Are you familiar with the way 5.1 sounds? I have found that the more I listen the less I notice the surrounds. It's almost like my brain expects the sound to be everwhere so I don't notice the surrounds unless somethng out of the ordinary radiates from one of them. However, I believe this is how surround is suppose to be, (can't really stand for surround in the theaters anymore). It's not until we have guests over to watch a movie that I realize just how much the surrounds contribute as I see our guest looking over their shoulder or slightly ducking during certain scenes. How big is your room? If you have a large room as I do, you may find that the surrounds are filling a lot of area not just beaming their sound to your ears.