7.1 or 5.1?

[admin_exported]

is it worth investing in a surround sound system with 7.1 as opposed to 5.1? I will use mine for playing ps3, x360 and Wii. I'm wondering if there are any games out there that supports anything above dolby digital 5.1? What about movies?

 

[Anonymous]

you can used 7.1 amps to do both not sure about the games decodeing more than 5.1

 

[strapped for cash]

You'd be hard pushed to find an AV receiver (even a budget one) that's worth its salt that doesn't offer 7.1 channels of amplification. I wouldn't worry about this. 7.1 channel receivers will work perfectly fine with a 5.1 speaker system as well (the auto set-up will detect how many speakers you are using). Even if you are only using a source that is 5.1, the receiver should be able to simulate a 7.1 soundtrack.

In short, concentrate more on other functionality that might be more relevant to your needs (how many HDMI inputs do you need?; do you need video up-conversion?). Check out reviews of receivers in your price-bracket, set up some auditions, and focus principally on which produces a sound you like the best!

 

[Anonymous]

What is the size of your room?

 

[Dan Turner]

I'd also say it depends upon the size of your room. Whilst only a handful of DVDs are encoded with 'proper' DTS 6.1 and even fewer blu-rays are encoded in 7.1 (at the moment) a 7.1 amp can still simulate the surround back channels from 5.1 material whether you'e watching movies or playing games and if you have a big room that might improve the experience by filling in the space directly behind you. However I wouldn't do it based on the availability of material with 7.1 a soundtrack alone.

I've got a pretty small room and I went and bought and extra 2 speakers to make the 7.1 set-up and went to all the trouble of wiring them in etc when I got a blu-ray player and whilst it does give a slightly better spread of sound across the back, I am not sure it was worth the expense/effort in my room.