I was always fairly agnostic about home theater, and in fact after first setting up 7.1 went back to 5.1 for quite a while as there just seemed to be little need (or content) for 7.1, but I've gotten to like the immersive experience. We do not go out much to movies, too expensive, too loud, too crowded, so I tend to watch at home. Even for a movie I really want to see, I am most likely to wait until it comes out on disc. I still feel surround is underutilized in far too many movies but it is really nice when it works. I have visited my dealer just to demo his Atmos system and plan to pick up some (probably four) high speakers just because (a man can never have too many speakers don'tcha' know). It is another one of those things that is sooo cool when it works and the mix is right even though there might not be much content that really shows it off.
Yesterday the high here was 27 degF with 6.5" of snow. I would have liked to hear the birds but the snowthrower and shoveling chased them away. The birds are out today and skies are clear (so far) but, other than putting out more bird seed, I plan to go watch a movie in my little man cave. First Saturday I've not worked in four weeks.
I have not counted recently but my movies collection may have passed my CD collections; I have a few hundred of each. At my peak I had over 3000 records, but got rid of most of them after college, and have not set up a turntable in years. I have about a dozen SACD or music videos and again appreciate the immersion.
I like live music, and have done my share over the years on stage and off, but also appreciate sitting on the couch and enjoying a CD or SACD where I always get the sweet spot and don't have to deal with perfume, coughing, phone screens in the dark, and the little quirks of "being there". Plus tickets have gotten expensive the past few years. I still give to my local symphony but only make about one concert a year. My wife and I had actually planned on a couple of rock concerts in March and April but that's all cancelled, natch.
I have friends "all-in" on stereo who deride my multichannel system -- until they hear it. I had stereo for decades but even back then found quadraphonic was neat and for a while made a few bucks on the side making little cross-coupling circuits to derive a sort of ambient sound for rear speakers.
