I spent the day with my buddy of 40 years yesterday. I told him I upgraded my system and he readily agreed to listen blind to 2.1. He is not into audio and only listens in his car or at venues. Some of his comments and behavior were interesting:

1. "The sweetest taboo": I can hear that rain way, way back there. She's singing in front of the rain. Holy sh!t is that what this song is supposed to sound like?
2. "Once I wished a tree upside down": He's right out front. Wait he's going around the back now. He's at the back and now coming around to the front again. This is incredibly clear.
3. "Train song": Oh wow! This sounds like Holly Cole. She's here isn't she? I just saw that train going across the room!
4. "Rosanna": OMG I've heard this song so many times but not like this.
5. "Colomb": This is like having 3d glasses but on your ears.
6. "Oxygen part IV": He was completely mesmerized with this one and had no idea it was supposed to sound like this. He was moving both arms to simulate what he was hearing.
7. "Oxygene spa version": He went totally limp on this one and said he just wants to float in the saturating bass.
8. "St. Louis Blues" by Wycliffe Gordon: He asked if I moved the side walls.
9. "Belkis queen of Sheba war dance": He was smiling at the illusion of drums way in the back on the left.

There were many other moments also. Before taking off the blinders, I asked him to point to the speakers. He couldn't other than to motion from one side of the room to the other and from the floor to ceiling. I asked him to estimate the size of the speakers and he said, "Big. Very big. Floor to ceiling and very, very wide". When he took the blinders off, he looked at the M5s and then hunted around the room. He finally said, "Is that it?". I said yup and he said no way. So I played some more and he was even more floored. He said this wasn't a sound system as much as a sound to image and emotion converter.

He was also very surprised by the size of the sub given the fact he couldn't localize it.