5.1 vs 7.1 worth the upgrade?

Do you have any room behind the listening position? You need 3 to 4' minimum and the ability to spread the speakers to about 30 degrees from the LP to get the benefit.



Craig

It's worth it IF your listening position is away from the back wall AND you can distinguish sounds from your sides vs sounds coming from behind you.

I use my 7.1 system primarily for listening to music in surround (4 speakers provide better wrap-around envelopment than 2 speakers). When watching the occasional movie, the benefits of a 7.1 set-up become more noticable, especially with soundtracks that highlight rear-vs-side action in the surround field. It's most noticable with games, some of which really take advantage of the localization you can get with 4 surround speakers.

I went to 7.1 several years ago and wouldn't want to go back Getting the better sound localization in the rear 180 degrees of the room is great for special effects. That said, it's a more of a refinement of the surround field. Whether that's worth it or not is really a personal choice, and the level of improvement will depend on your room layout etc.