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5.1 vs 6.1 vs 7.1 sound?

A

Antoneo

Diamond Member
Alright, I have been doing some research about receivers, speakers, and audio formats and came across this issue.
Does a 6.1 or a 7.1 channel audio setup sound a whole lot better than a Dolby Digital 5.1?
I am talking about movies being played back in these formats but recently DVD audio has come into view as well. For a while I assumed that that DTS was similar to the Dolby Digital standard but encoded in a format that is less compressed thus higher quality and only used 5 channels plus a LFE. Now I am reading about 6.1 and 7.1 channel setups... is the extra channel(s) worth the money? One problem that arose was whether or not I should buy a receiver that 6.1+ capable. I am on a small budget (~$2k for speakers, receiver, and cd/dvd player total) and would like to buy conservatively. I would like to spend ~$500 on a receiver but many of them in that price range will only do 5.1. Also any suggestions on a good receiver for ~$500 would be nice.
 
I wouldn't go for 7.1
If you're looking to plan for the future, check out the 6.1 recievers, but don't get your hopes up for movies to be standard with it for a while.
 
Well.... I have Gladiator which says 6.1 DTS 😛.
I guess what I am also asking in the post aboveis whether the industry moving towards a 6.1 or 7.1 as a standard?
Also, can anyone explain what Dolby EX and DTS ES is?
 


<< Well.... I have Gladiator which says 6.1 DTS 😛.
I guess what I am also asking in the post aboveis whether the industry moving towards a 6.1 or 7.1 as a standard?
Also, can anyone explain what Dolby EX and DTS ES is? >>


Dolby is the standard, that's why every DVD must include it. Dolby 5.1 EX I think means that there is a matrixed rear-center channel, not a discrete one. There are only a handful (literally) of DVDs that have 6.1 DTS ES Discrete.

I think you'll be fine with 5.1...go with 6.1 if you want, but it hardly has any use. 7.1 is just a novelty and IMO a waste of money.
 
well, powerdvd can go up to 7.1 currently. but does anyone have a 7.1 speaker setup? i would if i could. but i don't know how to hook up more speakers to my computer and have it correctly set-up more than 5.1
 


<< ...but your $2k budget would barely even buy the receiver. >>


Mungart: Yeah, I know but I was wondering whether or not I should buy an entry level 6.1 or a 5.1 capable receiver and if there is a huge difference between the 5.1 experience and the 6.1/7.1 experience. I assume you know a bit about HT? can you help me find a good budget receiver for a 5.1 setup only and also is multiroom capable (I think its called a A/B switch)?
 
With the budget that you've set, go with a 5.1 receiver. IMO, you won't notice much difference between 5.1 and 7.1. And, there really aren't that many movies that will take advantage of the 6th and 7th channels. Heck, we had our theater running for several months before deciding to hook up the 6th and 7th speakers.

I've set up a system with a Sony STR-DE935 AVP. It is a nice, compact, receiver. This particular Sony will handle Dolby Digital 5.1. I've been watching Ebay for a similar unit for the computer and prices are very resonable ($150-300). Of course, Sony has newer units out that you should check out.
 
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