Home theater

[tonyou812]

What is the differance between 5:1 and 7:1 surround sound format?

 

[ItsHot]

About 2:0 !!

 

[stickboy1375]

What is the differance between 5:1 and 7:1 surround sound format?

5.1

7.1

 

[mxslick]

The difference is in the number of sound channels:

5.1 is Left, Center, Right, Left Surround, Right surround (5) and Subwoofer (.1)

7.1 has Left, Center, Right, Left Side Surround, Left Rear Surround, Right Side Surround, Right Rear Surround (7) and Subwoofer (.1)

and then there's Dolby EX (DTS ES) and the home format 6.1, which are

Left, Center, Right, Left Surround, Center Surround, Right Surround (6) and Subwoofer (.1)

In most rooms under say about 20x25 feet, you would be hard pressed to notice any appreciable differences between 5.1 and the others...one reason Dolby EX and DTS ES never really took off in commercial cinemas, most are so small that you'd never hear a difference..

Edited: Stickboy posted while I was, thanks for the images.

 

[stickboy1375]

Edited: Stickboy posted while I was, thanks for the images.

Couldn't get the 5.1 image to load...

 

[mxslick]

Couldn't get the 5.1 image to load...

LOL, thant's funny, it showed fro me at first..

But just delete the two squares on the right and left center of the 7.1 and you've got 5.1

 

[Nickarus]

This nomenclature extends past home theater setups to computer/auto speaker system purchases as well.

 

[brantmacga]

tomlinson holman now has a 10.2 surround variation he's working on.

 

[walkerj]

My step dad, a home theater GURU, has in one room:

2 center channel, 2 front left, 2 front right, one left side, one right side, 2 rear left, 2 rear right, two rear center, In wall 12" subs on left and right side, 12" rear left, 12" rear right, one 10" and one 12" front center, butt-kickers in all seating.
72" DLP with a 120" flat custom projection screen that drops from the ceiling along with the projector.

That is just in one room of the house.

View attachment 2377
Him and on of his A/V racks

 

[dbuckley]

Saw a 103 inch Panasonic plasma in a showroom yesterday and can confirm it is a very big telly indeed.

Quite what the x.y channels necessary to do that mother justice is beyond me...

 

[mxslick]

tomlinson holman now has a 10.2 surround variation he's working on.

Another worthless effort..I repeat what I had posted above, in most rooms the combination of size and acoustics make it very difficult, if not impossible, to localize the sound from that many channels.

Many cinemas who bought into Dolby EX have seen all that money (an average of about $7,000 - $10,000 PER SCREEN) wasted, as first off, it did not have a noticable impact on ticket sales and only a few films were actually released in EX.

Also, too many "point sources" of sound create a very distracting, murky soundfield that will ultimately have only one "sweet spot" where the effect is properly reproduced.

Having been in countless cinemas, I have heard fantastic sound from the original Dolby Stereo spec (what would be called 4.1) and really crappy sound from 5.1 and greater setups, including some of the "THX Certified" auditoria.

Proper acoustic design, room size, speaker placement and aiming are all more critical than the number of channels.

 

[brantmacga]

Proper acoustic design, room size, speaker placement and aiming are all more critical than the number of channels.

i'll agree with that.


i have a pretty well positioned 5.1 system and i don't think 7.1 could sound any more immersive in my home. 10.2 would just be overkill.

 

[Jefferson A/V]

5.1 vs. 7.1

5.1 vs. 7.1

I have installed many home theaters, ranging from the casual family room to a fully dedicated stand alone theater.
In my experience 7.1 offers to much sound and becomes distracting to the listener.
Although I always prewire for 7.1 it is rarely ever used.
Usually the only change I make to 5.1 is to make it 5.2 (addition of one more Sub).

Steve J