Do you ...Center Channel?

If you are not seated off axis no center can actually work better than having a center. My reference system has no center. Almost all of the time it is either just myself or one other person watching with me and using a phantom center works very well in this instance.

Kal: Why do you find the center essential for multi-channel music? Assume the context of one person listening--so no issues with being off axis. I would have thought that in that context a "phantom" center would be fine. Are there phase variations that are extracting more information than that which would be effectively summed from the left and right speaker? I value your experience in MC music.

Now, I want to take it one step further. Let's say the center channel is not identical to the mains as is the case for most home theaters. In that context, is using the center for MC music still the better way to go--or is 3 channels matched essential to good MC music?

Last question--and then I'll let you go. How imporant is matching the rear speakers for MC music? I know 5 matched channels is the best way to go for this application, but few people have this set-up and typically invest far more heavily in the left and right mains. So I'm just trying to understand the relative compromises in your experience.

Sorry--didn't mean to turn this into an MC music thread--but it is relavent to the importance of the center channel.