a better description might be very small 3.1 vs small 2.1. Here is the situation:
I have been looking at the really small systems (Mirage MX and Energy Micro) to try and get a 3.1 setup to work on the new TV and TV stand. I couldn't do in walls or hang anything.
I had a friend share how much he liked the MM-6 sub and it seemed small enough to make it work in the room, so I started pricing them out. I ended up getting a deal on the Mirage mx 5.1 system (which includes the MM-6 sub) for less than the price of the sub by itself. So I figured I would give the small system a shot and if I didn't like it, I'd at least have the sub.
The good news is that I do like the sub quite a bit and my Wife okay with it in light of its small foot print.
I tried running the MXs as a 3.1 system yesterday and today and I have to say-I'm on the fence. In stereo they are quite capable and impressive for a small speaker. In 3.1, the center is okay, but it seems to be asking a lot out of that one small speaker to do the heavy lifting.
I can't decide if I am going to keep the 3.1 or get a larger book shelf and go with a 2.1 system instead (I can't squeeze a larger center channel on the TV stand). For daily TV (70%), regular music (10%) , and a couple of movies a week (20%) would you go with a small 3.1 or larger 2.1 setup?
