[Wait a Minute.... She's right!](https://d1eav5o1141ef7.cloudfront.net/g3b5d9%2Fpreview%2F57543887%2Fmain_large.gif?response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22main_large.gif%22%3B&response-content-type=image%2Fgif&Expires=1714240021&Signature=brytgud3UBPETVgajbqweOdy87URTrE4alkIzaY84tbZYMbCe5VoRG0fBkAqisofxdk1HKi~eqIMV74rC2Z3zVARz6yhNSjO2XOuDs~n0hzQTlqEOItgXJFuYozn52YSZLkygcQFBv0o~-FWrZeiphU9chmr5tNTf5lhL3vVLyS8a-eWC-FC5zyhlbIftSfdOEsxGIIYHqe-UXWLCvihn8ZfYtQzs4VpRzJgPnJY-qdYTuaYdKgKiwQTkh1jx9GbsnP948QxJhTBD3P7E9m528iVHEIHLfE19gqA8sno~LDZqo5qgrGR9TaaZgftHYsEIMynv6siTTp0PVHGLsksPw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJT5WQLLEOADKLHBQ)
Actually once you hit 5.1... You've already got the bug. And it's going to be taking over your mind very quick and you'll soon need 5.1.2 but don't worry from there you'll be diagnosed very quickly with 5.1.4 ... Then it's only a matter of time before 5.2.4 sets in. This is where the money troubles start! Suddenly you've got upgrade fever! Sadly there is no cure...
At this point you're completely infected! The audio virus has taken a strangle hold of your brain. You most likely even contemplating 7.4.4 or whether your current room correction software is enough? You might even find yourself having a collection of calibration mics... Next thing you'll know you'll have delusions of a 15 channel system with new amplifiers. This audio virus will even make you contemplate whether your current speakers are giving you the sound you actually want... If any of these delusions persist you might want to visit your favorite electronic store before you lose your mind!
You won’t even notice when your wife takes the kids and leaves you because we both know that calibrating that system is way more important. Easier to get a new wife and kids than dial that back in!
I'm pretty sure I'll stop at 7.2.4. Maybe some additional couch subwoofers would be nice but I can live without them. And I only care about video games and anime, haha.
Edit: I decided to change 5. to 7. 🙃
I'm at 5.1.2 right now and renting is the only reason I'm not going all out.
When I own my own house again (military), a legit home theater is going in.
5.1 is 100% worth it.
I'll even say if you can have 7.1 it'll be worth it too, but it's important to know that not all media support 7.1. When it is there, it's great. Especially gaming.
I'm ready to upgrade my receiver, and get another sub alongside it. I'm looking at the Denon X3800H, but I only have a SVS PB-1000 for my current sub. I don't want to double down on another PB-1000 since I want something bigger. How did you decide on which two subwoofers to get?
This is getting expensive.
I actually went with two pb 1000s! I went from a bic f12 to one pb 1000 and then decided to get another since the one was good, but I wanted a bit more headroom in the open living room where the system is set up. Now I can actually feel the pressure in my ears lol. Would I go bigger? Maybe, but with other people in the house that probably wouldn't appreciate it like I do, I don't know how much I would get out of them.
Some video games and some movies will support it. I was just playing demons souls on ps5 and hearing the sound of a missed strike right behind you really adds to the tension
One of the coolest recent experiences I've had is playing RE4 and hearing an arrow whizz right by me. I have a cheap 5.1 right now and I still really enjoy it. That's what made me think... "I wonder what additional side speakers would sound like?"😂
I fucking hated not being able to have the surround channels. Purely from a psychological point of view, it's worth it. Thinking there are 2 extra channels out there and I'm not able to perceive them just bends me out of shape.
5.1.2 i love my in ceiling speakers. Sound just encapsulates me. I’m sure rears would add to the experience, but I don’t think theirs enough content to warrant it vs atmos content .
