Should I wire for 7.1?

[imtl]

Just drastically upgraded my system from Bose Acoustimas 10 to Klipsch RF-82, RC-64, RS-52 and RSW-12d sub. Will drive with my Denon AVR 3805. Excited is an understatement....

Am looking for feedback on the system as well as whether or not I should wire for 7.1? Someone referred to 7.1 as a "parlor trick"-am wondering what the forum thinks.

[Guest " "]

"I should wire for 7.1?"

I can't imagine why someone who owns and has properly installed a 7.1 system would say such a thing.

[imtl]

Don't actually have the new speakers yet-just purchased a week ago but am waiting for the theatre to be completed and was planning on wiring for 7.1 until someone (whose identity and employer shall be protected) told me that it was a "parlor trick". I'm all for it - seems short sighted not too don't you think?

[jamesV]

Even if you never use the 7.1, I don't know why you wouldn't, you would still have the wires in place if you ever should want to up grade. If you stay around here that up grade bug will bite, it's just a matter of time.

James

[imtl]

And the bug bites hard! Thanks James!

[Jay481985]

reasons for 7.1 hmmmm maybe because it is now supported with hddvd and blu ray??? 7.1 really was not there with dts and neo 6.1 etc etc but its now here

[oldtimer]

If you are going to play with wiring, then definitely set it up.

[JJkizak]

If you don't have a accessable wiring panel in the floor I would wire for 171.1 as technology never stops. They will add something every 6 months which you will need new wires for. If I was to build a house from scratch I would design special wiring troughs in the floor throughout the entire house with removable panels so adding/removing wires/plumbing/electrical/security would be easy.

JJK

[Surround me with sound]

Definetely wire for 7.1. Movies are moving in that direction. I don't know if your amp supports 7.1 stereo, but if it does, it is quiet a room filler. My Yamaha rx-v1600 supports 7.1 stereo and my old albums and cd's sound incredible.

[DrWho]

the "parlor trick" being implemented is called matrixing and because
the matrix algorithm is pre-determined, studios can still record in 7.1
and achieve near discrete channels. Really, it's 6.1 material, but the
extra surround was added to provide better coverage and a more
realistic surround field. The problem with a center directly behind
your head is that you can't tell if the sound is in front or behind
you, and since your focus is on the screen, 6.1 ends up confusing the
listener sitting in the sweet spot (you hear things that aren't there).

As
far back as the 70's it was determined by Bell Labs that a minimum of 7
surround channels were necessary in order to reproduce a convining
surround image (kinda like how you need at least two, but preferably 3
speakers for realistic 2-channel playback).

Anyways, the
matrixing algorithm mixes signals that are present on the Surround
left/right channels into a mono "center channel" which is then spread
out to the surround channels. Some recievers just leave both rear
speakers playing the same source material. Others will try to weight
the sound based on what the surround channels are doing. It's not
exactly discrete playback anyway you look at it, but it's there to
provide the necessary spatial cues and centering of the image that is
required.

I know I'm botching the description up - probably cuz
I'm not familiar enough with the circuits in question (and I've had 8
hours of sleep the last week), but the point is that 7.1 is the
bare minimum and 5.1 is a compromise. Going with a 5.1 system for now
is by no means a poor decision (in fact, I would argue that in the long
term it's a better decision if it allowed you to step up the quality a
notch). But definitely prewire for 7.1. Worst case scenario you end up
selling your house and you can use the 7.1 as a bigger wow factor than
the 5.1 []

Anyways, welcome to the forum. That is quite an upgrade!

[Islander]

I have a 7.1 system (with 2 La Scalas) in the livingroom and a 5.1 system in the bedroom, and here's my take on it: it depends where your listening position is. If you're sitting with the back of your chair very near the wall, 5.1 is just fine. If you're sitting more than 5 feet or so ahead of the back wall, 7.1 is the way to go. The rear surround channels may be matrixed, not discrete, but they definitely help the sound in a large room.

Also, some may disagree, but I don't think the surround speakers need to match the fronts. Having 7 Heritage speakers in the room seems logical and looks great if you have the space, but in most material there just isn't that much surround content. Applause, thunder, shell casings and broken glass bouncing on the floor, a knock on a door, that seems like most of what I hear. "Good enough" speakers seem to suffice most of the time.

The main disadvantage of not having Heritage (or at least Klipsch) surround speakers is matching the levels. In my case, even with the furthest surround speaker at +10dB, I still had to set the Scalas at -4dB. But that's no big deal, and the system sounds fine. I should pick up House of Flying Daggers again, though, and have a listen to The Echo Game scene with the Scalas in the system.

Pat on the Island

[imtl]

Nothing I hate worse than a short sighted decision. Went ahead and had my contractor wire for 7.1. Am anxious to get the HT done and get to enjoying my new system. The echo scene in House of Flying Daggers is cool even on my Bose system. Can't wait to hear it on my new one!

[Schurkey]

If it was me--and it may be at some point--I would wire for 7.2 not 7.1.

My current system has the bass going to the front main speakers, so technically I have 7.0 (no discrete subwoofer) However, if your main speakers won't do the bass, I gotta say I like the idea of two smaller subs rather than one large one. Fewer issues with standing waves is one benefit.

[damonrpayne]

Discrete 7.1 material will slowly become the norm as bluray aand hd-dvd are adopted. Most of the initial releaes on these formats are still 5.1 surround, but the new audio codecs support 7.1 (only over HDMI) so its only a matter of time for equipment to catch up.

[Arky]

Good decision made...if you have the chance to prewire definately do it.