Technically, the 5.1 framing is never a mere gimmick. It is integral to the listening strategy, turning the room into a terrain. Low-frequency rumbles anchor the floor, side channels tease peripheries, rear channels suggest memory or threat entering from behind. The center channel—if there is one—rarely monopolizes narrative authority; instead it often offers a sparse, flatbed reference, letting the sides and rears tell the story. This inversion resists conventional notions of foreground and background, encouraging lateral attention and a more exploratory kind of listening.