> stereo imaging will absolutely be able to place dialogue in the center

For me, if I were to watch alone while sitting straight up in the middle of the couch. Which I almost never do. Either I'm casual or I'm watching with others.

I agree with regards to sound quality and dynamic range though. We have a soundbar in the main livingroom of good quality, but as expected it has no lower end.

I got the stereo+center speaker setup in the basement with the big TV, they're just bookshelf sized but on stands with center just below TV.

They're enough that our neighbors would complain if they were home when I crank it up, and have much better clarity for normal sounds and dialog.