I guess I can't spell "envelop" too well! Sorry for that and other typos!

I blame my preference for stereo on my upbringing.

^^is that really you? great pic!

no i love live music above all.

but in this application though, IMO if im listening to a 2 channel source, which most music is, then only 2 channels is an true and accurate reproduction. of course if your listening to a SACD or a DVD-A which is a 4.0, 4.1, 5.1 ect. mix then yes multi-channel listening is good. unfortunately most of my favorite music is not, its a simple stereo recording that is best played in my mind on a stereo. i do listen to 7 channel stereo in my living room while im cooking or whatever because its a better "party" sound as i move about. but dont find it appealing to sit in a fixed position (sweet spot)and do any critical listening. even when listening to SACDs that are mixed to 5.1 i find certain types of music a let down considering the extra 3 speakers and gear required to play it, it just leaves me wanting. while i do admit some orchestral stuff does seem to nail the desired effect taking me in the center of all the instruments. its all subjective of course, if we all liked the same thing life would be pretty boring. not to mention there would only be one HiFi company selling gear!

and honestly if you havent done any critical listening to a stereo that felt enveloping to you, well you havent heard a good one yet. just my 2 cents. swing by ill give you a taste. ;^)

and back to the original question of live concerts. im not sure i agree that speakers are placed all around, generally you have a left and right stack. occasionally in a wide array you do find a center fill, but more importantly in live music you have stage sound which make a huge difference. this being the lead guitar players amp, bass players rig, and a drum kit ect.. which all create room sound. they are then evened out by the sound engineer using the PA to give the room a full balance. in this situation the sum total is enveloping if done right, and i love it. to me live is the proof of a musicians chops, anyone can sound good with enough production value in a studio, look at britney spears. but live on stage you cant hide, put out or get out. regardless, that is situational, a live recording is another thing all together be it a 2 channel audience tape or a multi-track mix they sound best as they were recorded, either 2 channel or a surround mix so thats how in my mind they should be listened too.

FWIW check out some of my recordings of live concerts for an example of what im talking about.
my recordings: http://www.archive.org/bookmarks/J.Mimna
and some photos too: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimna/collections/72157613267633153/

For me I enjoy music in stereo best but I do occasionally listen to multi-channel DVD-A and SACD. It has been noted before that the quality of multi-channel recordings is highly variable and in my experience some are annoying. Though I don't own any live SACD/DVD-A discs I think the surrounds would be a great place for crowd noise/applause to reproduce the experience of being there but not instruments. I sometimes use 5 channel stereo for background music when I'm busy doing other things as it fills the room better. IMHO, overall stereo does the best at reproducing a live event with the sound coming from in front of you.

I'm in the process of putting together a separate stereo setup and the RR2150 is on my short list of electronics given all its features. Outlaw has hit a sweet spot with the RR2150 with bass management, the USB input and a phono input. FYI other manufacturers are in this modernized 2 channel arena. The Parasound 2100 stereo preamp comes to mind.

Finally, yes, that's me. The picture was taken on Midway Island in about 1961 and I believe that is my father's first stereo receiver. When it came to the stereo/home theater hobby the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

all that being said, for a great 5.1 mix give Frank Zappa's Halloween dvd a listen and also a killer 4.0 release of his QuAUDIOPHILIAc, both are in 24/96 DTS and are stunning to listen to even to the none frank fan.

just had to throw that out there to contradict myself.

Although I sometimes like 5.1 stereo I normally prefer 2.2 upsample. I have A/B'd it against straight stereo and bypass and much prefer 2.2 noise.

2.2 meaning 2 mains and 2 subs? what are you upsampling with, and to what rate?

i do wish the outlaw had some indicator of what bit and sample rate it was outputting, but i know you cant have it all. it would be nice as my playback varies wildly. my primary source is a computer and music server it draws from so things change rates quickly as i listen. i only play lossless files, no mp3's, but i do seek out hi resolution stuff like the new Neil Young Archives Box Set release. its all 24/96.

Yes 2 mains and 2 subs. My subs are both connected to the 990 and my mains are Klipsch RF-82s. I have know idea what the upsample rate is but I have never questioned the sound. 5 channel is okay but I lose something when the center and the surrounds come into play, mostly sound stage and placement.

tonight we decorated for Christmas. i have an articulate 4 yr old daughter, so this yr was mind blowing for her so far. the whole time i played music in 5.1 stereo while we did the deed. as we worked i was very happy that no matter where i was i had a pleasant ear full of the "mood" music. but occasionally i would sit down and take it in from DFC, and i found it became dysfunctional and all over the place when i was fix. it reminded me of bad outings seeing talented local music in settings not meant for music. yes i have a serious programming to listen for sound stage and image but the 5 channel stereo seemed to really screw up my audio compass.

but to be honest, as soon as i walked away it was the best sounding option i could choose.

/shrugs

YMMV

Some place I read that the 5 channel stereo is really best for background music like at a party since the processor does minimal change to the extra channels and they all seem to sound the same. I am sure I like the 2.2 better in the living room but the 5 channel work well when I am not in there. I redid my setup manually way back when so that my left front became the center and the left rear became the left speaker and so on all the way around all five channels. This essentially moved the center of the sound stage one sppeaker counter clockwise around my room. I did it because I tend to sit in the right rear corner of my living room. I had to put it back because other people in the room hated it and the stage was too wide for the speakers to make the leap. One of the reasons I waited so long for Trinnov was that it has the capability to store multiple setups as far as direction and distance so that I could make one for watching movies and others for listening to music in various seats around the living room. The 990 has only one way to store the info as far as I know. The PR-SC886 also doesn't do multiple setups unless I missed something in the manual.