Is 7.1 better than 5.1

So to add a bit...

Let's look past availability which is an important determinant in its own right.

This is principally about the physical layout of the specific room - meaning how much space is there around the seating area

The way this stuff is designed, the 5.1 speakers are to the left and right of the audience about 2/3rds - 3/4s of the way back, firing across the audience (L to R, R to L)

The 7.1 pair are behind the audience firing forward towards the screen.

The more discrete sources you have, the smoother the motion of sound from one speaker to another, the more precise the placement and the greater the illusion it creates.

In many rooms, including mine (alack, alas) there is no room to fire across so the 5.1s become the rears. A dipole design helps take the edge off it but still it simply cannot create the same depth of illusion.

I disagree that a rooms size or shape is a reason to stick with 5.1. Have you heard of anybody going back to 5.1? Without room correction this could be an issue but after running room correction my small corner screen placed system simply came to attention with an incredibly balanced output. Room size may dictate the size of the speakers themselves, even that would be subject to personal preference.

7.1 offers better dialog placement for the L C R channels. The surround effects are now pinpoint accurate and do not rely on room reflection or the the front L and R speakers to convey the effect. The first thing I noticed is just how important the side channels are. It's simply more theater like. While the 7.1 media is slow in coming I find the effect on earlier soundtracks more enjoyable IMO.

Room correction software is a must and I'd stay away from dipole enclosures. Matching your current speakers with either used or discontinued speakers can make this one of your easiest audio upgrades.

Better YES. Practical NO. Of course it is better but it depends on how willing you are to invest for the small amount of 7.1 soundtracks available.

07-14-09: Shadorne
Better YES. Practical NO. Of course it is better but it depends on how willing you are to invest for the small amount of 7.1 soundtracks available.

For me, having a 7.1 source on the soundtrack is nearly immaterial. My AVP can matrix 7.1 from any 5.1 source, and does. It fills in the back and provides a more enveloping sound whether coming from a 7.1 or 5.1 channel source.

7-channel sources are growing rapidly, as just about anything coming out on Blu-ray these days is 7.1. The true 7.1 channel sources *do* provide more discrete rear channel specificity, but even in a matrix where the rear surround channels are only playing the signal common to LS and RS, it still fills in a gap that otherwise occupies the rear third of the room.

If you already have a 7-channel AVP or AVR, the additional cost of rear fill-in speakers and a pawnshop amp is minimal (e.g., I got an Adcom 535 II for $75). The only potential hassle is laying the front-to-back speaker cables.

Here is my experience. I have had both 7.1 and 5.1. The issue for me is that I have a large, open room where my setup is. Ceilings are cathedral and slanted and the room is not symmetrical. It's open space is something like 18x25 with ceilings at 9 feet and going up to the open 2nd floor.

I called my local dealer about setup and he said that he personally is not a fan of 7.1 vs 5.1. However, in my situation, he said he not only recommends it but that I should really make it happen because of the volume of space I need to fill with sound. I can tell you that once I went to the 7.1 setup he was right.

The addition of the rear two really made things come more alive. When you have a good setup the 7.1 really sings. Now, I don't even really have high-end speakers for my rear surrounds. They are only Cambridge soundworks cubes. But you have a DVD that my Anthem processes with THX and pumps the surround rears and it's just spectacular.

Now, I'm really, really happy with how my Anthem AVM20 handles the 7.1 channels. My previous lower-end Marantz didn't come close to the Anthem's sound.

I've purchased some stuff here on audiogon over the years and I've started a blog to chronicle my experiences: http://pooraudiophile.blogspot.com

I'm going to be talking about how I setup my 7.1 surrounds with Cat5 runs.

Anyway, my response is that if you have a larger room, you will likely notice a fantastic improvement as I did. In terms of practicality, yes it's a pain to run stuff, but I have come up with a lower-cost solution that I'm really happy with!

Anyway,