Surround back spkrs in 7.1 vs 5.1 surround spkrs


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In a 7.1 setup....if a 5.1 movie soundtrack is being played, do all seven speakers engage or just 5? In this instance, does the sound just go to the surrounds rather than the surround back speakers?

In the converse...if a 7.1 soundtrack is being played through a 5.1 system, does the surround back tracks get played through the surrounds? In other words, does all the information get played back in two separate rear channels rather than four surround channels?
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128x128mitch4t

Showing 1 response by mitch4t

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I'm currently running 5.1. I have a huge room and I want to add another pair of surrounds...either as back surrounds for 7.1, or running four surrounds in 5.1 via "Y"-connectors. Maximum coverage for the whole room is what I'm after.

I have the capability to go 7.1, but I want all 7 speakers engaged for every movie that I play.

My dvd player decodes all signals, Hi-Def and regular through the analog outs.

So, according to the explantions above, if I set up a 7.1, and play a 5.1 disc...the back surround speakers will engage. So, if I set up a 7.1, all speakers will engage for either a 5.1 or a 7.1 track.

I already have all of the equipment to do this...I just wanted to make sure what my options were before I installed the second set of surrounds.
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