Why 7.1 Surround Sound is Overkill For Most Homes

RX8 writes "Home Theater expert Mark Fleischmann explains why you should not fall for the 7.1 hype and why 5.1 surround sound is adequate for most homes. From the article: 'With the marketing of 6.1 and 7.1 surround, the industry has decisively outwitted itself. It has convinced many consumers to buy new receivers and more speakers. But it has also undermined the 5.1-channel standard, which is more appropriate for the home, slowing the acceptance of surround sound in general.'"

Comments

Re:Watch LOTR ROTK

[iainl]

I can't tell the difference.

But then, I've got my 5.1 set up correctly and I sit in the right place. In the same way, if you're in the sweet spot, then the centre speaker isn't needed either.

6.1/7.1 is a really useful invention for cinemas in particular, as it allows you a much larger range to sit in where the surround still 'works' correctly. Which is the whole article condensed, really. If you've got your speakers set up right, then adding an extra one or two directly behind you doesn't really add anything. If you've got multiple sofas in your room, then the people sitting to one side of the TV will get a better surround effect with that centre-rear channel.

So while I'd definitely agree with the premise that rubbishing the idea for home presentation is wrong, it _is_ worth considering on an individual basis whether it is worth spending money adding the extra channel to an existing setup.

Re:2 ears, 2 speakers

[scrm]

This demo of 3D sound out of two speakers still blows me away: http://www.holophonic.ch/archivio/testaudio/Cereni %20-%20Holophonic.mp3

Re:Ok this guy is doing more than just a little BS

[The Clockwork Troll]

Also, more channels wouldn't give a reciever any more reason to clip. Each channel is a seperate amp.

A receiver's amplified channels still share a single power supply. This is kind of the defining trait of a receiver, actually (and, along with pre-amp stage purity, the source of all the receiver vs. separates debates of the ages). If the power supply (with support from capacitors) cannot maintain rail voltage for the load across the channels at a given instant, all channels are generally going to clip, go into "protection" mode, etc.

Center Channel

[D.A. Zollinger]

Actually the center channel has a specific and unique use. The majority (like 90%) of the dialogue comes from the center channel. This means two things; first your center channel speaker must be the best speaker in your setup so that you can hear the dialogue clearly, and second, this allows you to isolate the dialogue and alter the volume for it separately from the rest of the content.

If you have ever played a surround sound DVD on a stereo setup, you would know what I am talking about almost immediately. The dialogue has been mixed with the other sounds and forced out of two speakers, and the dialogue has to compete with all of the other sounds being generated. This makes for unclear dialogue, or dialogue that changes from being too soft or too loud in comparison with the rest of the movie soundtrack. With a multi-speaker setup, you can increase the output of the center channel for added dialogue clarity without increasing the overall volume of the performance.

For fun, next time you go to an audio-visual store, turn off the center channel and watch everyone wonder in amazement how they can hear all of the sound effects of the movie, but no sound comes out when people move their lips. This is especially fun in places like Best Buy where the "audio experts" only comprehension of audio systems is that they are not paid on commission.