It depends.

Sitting in "listening position": as originally mastered, whether stereo (with sub always on) or 5.1.

Doing dishes or dancing about the room (or both at once): I often switch stereo signals to 5 channel stereo. My mains and center are at the far end of a "great room" (i.e., kitchen/breakfast counter/family room), with my surrounds at about the middle of the room, so this really opens the sound up in the larger space.