If you’ve looked into installing your own home cinema surround sound system then you will most likely have come across the different options when it comes to the number of surround sound channels.
Should you go for a 5.1 setup which gives you 2 surround channels or maybe a 7.1 setup which gives you 4 surround channels.
If this is already sounding a bit confusing for you then don’t worry as this article is going to clearly lay out the differences between the two and let you know which option is going to work best for you.
How Many Home Cinema Surround Sound Channels Do I Need?
The answer to this question is going to lie mainly with the size of the room and available space you have to work with. Whenever you go to a mainstream cinema you notice that there are usually lots of surround sound speakers going round the sides and behind where you’re sitting. The reason for this is to compensate for the size of the room and to make sure that everyone gets a good movie experience.
Now when we translate this to a home cinema surround sound setup then you can see that the number of surround speakers will be a lot less. In most cases you are going to find that a 5.1 setup which gives you 2 channels of surround sound is going to be more than enough. If you have a larger space and the room is longer then you may benefit from a 7.1 setup which has 4 channels.
So, Which Setup Is Better?
The thing to note is that even in a 7.1 setup the 4 surround channels are simply fed from the same outputs so they are all getting the same signals coming from the movie soundtrack. All the system is doing is creating 4 channels out of 2 so you are not really gaining that much more information or audio reproduction.
So the answer to which is better is purely going to be dictated by which setup works best for you given your room size. If you have a very large room then you may need to look at 9.1 channels or even more. This is something that can be determined from a brief consultancy with your home cinema expert.
What Does the ‘Point 1′ Stand For In 5.1?
When we are talking about home cinema surround sound channels and in fact any home cinema audio setup the first number always refers to the main speakers in your system. This will usually consist of 3 main front speakers on the left, centre and right of your screen. You will then also have maybe 2, 4 or greater surround sound speakers which take the number up to 5, 7 or more.
The second number after the decimal point always refers to the subwoofer unit. Now a subwoofer is a very low frequency speaker which recreates the deep bass used for thunderstorms and explosions. It’s the speaker that really gives your home cinema surround sound system that ‘thump’ that makes watching movies such fun.
Sometimes your system may have 2 subwoofers or even more and in this case you may refer to your setup as 5.2 or 7.2. The choice of whether you should use 2 or more subwoofers is beyond the scope of this article but it is now becoming quite common on higher end systems.
Afterthoughts
The final decision on which setup is best for you should really be a discussion you have with your home cinema specialist as they are going to be able to advise you best once you give them enough information about your proposed setup and room conditions.
If you would like to take advantage of our FREE consultation service where we discuss the best design ideas and setups based on your individual requirements then please visit http://www.HomeCinemaSystem.Co/Welcome and start your own home cinema surround sound setup dreams
Happy listening!
Justin Hyne
http://www.JustinHyne.com
