Biggest hype-worst tweak

Whatjd, you can have both without compromise. Ultimately surround sound will be balanced perfectly, and improve on the "front row center" aspect. It is still in the gimmicky stage, like Quad was. I listen mostly as you do (F.R.C.), but have found that my 5 channel "stereo" mode on my Denon AVR-5700 makes for great listening in certain contexts. There is a CD that I am currently listening to titled "Tourist' by St. Germain, a French group that is in a sort of "House/Acid Jazz" style that is meant for dance clubs, that is greatly improved in 5 channel mode when compared to 2 channel. It is perfect for parties. In this particular case the stereo effect is a real snore. The 5 channel mode really gives a club atmosphere without all that silly Yamaha type of DSP stuff. I'm not interested in recreating some concert hall or jazz club in my room. It always sounds false, but it is a different story in the context I described. I can easily switch over to Home Theater and get great sound as well. A home theater set up can be an improvement over the best "real theater" sound when done right. There is still a lot of gimmicky mixing going on, but don't blame the home theater for the faults in taste of the mixing engineers.

Kurt et al - I would avoid using Joy or any other dishwashing liquid on your CD's or LP's. It's overkill, may damage the surfaces because of its very high pH, and will leave residues behind (Polymers, perfumes). In case you are wondering, I work for Procter & Gamble in Research & Development and formulate clenaing products for a living. The design criteria for something like a dishwashing liquid include heavily buffered high pH to deal with burnt grease and polymers to leave a shiny surface upon rinsing. Also, hese pruducts rinse off best in warm/hot water or with LOTS of exccess cold water If you want to try mild cleansers which leave no residue, I'd suggest looking into contact lens cleaners (not saline!) or, better yet, a pure nonionic surfactant with the right HLB vlaue for light duty cleaning and high water solubility (ususally HLB of 7 or higher). There are literally thousands in the market. Frankly, I haven;t gotten around around to DIY and still use Record Research Labs LP cleaner and Nitty Gritty CD cleaner, which are probably overpriced for the level of active ingredients they contain. But..if anyone feels adventuous, would suggest an alkyl polyguccoside from Henkel. a Pluronic from BASF or an ehtoxylated alcohol from ICI. Hmm...may be I should spend a bit more time on this.....

Enid Lumley isn't dead, she just went home.