Upgrade to 7.1?

[popcornninja]

OK I'm curious if it's worth it for me to upgrade to 7.1? Here's my current setup -

Sony SXRD 60" LCD Proj.
PS3 40gb
Onkyo TS-XR 605
Klipsch SC-1 Center
Klipsch RF-3 Fronts (x2)
Klipsch SS.5 Rears (x2)
DefTech 15" Sub

Should I add two more Klipsch SS5 (or comparable)?

[mjbethancourt]

How big is your room? If it's small, it's probably not worth a big investment, it won't sound much different... otherwise, hell yeah, go for it, especially if you have some scratch burning a hole in your pocket.

[mustang-gt-2002]

7.1 needs a big room. I have a small room right now. I have a YAMAHA 663 and it is not worth 7.1 the receiver is well worth it. but not the 7.1 I got it for the HDMI 1.3 in and out. I had a YAMAHA 6.1 would have kept it if it had HDMI 1.3

[popcornninja]

The room is not huge. My guess on the measurements are 12' x 24'. I have the TV, components, fronts, sitting on the far end of the room so the rear and front speakers are about 24' away from each other.

Hopefully I'm making sense. The room is long enough that there is a decent gap between the front of the room and the back but like I said not huge.

[JimShaw]

I just went through the questions. A couple days ago I posted this thread

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=61855

Read all the through the post.

To me it was well worth changing over to 7.1 and tonight watching I, Robot confirmed I did the correct move.

[mjbethancourt]

Originally Posted by popcornninja

The room is not huge. My guess on the measurements are 12' x 24'. I have the TV, components, fronts, sitting on the far end of the room so the rear and front speakers are about 24' away from each other.

Hopefully I'm making sense. The room is long enough that there is a decent gap between the front of the room and the back but like I said not huge.

The room is certainly long enough to hear some difference from 7.1, so what the hell, if you got the cash, go for it.

[Gremal]

I disagree about the size of the room having a bearing on the decision to go from 5.1 to 7.1. If you want to access the 7.1 content of Blu-rays, go for it. Right now it's not essential, but when more 7.1 content is available, it probably will be.

[SDon1969]

If it isn't a burden financially, I'd say go for it also.

[Lucy Diamond]

I have a relatively small space with 7.1 and I am glad I made the decision to upgrade two years ago.

If you can do it....do it.

You will hear the difference.

Enjoy,

[jomari]

ive mentioned it before, a 5.1 setup done properly, can beat a mediocre 7.1 setup.

its about placement, and acoustic details.

[Gremal]

Sure, and a two-channel setup properly implemented can beat a crappy 5.1 setup.

But how are you going to get discreet 7.1 content to each channel if you don't have a 7.1 system?

[ClaytonMG]

Originally Posted by Gremal

Sure, and a two-channel setup properly implemented can beat a crappy 5.1 setup.

But how are you going to get discreet 7.1 content to each channel if you don't have a 7.1 system?

It downmixes back into the side channels...

Discrete 7.1 isn't as important as people here seem to think and room size does matter. If these speakers are right behind you or right over your head, 7.1 (and 6.1 are pointless). Room accoustics and size is incredibly important. Set things up wrong and the sound can actually seem like it's coming from in front of you.

Even if you do have the room for 7.1, the nessisity for a discrete 7.1 track isn't even there. I think the only film I thought sounded OK in PLIIx was King Kong at the end when a plane flies behind the listener. That was one moment where I noticed the rear speakers. If you have a 7.1 speaker layout and use something like THX Select2/Ultra2 or even Surround EX, the effect should be the exact same as a 7.1 discrete track.

