Is 7.1 worth it?

[richard lichtenfelt]

I'm leaning towards getting a 7.1 system, but I live in an apartment and probably won't be moving for years. Would I be foolish to have 7.1 surround in a living room that only measures 25 by 15 feet?
Especially those who have gone from a 5.1 to a 7.1 set-up please give me some feedback.

[BLU STEAL]

There is still not much 7.1 content out there. But hopefully soon there will be. If your a gamer and have a ps3 most of if not all of the games are in 7.1.

[bilbravo]

I have a 6.1 system, and I don't even have the 6th speaker hooked up. I'm still in a 5.1 configuration.

If you have a dedicated theatre room and are really in to home theatre, it's probably worth it.

[hc666]

I responded too fast... your neighbours will likely kill you if you go 7.1 lol

sorry i didn't read the whole post!

[Memnoch]

I had a 5.1 system for a while and upgraded to a 7.1 system when I got my PS3. All I had to do was buy two center surround speakers for behind my couch. I think it was $40. I have an Onkyo 605. I have lived in an apartment for quite a few years and haven't had any issues. I love it. It is true that there is not a TON of 7.1 content, but everything I have put in that PS3 has sounded amazing, except Spiderman 1 for some reason. That is the only BD I have ever been disappointed with. 2 and 3 sounded great, but 1 was muffled and bad. Don't know why.

I recently got Rockband and the crowd noises fill the room all around you, like you are really there. Everyday Shooter sounds great, love the soundtrack on that game. So does the NIN SACD The Downward Spiral. I don't like to miss out on things, like if I had gotten a BD that had 7.1 and I had to go with a 5.1 mix, so it was worth the upgrade to me. It is not worth a major investment right now, but may be in a year or two. But if you have an extra $500, it is definitely a nice upgrade.

[CptGreedle]

I have been playing Folklore lately, and it completely surrounds me in the environment, you can hear the insect and the birds all around you. I think it is worth the extra price.

[chrisshea]

we got 7.1 and 2 more speakers yamaha calls presence speakers but i doubt anything come sout of them

[johnnymech]

I have 5.1 and have found that that the rear speakers aren't as important as a good subwoofer. 7.1, as an idea, seems like too much clutter.

To anyone that doesn't feel like running cable around the room, I'd recommend three speakers up front (left, center, right) and a subwoofer. The subwoofer is considered the ".1", but adds to the sound more than the speakers that add the occasional ambient noise.

[tron3]

The room is only 15 feet wide? I'm no sound expert but that could impact the acoustics of the room. You'll probably get a lot of sound bouncing off the side walls if you crank the volume too high.

But that is just my opinion.

[hc666]

Originally Posted by richard lichtenfelt

I'm leaning towards getting a 7.1 system, but I live in an apartment and probably won't be moving for years. Would I be foolish to have 7.1 surround in a living room that only measures 25 by 15 feet?
Especially those who have gone from a 5.1 to a 7.1 set-up please give me some feedback.

YES Just got my TX-SR605 with 7.1 SKS-HT740 speakers going last night.

Put on the Descent and listened to the the opening waves crashing behind my head... was sweet.

Esp if you are Blu... need the 7.1 dude

Note that the Descent is 6.1 movie, but uses the 2 back speakers as one signal

[beavis667]

Originally Posted by richard lichtenfelt

I'm leaning towards getting a 7.1 system, but I live in an apartment and probably won't be moving for years. Would I be foolish to have 7.1 surround in a living room that only measures 25 by 15 feet?
Especially those who have gone from a 5.1 to a 7.1 set-up please give me some feedback.

I've had 7.1 since 2003 or so...well a receiver that makes up what comes from the side channels. With the onset of lossless audio with dedicated 7.1 i bought a new receiver that is 7.1 also. I think if anythin, BD makes 7.1 worth it. In the past, the side channels were just filler, and not totally necessary, but nice for a big room. I've since moved to a smaller room for TV/movie watching on my 7.1 system, and in the 2 titles that I have that ARE 7.1 (Delta Farce and The Condemned) there is a noticable surround positioning improvement.

With that said, audio quality is >>>>>>>>> that good surround effects. If I had to pick between 5.1 lossless and 7.1 lossy, I'd take the 5.1 every day of the week. BD will eventually be all 7.1 lossless so you might as well future proof yourself there while you are spending the money.

[cdot2four]

a 11.2 system? thats sick

[bootman]

It's really worth it with either all fullrange speakers or 4 subs.

I can't run 7.1 because my room has an open wall and I'm not willing to run ceiling speakers. (yet)
I can do 6.1 though but the trouble isn't worth it in my room with my current speakers.

[Ascended_Saiyan]

Originally Posted by cdot2four

a 11.2 system? thats sick

You think THAT'S sick? Read about a 22.2 system!

[Ascended_Saiyan]

Originally Posted by richard lichtenfelt

I'm leaning towards getting a 7.1 system, but I live in an apartment and probably won't be moving for years. Would I be foolish to have 7.1 surround in a living room that only measures 25 by 15 feet?
Especially those who have gone from a 5.1 to a 7.1 set-up please give me some feedback.

Since I stepped up to 7.1, I haven't looked back. That's all I can tell you.

[miokti]

Doesn't the size of the room affects the effectiveness of 7.1. I mean, if your speakers are bunched up close to each other for lack of space, the movement of the sounds wouldn't be very distinct. You will still get good sound definition because you have more speakers, meaning different sound elements come out of separate speakers. I have 5.1 right now and I am seriously considering going 7.1. It took me a long time to balance my speakers to get sound "movement" correctly. I guess if I go 7.1, the spacing and the timing will have to be even more precise.