How can you not have multichannel system

Eldartford, ironically you have described my experience. My sound system is located in what many would consider small. Yet, I employ Martin-Logan CLS IIz speakers in the front and Martin-Logan SL3s in the rear. Because the listener's seat is approximately 8 feet from the speakers, a nearfield sound effect is created, and it does exactly what you describe, especially with the right recording like the Allman Brothers Live at the Fillmore East cd.

Dweller, I have yet to see it on dvd-audio. I tried the DTS one and that was a disaster. Have the deluxe edition version which is ok, but the sacd disc is without doubt the best, excluding the lp, which I originally had and made me mad seeking an equivalent in sound quality on digital.

Because 99.5% (make that 100%) of all the music I own is 2-channel, hence getting a 5-channel set up is a big waste of money for me. I suppose if I had a big collection of properly (key word) recorded multi-channel stuff I might think twice about making the leap, but I am perfectly happy with good 'ol stereo.

How much music is recorded in multi-channel format? I presume the original "Live At The Fillmore East" recording was not multi-channel. Was it reprocessed? Digitally enhanced? Or were the multi-channel tracks just rearranged to fit the SACD format?
Also, how many recordings are available in multi-channel formats, either remastered to fit or originally recorded multi-channel? Do I need to rebuy all my music?