Some very key observations there Chucky.
On the three channel stereo issue I’m also a non-believer. I‘ve seen the arguments going back decades about how it should improve stability and localisation etc. – but for me it never has delivered on that promise and I actually dislike the effect of ‘pinching in’ of the two channel soundstage that it almost invariably causes (not ameliorated for me by having all three speakers identical) . The third channel may have some value as dialogue channel in home cinema, but then it’s only really acting as an ugly sticking plaster for all kinds of other problems. I don’t think it works at all well for music reproduction (particularly orchestral).
Which is curious, since some of the most beloved recordings in classical music recording history, are 3-channel.
Done well, two channel stereo can (and thankfully does) produce wide and deep soundstages that extend beyond the boundaries of the loudspeakers and that are not limited to a very small sweet spot.
Wide, yes. Deep, sometimes, but always requiring being in the near field (IME).