5.1 vs 7.1

There are very few Titles available in the market with 7.1 or even 6.1. Even if they are, they just mix few signals from the rear surrounds and bump them onto another channel... (not all... Check out for eg. Se7en special edition, they have optimized the sound for 6.1, meaning the 6th channel gives what it really should and not just add some sounds. but like I said earlier, there are very few available).
I would say, listen to both in 5.1 and choose based on sound clarity and surround processing, if onkyo sounded better for you, the added channels are a Bonus!

thanx a lot kvish. i heard the sonodyne 5.1 AV-300 Receiver and it sounded just amazing.
what puts me in a dilemma is if the formats quickly change to 7.1 in the near future, i wud be stuck with a 5.1 receiver, and i wud have to spend a hell lot to upgrade.

does the 7.1 or 6.1 give a much better surround effect than 5.1? in short, what shud i go for.....5.1 recvr or the 7.1?
(Note: The hall in my house is small)

Hi !

I have a 7.1 setup from Marantz and I find absolutely no advantage over 5.1 because:

1. I haven't come across even a single DVD in the market which is true 7.1 format

2. I wonder if the AVR actually any true internal 7.1 suporting decoding formats. It just has EX/ES which splits the sound of the two rear channels to feed into 4 rear channels.

I suggest that you should look more at the quality 5.1 system.

Regards

Dr. Sanjay Dhawan

thanx Dr.
which connections (component video/s-video/composite/audio) do u use to get the high quality picture and audio? what type of cables?
I am presently in the US. shud I get any video/audio cables from here to enhance the picture and audio?

Hi.. even i was looking at the Onkyo 503 as it is 7.1 and future proof.. was looking at coupling with a Lithos 2.1 sub sat.. and later upgrading to a HT.. but the Sonodyne 5.1 processor and pre amp is getting a lot of mention.. now am in 2 minds.. whether to go for a Marantz / Onkyo 7.1 or a sonodyne.. pls help

Hi !

I use quality component cables for video from DVD to AVR to TV. And I use quality speaker cables from AVR to speakers and co-axial cable for digital audio connection between DVD & AVR.

At present I see not much merit in 7.1 (over 5.1) system. BTW Marantz is not bad for 5.1 either.

Regards

Dr. Sanjay Dhawan

the onkyo TX-SR503 AV receiver gives 130W/ch, continuous 6 ohms.
The Genie-II speakers works at 80W, 8 ohms.
Will this difference in wattage between the AVR and speakers overload the speakers?
shud I get more powerful speakers?

Hey Guys CAUTION !!!! dont get into the trick that if your reciever is 7.1 that means you can enjoy 7.1 formats of DVD. Its not like that. Your reciever should be able to DECODE authentic 7.1 surround formats as well. For that your reciever should have 7.1 surround decoder.
For Example
Dolby Digital is 5.1 surround format and if your 5.1 reciever doesnt have Dolby Digital decoder then even if you have 5 channels of amplification you wont get that surround Dolby effect and it will be like playing all the music into all the chaanels.

Understand this simple fundamental thing that ONLY NUMBER OF CHANNELS OF AMPLIFICATION is not gonna give you any true surround sound, its the SURROUND DECODER which mixes the sound and feeds it appropriately to each channel. So thats the trick.

Now I dont know any surround formats yet which creates true 7.1 surround sound so there is no question of your reciever supporting any 7.1 format at all. Hence there is no future proofing in that sense at all..............

thanks Abhi.pani for that insight on decoders.
Could u kindly throw some light on the impedance matching between AVR and spkrs? Should both have the same impedance? Reg wattage a 135w/ch Japanese amp should be more or less right for a 80 watt spkr. (Do correct me if am wrong)