Is 7.1 really worth it?

[admin_exported]

My room is about 12' x 12',and I use a Sony STR-2400ES amp driving Accoustic Energy speakers.Sounds fantastic in 5.1 especially using Blu-Ray.....am I really going to notice a big difference by filling in the "gaps" in the side? Thank goodness the Mrs understands.....

 

[Anonymous]

In my opinion, no. I tried it too to see if I was missing out on anything.....and it was very, very negligible. A 5.1 system will be enough to create a superb surround sound.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree.

 

[mjs]

Agree with Vallian

No.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree too. No need unless your room is very wide.

 

[Anonymous]

unless u have at least 2 meter of space between the side and back surround u won,t notice a thing. it was the worst investment i did when i bought a pair of extra speakers to upgrade from 5.1 to 7.1 , the space between my side and back surround speakers is about a meter with the back surround hanging on the middel of the back wall and high up , doing an A.B test 5.1 vs 7.1 it didn,t add nothing what so ever to the sound .

 

[nads]

for the few 7.1 audio tracked discs out there it is not really worth it.

But I with those discs it is worth it.

does that make sense?

 

[Anonymous]

appreciate all the replies...thank-you.My wife is even more grateful!!! I did think that in my rooms' case it might just not be worth the expense and the hassle,and am glad I asked for some opinions.Many thanks.

 

[mgillespie05]

hello there, i was in your possition with a room size of 12 wide by 20 long and whent with it ,only real problem was seating to get 5.1 when not getting 7.1. im using onkyo 906 and acoustic energy 3s and the middle speakers are were i get 5.1 witch i find wierd and a pain because i have to sit to far up front to get 5.i ,unless im doing somthing wrong otherwise its brill

 

[carter]

i find 7.1 alot better than 5.1 i have my rear speakers high so i dont no if that makes a differance but movies are few and far between to be honist

 

[Sorreltiger]

I have 7.1 and it comes into its own watching Sky Sports in DD with the amp set to PLiix. With the two extra speakers, the surround is really enveloping. The BBC did a fantastic job with Wimbledon too and you really felt like you were in the crowd.

 

[carter]

2nd that

 

[Anonymous]

I also find it far better when gaming.

The extra speakers really help place enemies in FPS's behind you. When I had 5.1 I could place them at the front due to l/r/c channels but when someone was behind you, you were limited to l/r which gave you a big arc. With the extra channels games really come into their own I find.

Completely agree with the PLiix too.

 

[Bazzy]

Hi,

A picture is worth a thousand words so to speak! My room is 4m wide & 3.6 front to rear. Does anyone think this rear 7.1 speaker placement is a good idea or will work well? I already have the speakers for a 7.1 set-up!

Bazzy!

 

[Big Chris]

If you already have the speakers, give it a shot and see what you think.

Personally, I think they're gonna be too close together to make much difference.

With regards to the previous comments regarding 7.1, it's all about placement. In my old flat my sofa was up against the back wall, so no space for any surround rear speakers. In my home now, there's about 1m between my sofa and the back wall, with about 1.5m between the rear and side surround speakers.

I feel much more immersed in the sound than before. It was a bit weird as at first there seemed to be LESS surround than my old 5.1, but it was because there were no longer any 'holes' in the sound.

Just my $0.02. Others findings will vary.

 

[aliEnRIK]

7.1 doesnt interest me but it did my dad so he bought the whole 7.1 years ago

I never liked the rear effect even though it was properly calibrated so out of intrigue I switched off the rear 2 to make it 5.1 and the whole sound was WAY better. Not only was the sound a lot more 3 dimensional, the whole sound was better (Like the pioneer av amp had struggled to power the rear 2 speakers and by freeing up the power the OTHER speakers worked so much better)

So personally speaking, unless your rooms VERY large id stick with a decent 5.1 setup

 

[Anonymous]

Bazzy<< with so litttel space and the speakers so close to each other , i bet u won,t even notice that they are there , unless u want to trick ur self by raising the sound level for the back speakers way up ,but it will be on the expense of the side surround and the hole soundfield become more artificail and unrealistic...i can tell u thise, with mine probably calibrated and my seat is about 80CM in front of the back surr. at the same line with my side surr. after doing an A-B Test , i found that 7.1 did nothing to the sound , the surround was just as immersive as it was in 5.1..in my opinion, with a good pair of side surr. speakers and with the proper calibration they will be morethan enough even if u seating in a large room. unless if u have a back space about 2-3 meter ,then u will begin hearing the benefit of 7.1..