Fine, but, latching onto "no difference between a 2 channel stereo TV and a 5.1 sound system" just shows you are one stubborn individual, because you know full-well that people are talking about the accuracy/authenticity of the sound.
Having said that, all things being equal, a stereo/2.1 system can sound just as good as a 5.1 system. The only difference being the level of immersion that you get from a 5.1 system.
Seriously, I know I'm perpetuating things here, but this debate is getting stupid now.
- Yes, the quality and number of speakers does, to a point, increase the actual sound quality that you hear, and the level of immersion. A $300 all-in-one home theater is going to sound much better than stereo speakers in a TV, just as a $3000 5.1 system is going to sound much better than a $300 5.1 system.
- No matter how good your audio system is, if the input source is inaccurate, the output is going to reflect that. If an F430 sounds more like a hair dryer, that's how things are for everybody, just that some people will hear a better quality, more immersive hair dryer than others.
Nothing more really needs to be said on the matter, unless people feel the need to boast about how much they have spent on their audio systems and how they are able to transform the sound of a dog barking to the sound of a cat purring.
Well, just to add my perspective once again, I'm using Creative SB580s - not exactly audio nirvana, but they have decent enough frequency response for my purposes, and go loud enough to annoy my neighbours
I also have a pair of "studio-quality" over-ear headphones with 30 mm drivers.
The difference in fidelity is unquestionably in favour of the headphones. However, when it comes to surround immersion in a game (a synthetic soundscape), the 5.1 setup wins, even if I use the Stereo-3D positioning built in to X-Fi soundcards in conjunction with the headphones.
Being that we are binaural creatures, it is safe to assume (and indeed, easily proven) that two speakers (or a pair of headphones) are sufficient to fully recreate any soundscape. Like most things, this is easily done with a good quality recording (quality in terms of fidelity, and in terms of microphone location etc.)
Unfortunately, a game is having to render the sounds in 3D space, so clever tricks are used to make the sound seem locational - this is where positional surround (i.e. a 5.1 system) can seem more immersive, as the sound is clearly coming from a certain direction. The trickery used in a Stereo-3D algorithm is convincing, but still odd (I suppose much like 3D-TV, though I've not experienced it for myself) - what you lose in immersion, though, you generally gain in positional accuracy. That is to say, it is easier to pinpoint sounds, as there is less distortion from the superposition of sound from the various speakers.
Well, that is my experience, anyway.
Sure, I know what sound is!
It's the low, bass frequencies that you tend to "feel", and somehow even through a decent subwoofer, that alone cannot replicate the acoustic feeling of being inside a real car with a meaty exhaust note!
I really don't want to be a pedant, and it was implicit in your previous post, but I feel I should point out that you feel
all frequencies, both within, and outside of, the audible spectrum (at
both ends - i.e. very high and very low frequencies). This is why having your volume up nice and loud sometimes makes the difference - not to mention, some higher-than-standard-power systems don't give the full frequency gamut at low gains
And whoever said they can hear each individual cylinder either needs their brain testing, or they should sign up for special research - that's quite an ability!
Allow me to elaborate: a four-stroke single-cylinder engine no longer sounds like a discrete (i.e., separately distinguishable) set of detonations at around 1200 rpm (~10 Hz - though this varies wildly according to the individual, the nature of the sound "bite", the
pulse width etc. etc. - 10 Hz, or 100 ms, is somewhat of a "norm" for the cutoff).
What you are then hearing is the particular interactions of the underlying waveform that makes the discrete sound itself (see
granular synthesis)
A V6, then, is only "discrete" below 200 - 400 rpm, depending on the exhaust routing. For reference, most automatic rifles discharge at a rate just either side of this 10 Hz limit: 500 - 800 rounds per minute.
. 
The procedural exhaust-tip and intake hiss seem to be calculated wrongly for "multi-tipped" engines.
