I've been a student of this subject for a long time, along with sound reproduction, recording technologies, and other matters of "good sound." I don't want to have this come across as thread-crapping, but in most cases, a good 3.1 system (L,R, Center, Subwoofer) offers a more pleasurable and defined listening…

That's beyond dumb. The PIN is the whole point — it helps ensure that anyone short of a criminal with a skimmer can't use my card. The reality is that a card is FAR more likely to be lost, dropped, misplaced or left behind. If a PIN was always required, it wouldn't stop a skimmer, but it would eliminate the vast vast…