Let's talk Mono & Mono.

[TripleHBK]

For years I've utilized only my single center channel speaker for Mono audio in films (or the two towers for 2.0 mono). Tonight while watching the Initiation however I decided to click over to "Full Mono" on the receiver and it got me thinking. I have plenty of films with 2.0 mono sound where the left and right towers produce the sound instead of the center channel which seems to be a commonly accepted alternative to the single speaker option, but what would be considered the "Correct" way of listening to mono? Furthermore, how were films like "The Initiation" handled in theaters? Was it really just a single large speaker broadcasting the sound from behind the screen, or were all speakers utilized the same way that I chose to utilize mine tonight with "Full Mono"?

I could see an argument that "Full Mono" is wrong, however is Full Mono really that much different from a 2.0 mono signal? In each case audio isn't emanating from the central location as one would assume it should, so is it really that much of a stretch to say that only single speaker mono would be correct, or, that any/all mono set ups are equally correct? I'd love to hear what folks older than myself experienced when they saw movies in the 70's and 80's as replicating that authentic experience is usually my goal.

Now with that all said, authenticity aside, what is everyone's preference for listening to mono soundtracks? Is it just to utilize the center channel, or are their folks that prefer the "full mono" option? I must admit that full mono does create a nice sound stage for background effects and musical cues. Thunder, wind, effects, the score all sound great and more immersive through full mono. Scenes play out with a much more 3 dimensional sound field as if I'm in the middle of each conversation and scene as opposed to just watching it unfold on the screen, which has made me curious if any films ever played this way upon release as it would seem like a much more involving way to keep the audiences attention.

I tried googling around but didn't really find any solid articles as it relates to movie soundtracks on the issue.