I had a interesting converstion with some people from a now-defunct company about surround set-ups and other 'stuff' a couple of months ago and here's the crux/biscuit:
-Delay settings for speakers...Set all delays as close to zero or zero distance(or, just simply choose the 7.1 direct input if you don't want to mess with your settings)...Listen....Even my av crash-dummy went "aaaah" at the increased clarity and sense of dynamics..Like several veils being lifted, kiss the bride! I set up my speakers to be somewhat equal distance from the listener for this experiment..You get increased clarity for sure, but what do you lose? Better panning for one thing. If the speakers aren't equal distance from the listener this effect becomes more pronounced...Get "Tenacious D" DVD....Play opening "flying burrito fart" spoof of the classic THX intro you see before the start of a lot of movies(Use the 6.1 discrete track!) It's a good clip to demo and/or tweak your surround to rear and back to front capability. All in the name of fun!
Alas, we live in the real world, and I had to return my gear to their normal 'permanent' position and out of this I have a question: Will I ever get a life?