Is it just me or does 5.1 surround sound come through standard L/R RCA jacks?? I was studying last night listening to Sirius Satellite Radio when I decided to switch the surround mode on my amp/reciever to DTS/NEO:6. Well, I'll tell you what, I got DISTINCT sounds coming through each and every one of my speakers: vocals through center, percussion and harmony through front left and right, ambience and effects like echoes and even emphasis on certain notes/tones coming through the rears, and of course the subwoofer putting out low frequency sounds. Am I missing something here? CAN surround sound be accessible through standard RCA jacks or am I just hearing things? The only output currently on my satellite reciever are the L/R jacks and I'm thinking of replacing them with a TOSLINK, obviously which won't be needed if my suspicions hold true.
I think it's a little better than just simple left/right redistribution. Good decoders like the Neo6 and PLII will actually turn 2 channel sound into very decent surround. I have an old Stereophile Test CD that has a soundtrack for testing each of surround speaker, all accomplished through the standard L/R RCA jacks. Come to think of it, the old Pro Logic decoder also does this pretty well.