Sounds pretty good with music as far as I can tell. The sound happens from the center only because that is where the voices come from. When I switch to stereo mode it also comes from the frond surronds. I have not noticed a distortion in the rears. It only happens when someone is yelling in a movie (peak noise). All the levels are calibrated correctly with an SPL and the volume is not excessivly high. There is nothing in the room that can rattle.