Yes, and there was a terrific article in The Perfect Vision a number of years ago (cannot recall the issue, nor do I still have it) that made a pretty compelling argument that in order to have effective image steering along the sides and back of the sound field, each axis needed to have three speakers. So, 8 in total - 4 at the corners and 4 centers. The side speakers in a 7.1 layout accomplish that for the two sides, the typical center speaker takes care of the front, so all that is needed is a rear center (and maybe an overhead/envelop channel). So, actually, we 'need' 8.1 or even 9.1.

If more (7.1) is better then even more (8.1) is betterer.

My Kit: 861v8+ID41, 800v4, UHD722, MD600, MS600, MS200, Oppo BDP-203, Genesis 201, Genesis 350 SE, Genesis S4-8 Sub, BG 520i, VTL MB450 II, Krell Showcase 7, Genesis 928 Subs, Danley DTS10 sub, SVS Ultra 16 subs.