How to Choose the Right Size Surround Sound System
There are many factors that should go into consideration when choosing a surround sound system. Surround sound system manufacturers have numerous models and brands with varying quality, different technologies are used based on the brand and model, and there are two major sizes, or types of surround sound systems: 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound systems. If your choice comes down to the size, consider the pros and cons of each size system.
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Instructions
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Look at the setup of the room you want to put the surround sound system in. If your room is small or doesn't have much room for speakers, a 5.1 system should be sufficient as it will do a very good job at filling the room with sound. If your room is very large, a 7.1 system is recommended as it will do a better job at filling the entire room with sound.
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Consider whether or not you want to purchase a Blu-ray player along with your surround sound system. Blu-ray movies are encoded with 7.1 surround sound, so if you have a 5.1 system, the two discrete back surround channels will be mixed in with the left and right surround channels, making it impossible to hear those two channels discretely. If you will be purchasing or already have a Blu-ray player, the only way to hear those two channels discretely is with a 7.1 system.
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Visit the home theater section of a retail store and find two different systems on display, one 5.1 and the other 7.1. One at a time, listen closely to the floor models and try to detect the differences between the audio quality of the two sizes. If you cannot detect a difference or if the difference you detect is not a big deal to you, choose a 5.1 system. If you detect a difference and it is too much for you to ignore, choose a 7.1 system.
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Tips & Warnings
7.1 surround sound systems consist of eight speaker components, each responsible for a discrete audio channel: front right, front left, surround right, surround left, back surround right, back surround left, center channel, and subwoofer.
5.1 surround sound systems consist of six speaker components, each responsible for a discrete audio channel: front right, front left, surround right, surround left, center channel and subwoofer.
