Surround Sound: What Is The Difference Between 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 ?

It is very easy to get frustrated by all of the different kinds of surround sound packages that are available today.

Should I get 5.1 or 7.1 Surround sound?
What do these numbers actually stand for?
What is the difference between a 5.1, 6.1, 7,1 sound system?
Which is the best for me?

What Do The Numbers Mean?

Simply put, each number represents the total number of speakers in the surround sound system.
For example a 5.1 surround sound would have:
(1) Center Channel speaker that you hear the characters talking through. (This is often placed on top , above or below your television.)
(2) Front speakers for left and right audio. (These are installed on either side of your tv) Imagine hearing all of the back ground music through these as well as the sound effects of the siren of a police car heading right at you.
(2) Rear speakers for left and right audio. These are used for background sound effects .

What does the ".1" in 5.1 stand for?
This simply is the subwoofer that gives you the bass for your sound effects. (You can place it behind the drapes or under a table .)

What about the 6.1 surround sound system ?

Everything is the same as the 5.1, except...
There is an additional rear center channel speaker for sound effects.

Did you know they even have 7.1 surround sound now?

Everything remains the same for the 5.1 surround sound.
Now instead of a rear center channel speaker like a 6.1...
There are (2) middle speakers for left and right sound. These are centered midway between your front left and right & the rear left and right speakers.

Which Surround Sound System Is Best For Me?

Well it depends on a few things...
Was your home pre-wired for surround sound? The industry standard for a standard room is 5.1.
If you wanted to use 6.1 or 7.1 you would have to run the wires through a beasement or crawl space.

I7.1 may not be practical to use in a smaller room. Another consideration is that even in a large open room...there may be no place to mount the middle surround speakers. When it comes to using a 7.1 system, most people opt to use it in a large cnema or theater room that has enough space to mount them properly.

Who knows what they will come up with next to simulate a real life experience while watching a movie?

Learn more about the differences between 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound speaker systems here.

F. Cheshire is a Home Theater Consultant in Atlanta.

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