I currently have a 5.1 and was considering getting 1 or 2 more speakers for 6.1 or 7.1 but I keep hearing that 7.1 is a waste of money in a house and it's more for the movie theater.

Anyone here have an experience with both?

Depends on your room and layout.

Depends on your room and layout.

EXACTLY.... Way too many times people just shoe horn in a couple more speakers because they "think" 7.1 has got to be better than 5.1. I mean the more speakers you have the better right?.... Wrong.

A properly laid out and calibrated 5.1 system will sound far superior to a poorly laid out 7.1 system. Often times a "normal" room configuration doesn't allow for proper placement of seven speakers. Take a look at the Dolby or THX web sites for ideal locations for a seven speaker arrangement. If your room falls in line and will allow all seven speakers in the ideal locations, then I'd highly recomment doing it. Otherwise, you will very likely degrade the performance of your HT sound system.

You could also use/spend that money on another subwoofer to even out the bass response and dramatically improve the foundation of your theater. Or, look into upgrading (or adding) room treatments. Both of which will have a lot more impact on your over all experience than adding a couple more speakers will.

Of course, the obligatory FWIW, IMHO, YMMV and just my $0.02.

The simple answer is, maybe. It depends on where your listening position is in your room. If your listening position is against the wall, then you will be much happier w/5.1. In order for 7.1 to be effective, you need at least 3 feet of space behind your listening position - 6 (or more) feet is more effective. So if you have a 10 x 12 room and you sit in the middle, 7.1 would work. But if you had a 15 x 24 room and you sit against a wall, 5.1 would sound better. It's not necessarily about the size of your room, it's about the layout.