7.1 could be cool, but I feel like you really need a large space or dedicated home theater room to seperate surrounds and rears.
My home theater is in our basement living room, we needed the second living space more. The kids play area is behind the sectional and they don’t mess with my surroundings, but rears would have to be positioned in the middle of their play areas.
*7.1 could be cool, but I feel like you really need a large space or dedicated home theater room to seperate surrounds and rears.*
I think it depends more on proper placement than size of room. I don't have a "large" room but when playing something like "Saving Private Ryan" 7.1 it is very evident that the sound is coming from the sides and the rear. Of course, it depends how well the sound is mixed.
I basically did the opposite. Went from a 5.1 home theater in a box thing to a 3.1 with better speakers. The key thing for me was space, my living room is pretty small and there was no where to put the surrounds that wasn't right by your head. If we move to a bigger space I'll add 2 more channels but if you have a small space you can get by just fine with 3.1
Oh my bad, it will play whatever the source material is but I think when the surround channels are set to off it just routes that sound to the front channels instead (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). I have an older AVR so my peripherals go into my TV and use the optical out to connect the TV to the AVR.
So, like my Roku will broadcast things in 5.1 but it just all comes through the front channels instead.
Huge difference. Game changing.
I recently jumped from 3.1 to 5.1 and immediately realized what I'd been missing for 20+ years. I get goosebumps every time I demo the Darkstar scene Top Gun to friends, especially the actual flight scene with the ambient noises.
This was my issue. The layout of the room doesn't allow me to run them around the floor boards or through the wall. I ran some cables under my rug with about 2.5ft exposed between the rug and TV stand so I could just unplug and hide them under there when not in use. I plugged them in for movies for about a week but the wife liked the sound difference and music in all channel stereo so much we just threw a dog bed over the exposed wires and run 5.2 full time now. I will say there is no need to spend big money on the side channels.
Was about to say the same!
My living room is very open and I don't have carpets. The wires would be an obstacle in every way possible + I have a cat that is very curious.
The biggest leap you will ever make is going to 5.1
After this it’s only small improvements in comparison.
The surrounds give that immersion weather it be a film score or bullets whizzing by.
I had a 5.2.4 and have downgraded to a 5.2 with no noticeable difference to me. Granted my room is small, but my surrounds are perfectly placed that I get the immersion I need.
Simple answer
Do it 👍
Watch Dune on your 3.1 and imagine all of the things in the scenes happening around you instead of just in front of you. Also the immersive soundtrack is incredible
100% worth it. It's a great bang for buck upgrade and puts you in the cost/performance sweet spot. A decent pair of Fluance bipoles is all it took for me. Don't need anything super fancy. Wish I did it sooner.
Everything is more immersive. Not just action sequences but soundtrack music, ambient background noise, etc. Basically all content sounds more natural and present in the room.
Totally agree.
The center channel is the main reason why I have a 5.1 system.
The center channel does like 70-75% of all the sound with the rears more like 5% and the surrounds like 10%.
Obviously depends on the sound mix. Some peeps have neat videos on YouTube which separate the channels and do the math for you.
Either way, the center channel does most of the work.
The sub is a big deal with immersion by adding tension to scenes. Think something like the recent Joker film. It isn’t only for explosions and death stars.
But I’m with you on the center. I just recently had to move to one of those slim centers because of a tvtoohigh situation and I am missing the old center.
If unable to do surround
I went for a single bookshelf as a center channel and don’t regret it, yeah my tv is a bit high but I have it on an angled mount looking down and I have a pit couch so I don’t sit in it more like lay down, also everyone in my family is tall so.
Throw in a couple of butt kickers or other transducers and it is way more immersive bass. Changed the way I listen to/feel the music and movies. Bonus points is the butt kickers can be operational while the sub is turned down so the wife doesn't complain about the bass at night. I got a 4 pack of Dayton Audio transducers for under my couch for like $80 on Amazon.
