Audiolib,

The problem here isn't with anything Outlaw did but rather with one of expectation on your part. In fact, Outlaw's implimentation of 7.1 playback is not only psychoacoustically correct but it matches established industry standards for surround placement.

Information in the surround channels is intended to be heard from from all around you; primarily from your sides, with a little rear fill. The only surround info that should specifically come from behind you is correlated (in-phase) mono content in the surround channels.

To get the intended effect at home with a 5.1 set-up, it is recommended that the 2 surround speakers be placed along the sides walls, slightly rearward of the listening area. This helps strike a decent compromise between side and rear coverage.

The problem is that you have gotten used hearing surround information coming from behind you. Notice that you refer to it as "rear info" (which it isn't) and have your surround speakers placed behind you (which is not the optimal location for intended directionality).

While there is nothing wrong with this as a personal preference, it will cause for some adjustment if & when you decide to go with a set-up that is closer to industry standards. Quite understandably, you're expecting surround information to come from behind you that the rest of us have traditionally heard from our sides. Hence your complaint "rear info. goes to my floorstanders placed to the sides - no good".

Like I said, it's expectation on your part more than any incorrect assumption on Outlaw's part. If you find it uncomfortable getting used to, then you may be better off with a 5-speaker set-up like you originally had. That's better than being constantly distracted by surround directionality that you're not used to, especially when you're trying to concentrate on a movie.

However, if you do want to go with a properly laid out 7.1 set-up, then follow the directions in the Outlaw manual. That speaker placement is the same recommended by companies like Dolby and DTS as well as surround pioneers such as Fosgate and Lexicon.

Good Luck,