Side speakers?

From what I understand there are only five discreet channels plus the LFE. All the extra channels in other surround schemes are matrixed.

This idea of 2+2+2 from Europe does sound very interesting. This actually seems more like a movie theater set up to me. Not that movie theaters sound that great, but...

In the mean time I'll stay with my meager 5.1 system which has been serving me well since 1998.

OK, I have started some good dialog here! I specifically have (currently) Left, Center, Right, Sub, Left Surround and Right Surround as defined by my Pre/Pro manual (Parasound C2). However, my Surround speakers are placed an the rear wall of my room as many articles and people suggest for a 5.1 system. BTW, Ultimate AV has a very good article on placement of equipment in this months issue. So, it looks like the "other" 2 channels I can add in a 7.1 system are "Rear channels". So, if I am deciphering all this correctly when I get my new dipole speakers I will hang them on the left wall and right wall of the seating position and assign them to the SURROUND channels and take the monopole speakers hanging in the rear of my room and assign them to the REAR channel. According to the C2 manual, back channel info is always derived from the SURROUND channel so it is a matrix and not a discrete channel. Apparently, some people take 1 speaker and assign it to the REAR channel and the L and R REAR channel signals are mixed to the 1 center rear speaker. Hmm, maybe I'll look at getting a 3rd dipole and doing that and take my current speakers on the rear wall (1NTs) and move them to my upstairs 2 channel system...

This is rather confusing.

Yeah, i hear ya
When 5.1 came out, it was a good thing. now everying is trying to expand it and have the latest and greatest, when in all reality they just make it more confusing.

one of the many reasons i stick with 5.1

At this stage of my system i agree with slappy. At one time I had a 10 channel system with 3 sets of Polk SRT s two extra SRT sub enclosures and 4 top of the line Polk bipoles ; two in the very back spaced 4 feet apart and two above my head for height illusion . Each speaker had an Adcom 555 11 in mono for 600 watts . The Lexicon MC 12 ran it all. For theatre it was a visceral experience i will not forget. I now focus on a natural , effortless musical mulltichannel environment and have found 5.1 works best , for me at least . The meridian 861 was a real eye opener and i discovered a simpler more rewarding path.

I saw in one post the mention of THX and it calling for mono-pole speakers, from what I understand only a dipole spaker is truely a THX surround compliant speaker, now you dont need these in the back, it would help but not needed, but for the sides dipole is THX standard, atleast im fairly sure of it...good thread though...p.s. I dont have the 8 ft behind my couch, I run 7.1 and found that with my Rotel processor the effects sound better when I set up the digital delay for 10 feet for the center backs...just personal preference.