Is 7.1 worth it?

[youngseed]

Hi, I have a complete mirage set up uni theater up front and 5 nano sats. Is there a big difference in watching a movie in 7.1 rather than 5.1. A friend told me that most movies are recorded in 5.1 any way. Any advice would help.

 

[j_garcia]

There are plenty of threads on this already. DVDs are up to 6.1, though not all have a 6.1 track. Blu-ray has some titles that are 7.1 already. IMO, if you have a big enough room for it, 6.1/7.1 might be worth it but I am perfectly content with 5.1 again after having 6.1 for a few years. I did like it, but at the same time, I don't miss it.

 

[strube]

Hi, I have a complete mirage set up uni theater up front and 5 nano sats. Is there a big difference in watching a movie in 7.1 rather than 5.1. A friend told me that most movies are recorded in 5.1 any way. Any advice would help.

I don't have 7.1 speakers so I can't speak for how it sounds, but the fact is that most movies are 5.1 channel audio, even Blu-Ray movies. I think I only own 1 7.1 encoded Blu-Ray - 3:10 to Yuma. Most Lionsgate new release Blu-Rays are going to be 7.1, and it seems rather random as far as other studios. I own about 40 HDDVDs and none of them are 7.1.

If you don't own a Blu-Ray player, it probably isn't worth it, and even then, it is questionable IMHO.

 

[EJ1]

Plus, if the track is 5.1, you can matrix it for your 7.1 setup.

 

[deedubb]

I would say no. I have 7.1 and as noted above, most movies are still 5.1. The only movie I've seen in 7.1 is 3:10 to Yuma. Yes, you can notice the difference during some of the gunshot scenes. My advice, if the room is big enough and you don't care about the added expense, then go for it. I can't think of any downsides. But if you want to do it because you think there will be a huge difference from 5.1 then I'd suggest you pass. You might want to consider wiring for 7.1 though if you're building a home theatre at the moment.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd still do 7.1, but it's definitely not a dramatic difference.

 

[youngseed]

so Im going to have three extra nano sats. I entertain alot. Im thinking running two to my formal living room and one to my dining room since the 7.1 isnt really that important to me i think i would benefit from having speakers to play music throughout my home. what you guys think.

 

[walter duque]

Hi, I have a complete mirage set up uni theater up front and 5 nano sats. Is there a big difference in watching a movie in 7.1 rather than 5.1. A friend told me that most movies are recorded in 5.1 any way. Any advice would help.

I spend $1800.-- on surround rears, another small fortune in a 350wattX2 amp. It is nice, but 5.1 was great too. Would I do it again, I would say no. If the speakers are your only expensense I would go for it. Why don't you just borrow some speakers or go to BB and then return them, that's about the only way to find out.

 

[MatthewB.]

I believe it depends on placement of speakers, room acoustics and proper calibration. I have heard 5.1 that rivaled 7.1 and have also heard 7.1 that was just awesome. Will it make a difference?: In about 90% of what you watch on Bluray No, but there are some great notable exceptions (3:10 to Yuma) is a great example where 7.1 is done proper and gives you an enveloping sound. So if you think the surround sound is great now with what you have, you may find your money is better well spent on adding room acoustics to help improve the sound of what you already have. But will say I have 7.1 in my main HT and master bedroom systems and I barely see the need of 7.1 in most of what I watch and since I bitstream my Blurays 90% of those don't benefit from 7.1 whatsoever. I know it doesnt answer your question, but until you hear it for yourself, only you can answer that question.

 

[croseiv]

I'm perfectly happy with 5.1 (or should I say 5.2)...

 

[irishtom]

7.1 makes a huge difference when watching Citizen Kane, especially the part where Orson Welles outruns the explosion.

 

[Nomo]

so Im going to have three extra nano sats. I entertain alot. Im thinking running two to my formal living room and one to my dining room since the 7.1 isnt really that important to me i think i would benefit from having speakers to play music throughout my home. what you guys think.

The biggest arguement against 7.1 vs 5.1 is: "why spend the money on the extra speakers when you can put it toward a better 5.1 set-up."
You already have the extra speakers. Whether or not you feel they would be of better use on their own in another room is up to you.
I like my 7.1. I feel it fills the back of the room quite well whether the rears are receiving a matrixed or discrete signal.

 

[mjhughes]

I think it depends on your room if you are going to benefit from 7.1 or not. I tested it our with an old speaker I had kickin around to see how it would go and it worked well in my room It filled a gap in the rear soundstage.
Then I could justify to myself the reason to buy a couple of extra surround speakers and set it up properly. Now I have 7.1 and the soundstage seems continuous around me. My last house though it would not have been suitable due to the room/seating layout.

 

[jostenmeat]

I personally love having a 7.1 system, but I wouldn't miss the rears very much if I had to do 5.1 (which I've done a bit of with mch analogs from hd-dvd for a few months).

In any case, the rears, or even side surrounds, are nowhere close to the importance of the front sound stage. Not in the slightest. IMO. Make sure to focus first where it counts, ie center speaker design, positioning of 3 speakers . . .

 

[lsiberian]

I personally love having a 7.1 system, but I wouldn't miss the rears very much if I had to do 5.1 (which I've done a bit of with mch analogs from hd-dvd for a few months).

In any case, the rears, or even side surrounds, are nowhere close to the importance of the front sound stage. Not in the slightest. IMO. Make sure to focus first where it counts, ie center speaker design, positioning of 3 speakers . . .

I would agree. Placing your money up front is far more important. I would even say adding a sub to a 5.1 to make it 5.2 would be a better investment. Save your cash for something else. going to 7.1 would be low on my list. Of course if you get a really good deal like I did on my surrounds then by all means