Thanks for taking the time to reply, you went right to the heart of my speaker question. Basically, you are saying M1's might be a bit overpowering as they will be close to the listeners. The Onkyo does have a setting to cater to that, but surround speakers that "diffuse" the sound would be better for filling the room?
On the Amp question (yes, 6 powered channels in the 787) do you have a name you could drop. I have not come across a competitive discrete amp without getting car kit and a 110/12V PSU.
Further to that, since writing my original question, I noticed other threads that discussed 5.1 vs 7.1 I gleaned that the media is really 5 channels and the AMP DSP's twist it to 7 channels. If this is what is happening it may be ok to stay with a 5.1 config, or maybe just for fun (as the Onkyo has a powered "surround back") go to a 6.1 with 1 rear speaker. If I do that would you match the "back" to the surround speakers, or the front, or maybe even use another VP150?