[mrhonda2]

Room size is not the main ingredient here. If you are setting up in a closet, OK I agree probably not worth it. There are way too many 7.1 haters around. You also don't have to do it expensive. As long as you're system can handle lossless one way or another, it is well worth it. Too many people believe what they read in the magazines and on the web then bring their biased opinions in here, most not even hearing for themselves.
Denon 4308CI
Paradigm Monitors V4, full 7.1 set-up
PS3(what else?)
Room size 12X13
Smile on my face...priceless

[Fenix88]

my room is 13' x 23' and a 7.1 setup IMO does sound better than 5.1 even on movies that are not 7.1 discrete. i would not go back to a 5.1 i think everything sounds better

[zweet77]

Originally Posted by Gremal

I disagree about the size of the room having a bearing on the decision to go from 5.1 to 7.1. If you want to access the 7.1 content of Blu-rays, go for it. Right now it's not essential, but when more 7.1 content is available, it probably will be.

I agree and I have what some would say is a crappy 7.1 setup too but I totally hear vast improvements in the sound stage when I watch 7.1 movies.The audessy set up works wonders in a smaller room like mine.One thing you might think about that I didn't is that our onkyo 605s can't matrix pcm to 7.1 so unless you have some blus in 7.1 you will not get much benefit cause dolby ex on lossy tracks is not all that.Hope fully more movies come out in 7.1 I picked Dark City and The Nightmare Before Christmas today and they sound awsome

Again if you dont have alot of 7.1 movies I would recommend upgrading to the 805 first you will get some more power to those cool klipsch speakers you have and it has Burr Brown Dacs

[ClaytonMG]

Originally Posted by mrhonda2

Room size is not the main ingredient here. If you are setting up in a closet, OK I agree probably not worth it. There are way too many 7.1 haters around. You also don't have to do it expensive. As long as you're system can handle lossless one way or another, it is well worth it. Too many people believe what they read in the magazines and on the web then bring their biased opinions in here, most not even hearing for themselves.
Denon 4308CI
Paradigm Monitors V4, full 7.1 set-up
PS3(what else?)
Room size 12X13
Smile on my face...priceless

Personally, I think there might be too many people trying to justify their 7.1 systems. While I'll admit, the 7.1 SPEAKER LAYOUT is pretty important. But discrete 7.1 is not. You're not supposed to get distracted by extra effects in the rears or anything like that. Any professional sound designer will tell you that they don't want to distract, they want to enhance. Which is why a lot of the surround speakers are designed the way they are. To fill the room and make it harder to tell where one specific sound is coming from. More of a "fill in the gaps" way of doing things. Not to mention none of the movies in 7.1 were ever originally intended to be in 7.1 (as of me writing this anyway). They were all meant for either 5.1 or 5.1 EX/ES.

[sowecrazy]

i have a 7.1 set-up via an onkyo 605, and the audussy really is awsum, movies mixed in 7.1 are awsum like 3:10 to yuma sounds amazing, i can really tell a difference, and movies like titanic witch has DTS 6.1 discrete, just sounds more full, and DD EX sounds ok, i hear minor sounds back there, but x-men 3 on blu-ray is awsum, the scene where magneto and pyro throw the flaming cars is sick, sounds so real. 6.1 or 7.1 disctete sounds way better that it being matrixed out, sounds louder and more full. i do agree, placement is key to suround sound , sounding good

[mrhonda2]

Originally Posted by ClaytonMG

Personally, I think there might be too many people trying to justify their 7.1 systems. While I'll admit, the 7.1 SPEAKER LAYOUT is pretty important. But discrete 7.1 is not. You're not supposed to get distracted by extra effects in the rears or anything like that. Any professional sound designer will tell you that they don't want to distract, they want to enhance. Which is why a lot of the surround speakers are designed the way they are. To fill the room and make it harder to tell where one specific sound is coming from. More of a "fill in the gaps" way of doing things. Not to mention none of the movies in 7.1 were ever originally intended to be in 7.1 (as of me writing this anyway). They were all meant for either 5.1 or 5.1 EX/ES.

Are you sure you are not mixing up discrete and matrix? An earlier post you mentioned PLIIx which is no where near lossless 7.1. Have you honestly heard a 7.1 set-up(not in a store). I think you're too quick to judge.

