Bridgman,
Thanks for your insight. That's exactly the kind of info I'm looking for. I decided to go with 7.1 because everything I have read has suggested that the Xbox next (or 360) will support 7.1 and the same is true of the PS3. In fact, there is a much stronger argument that the PS3 will support in game 7.1, as it will have the blue ray discs which support "up to 8 channels of discrete sound."
So, in a nutshell, it's an abundance of caution that is making me go the 7.1 route (and the 5% off).
Out of curiousity, are there any noticable sonic differences between the M22s and the Qs8s (besides soundstage)?
