The "My Surround" feature is what comes on by default before you set it up and let the computer inside do its thing. It's the equivalent of the sort of faux surround in the cheaper Yamaha-YAS70. It sounded IK to me, but not nearly as good as the 5-beam setup. I guess I'd say just set it up and then let the program take over the creation of surround effects. If it doesn't work out well in your room, there are manual controls to tweak the effects, though I haven't touched them in my room. The open back wall will definitely be a problem for getting even a hint of sound from behind you, but as I understand it, they can still give you 3-beam mode which functions as a central channel and two side surrounds as long as you have walls on the sides. Good luck.