[Gremal]

Originally Posted by ClaytonMG

Personally, I think there might be too many people trying to justify their 7.1 systems.

All you need to justify it is the existence of blu-ray discs with 7.1 tracks. I just popped in a great one the other night, Exiled.

While I'll admit, the 7.1 SPEAKER LAYOUT is pretty important. But discrete 7.1 is not.

It is to the sound engineer who developed the 7.1 track.

You're not supposed to get distracted by extra effects in the rears or anything like that. Any professional sound designer will tell you that they don't want to distract, they want to enhance.

Be more specific. If a gunfight has erupted offscreen or a car is crashing offscreen, a good sound designer will make the effort to assign the noises of those effects to the appropriate area around the listener. Granted, you don't need 7 separate speakers to make this happen, but if a BD has a 7.1 track, why wouldn't you want to listen to it? It isn't a matter of distracting or enhancing, it's a matter of reproducing what's on the disc. If a 7.1 track exists on the BD and you've only got a 5.1 system, you're not going to be able to reproduce the track as it was engineered.

Which is why a lot of the surround speakers are designed the way they are. To fill the room and make it harder to tell where one specific sound is coming from.

No, no, no! The goal for any speaker is to take the signal and produce the audio without coloring it or muddying it. The goal of a good RECORDING ENGINEER is to make the stereophonics such that sounds appear to not be "stuck to the speakers", which is what you're talking about in terms of filling the room. But we should be able to pinpoint where a specific noise is coming from in the soundstage. Surround speakers shouldn't make it hard to tell where a noise is.

Not to mention none of the movies in 7.1 were ever originally intended to be in 7.1 (as of me writing this anyway). They were all meant for either 5.1 or 5.1 EX/ES.

Point taken, but some were remixed for Blu-ray in 7.1 and to hear the new mix, you really need a 7.1 system. I hasten to point out, the Godfather was never originally intended to be 5.1, but I bet you'll want to hear what Paramount does to the mix.

[ClaytonMG]

Originally Posted by Gremal

All you need to justify it is the existence of blu-ray discs with 7.1 tracks. I just popped in a great one the other night, Exiled.



It is to the sound engineer who developed the 7.1 track.



Be more specific. If a gunfight has erupted offscreen or a car is crashing offscreen, a good sound designer will make the effort to assign the noises of those effects to the appropriate area around the listener. Granted, you don't need 7 separate speakers to make this happen, but if a BD has a 7.1 track, why wouldn't you want to listen to it? It isn't a matter of distracting or enhancing, it's a matter of reproducing what's on the disc. If a 7.1 track exists on the BD and you've only got a 5.1 system, you're not going to be able to reproduce the track as it was engineered.



No, no, no! The goal for any speaker is to take the signal and produce the audio without coloring it or muddying it. The goal of a good RECORDING ENGINEER is to make the stereophonics such that sounds appear to not be "stuck to the speakers", which is what you're talking about in terms of filling the room. But we should be able to pinpoint where a specific noise is coming from in the soundstage. Surround speakers shouldn't make it hard to tell where a noise is.



Point taken, but some were remixed for Blu-ray in 7.1 and to hear the new mix, you really need a 7.1 system. I hasten to point out, the Godfather was never originally intended to be 5.1, but I bet you'll want to hear what Paramount does to the mix.

That is more my point. At no point should something behind the listener become distracting. And by fill the room with sound I mean more fill in the gaps. I am also not saying "don't use 7.1!!!" But I am saying that if you use 5.1 with Surround EX, PLIIx, or even the THX processing modes, you'll get the same effect as a 7.1 track. Unless the film was actually mixed for 7.1. Like right now, if you take a 7.1 Blu-Ray, those extra sounds that were originally in the side channels and then moved to the rears for 7.1, end up just getting stuck in the sides when playing the track. Where as if the film was in 5.1 and you enabled PLIIx or any of the other modes I was talking about, there's more of a chance of the sound coming from the right area of the room. Get what I am saying?