Only after 5-6 weeks of setting up my first 5.1 system, I am already getting VERY curious about 6.1 and 7.1 surrounds. Heh-heh... So, how much of a difference will the 6.1/7.1 make, if I do NOT have any natively 6.1- or 7.1-encoded materials? Does it worth an additional Axiom or two, for just doing matrix decoding?

(FYI, I do not plan to buy an SACD/DVD-A player just yet, until the dust settles a bit more with regard to bass management and other technical details, until I see that they are definitely going to survive as media standards for long-term, and until truly interesting classical music recordings start to appear on them.)

Sushi, let me throw out a couple ways you can get a "free preview" of some of the surround back effects. First, on your 45TX use the Virtual Back Surround mode on CDs with Neo:6 or even one of the DSP modes to create the virtual back. Second, you could disconnect your VP150 and temporarily use a "phantom" center while connecting the VP150 to the left back surround terminal on the 45TX. If you decide to go with back surround, you really should go with 2 (although there's no 7.1 format as such)to stay away from that psychoacoustic reversal effect with one speaker behind you(although John Ashman might disagree).

As to SACD or DVD-A for classical music, I'm not impressed and I'm not planning to get a player. Classical generally uses ambience in the extra channels rather than putting you in the middle of the orchestra and DPLII already does a fine job with that on stereo CDs. Any supposed benefits strictly from more bits and higher sampling rates are dubious.

I"m game for more channels but the effects have to be subtle for me.
Subtle creates that surround effect w/o making it feel overpowering from all sides.
There's nothing like listening to a concert cd and be able to hear the echoes off the side walls and in behind. It really adds to a realistic effect in the way we perceive sound, never just from one direction.