5.1 vs 7.1 - Advise please.

[Chuck328]

Hi all,

I currently have a 5.1 home cinema and am about to go for an AV Amp (Onkyo or the likes).

Question is, anyone gone from 5 to 7.1? Was it worth it? I'm guessing the size of the room may have a lot to do with it?

Can't yet decide whether it's worth getting a 7.1 capable amp and adding speakers (this is to tag onto a Blu Ray recorder).

Thoughts, advise and experiences welcomed.

Thanks in advance.

(PS the search function is down so can't find much!)

[PhilboSE]

Chuck328 said:

Hi all,

I currently have a 5.1 home cinema and am about to go for an AV Amp (Onkyo or the likes).

Question is, anyone gone from 5 to 7.1? Was it worth it? I'm guessing the size of the room may have a lot to do with it?

Can't yet decide whether it's worth getting a 7.1 capable amp and adding speakers (this is to tag onto a Blu Ray recorder).

Thoughts, advise and experiences welcomed.

Thanks in advance.

(PS the search function is down so can't find much!)

There isn't much true 7.1 stuff encoded out there. DTS-HD has generally won over Dolby TruHD, but it's still an optional codec for blu-ray. However the number of discs available with true 7.1 encoding are pretty few.

However, all but the entry level AV stuff supports 7.1 decoding so I would definitely get a receiver that can handle it.

Whether you go to a full 7.1 setup is somewhat moot - yes it does depend on room size as you need the speakers some way behind you - you don't want them just behind your ear. Also, don't expect to be blown away by the effect - apart from a few artificial "overhead flyby" effects, the true rears don't get that much action. So, if you have the space for it, and want to spend the extra on some rears (or have some old ones lying around you can press into service), and the cabling isn't an issue, then why not go for 7.1?

However you might be disappointed having set it all up to find that true 7.1 content is thin on the ground. And the stepup from 5.1 to 7.1 is very underwhelming compared with 2.x to 5.1.

In conclusion:

7.1 receiver: definitely, spend more than £400 and you'll get this
7.1 speakers: if you can afford it, cable it and have the space for it
7.1 content: if you're lucky!

[rhinochopig]

I did and no it wasn't. Just more speaker wire to hide, stands / wall mounts to fit, and you need the space to do it justice really, which means your sofa needs to be in the middle of the room.

I'd put the 400+ quid you'll save into better 5.1 speakers or some other toy.

[Driller]

Can you actually buy AV amps that aren't at least 7.1? Even the middle of the road ones all seem to go up to 9.1 or even 11.1/2 these days.

[PhilboSE]

Driller said:

Can you actually buy AV amps that aren't at least 7.1? Even the middle of the road ones all seem to go up to 9.1 or even 11.1/2 these days.

Yes, the real bottom-scraper entry level stuff at less than £300 is 5.1 and they can't afford the higher end decoder licences - or it's just market segmentation, I don't know. But as you say, no-one should really consider an AV receiver at that level, false economy.

If someone's only got £300 to spend then my advice would be to go straight to the online stores offering something like a Panasonic BTT755 for around £330. It incorporates a latest generation blu-ray disc spinner, an integrated receiver/amp with all the necessary codecs, and a 5.1 speaker setup. I bought one such system when I moved my expensive gear into a new cinema room, not expecting very much, and I was blown away by the relative performance, for the money. Yes it's not as good as my high-end system, but for something one tenth the price it gives something like eight tenths the performance.

The way I look at it, it's a £200 blu-ray player with a 5.1 speaker system and AV receiver for £130. Bargain.

[JustinP1]

I'm a recording engineer with a top end 7.1 setup - it does make a difference.

I've advocated this before, and will do again - if anything, you get more 'bang for buck' going from 5 to 7 on a low end system than a higher one. A £20,000 5.1 system is going to sound awesome anyway with great soundstage and spread all around.

However at the lower end you often find that the rear speakers just end up sounding like sounds are coming from the corners of the room rather than a true envelopment of sound.

My advice is the same as I just did for my father in law. He got an Onkyo 7.1 amp (£300) and was going to settle for a package with 5 speakers and a sub for £300. My advice was to go with that and get some cheap floor standers which he did for £120. They become the front pair, and provide the 'weight' at the front where most of the sound is coming from and meant that there is 4 rear speakers for the 7.1 matrix.

It sounds bloody good, and for the money astonishing. The added speakers mean that *even for 5.1* the sound no longer sounds like it is coming from the rear speakers rather it sounds like it is coming from a virtual position. That of course is the idea for surround sound.

[Chuck328]

Some good stuff chaps, thanks.

The way I'm looking at it is a bit of "future proofing" (if that's the right phrase).

Driller said:

Can you actually buy AV amps that aren't at least 7.1? Even the middle of the road ones all seem to go up to 9.1 or even 11.1/2 these days.

I was looking at an Onkyo 509 which is 5.1, circa £300+. Then they have the 609 which is a 7.1 but comes in at around £500. I'm still browsing around for an AVR as Onkyo obviously can't be arsed at replying to prospective customer emails.

I do like your idea Justin about using two floor speakers (I have four in the loft already). I think I will go for the 7.1 but as Rhino says, if cabling/space etc becomes awkward, I put two speakers back in the loft.

Thanks again.

[Disco You]

If you don't care about of lack of networking support, the 608 is available for £300 (same price as the 509) in Richer Sounds at the moment.

That said, if you want to use floorstanders at the front now/ at some stage, I would recommend buying an AVR with pre-outs for the front two speakers, so you can add a stereo amp to drive the front floorstanders.