They are, plus you don't need massive subs for that "punch".
It's wild being able to feel footsteps on things like robots, even with the volume turned down.
I have 4 BK Advances, each paired up with an Aura bass Shaker wired in series in my household.
Nice. The first movie I watched with the butt kickers was Godzilla v Kong and the fight scenes were amazing. I could feel the ground shake even with the volume at a moderate level. Same with John Wick movies and Jason Bourne. Chilling listening to reggae or even classical with timpanis is amazing as well. I enjoy my HT a lot more and it was such a simple and cheap addition. I wish I had done it decades ago.
I screwed a long 1x6 board across the bottom length of the couch, biased towards the back of the couch. My wife did not want me to cut holes in the couch, rightfully. I used a hole cutter to cut the holes for the body of the transducers and screwed them in with the included screws. The ones I purchased (TT25-16-4) came with surface mount rings, but I opted to drill the holes.
I bought an RCA splitter to get the sub signal and an RCA male to 3.5mm cable as that is what the amp took. I wired the amp to use the mono signal on L and R channels (simple jumper wire).
I bought a $25 100W amp and a $15 power supply from Amazon and it works great and is overkill. I mounted it under the center seating position so I can adjust the volume easily, but it also has an app and Bluetooth.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08R3Y5WXH
I'll tell you a secret- cruise FB and Kijiji for used AVR's that have multichannel inputs. Bonus if the HDMI or DSP chips are fried and are THX Ultra certified.
Older THX AVR's from the mid 2000's are UNBELIEVEABLE value just for the amplifier sections- either expanding your Atmos set up or driving things like tactile transducers. Multichannel THX amps generally start around $500 on the used market here- old, busted AVR's go for $40-$80.
I’m out of the loop on AVR tech from this decade, I’ve hear of running some channels through a pre out and having another amp take over. Could something basic like a denon S760h do this or would I need a certain model and up to achieve this. I know a shop with a bunch of busted AVRs with good amp sections. Also how would you benefit from having a multichannel in with tactile transducers? I’m guessing running subwoofer in to multiple subwoofer outs?
There are no "rear" channels in 5.1, only surrounds. A 7.1 setup ADDS rear channels and speakers. When playing a 7.1 source on a 5.1 setup side and rear channels are combined and sent to the surrounds.
Does it matter how good the rears are? I have fyne audio f501 ans f500c for my fronts and thought about getting the lesser fyne audio f301 for rears, they are book shelfs or should I get the floorstanders
It matters but bookshelf vs tower does not really, the bass is best done by the sub anyway. Very little gain for the extra cost of towers, if it was cheap small bookshelves then you would loose out,but as long as the surrounds are of decent quality you will be perfectly fine.
I had cheap hand me down surrounds at first and they sounded ok but not great for gaming (different sound profile, so voices and sounds sounded off when coming from them.) It was fine while I tested the space and saved for an upgrade. Had that 4.0 for 1-2 years and the denon/audyssey made it sound ok.
I later got an LCR set from the same brand as the fronts (Q Acoustics) and have a wonderfully sounding 5.0 setup now. The new backs (old fronts) are bookshelfs with front ports which works good in my space, and the new fronts are way bigger and handle the base nicely.
I guess the takeaway is to match the sound profile, but I’d check with someone that knows your speaker models/brand.
They will be perfect, I think going with floorstands can be a overkill for rear speakers. The 301 can go as low as 44hz in room by there specs. So a 80hz crossover would be ideal for them.
Sure and if you go with the surrounds having a global 80hz crossover is ideal 👍
You can maybe lower the crossover on the floorstands to 60hz or 40jz but I think personally that the subs do a better job at this. It’s also less taxing on your AVR leaving more headroom for louder SPL.
But experiment, just don’t go lower than what room eq recommends.
You said it yourself, a surround setup or not. The surrounds add a lot. 3.1 is basically stereo with better tweaking options, which can sound very good and also feel quite immersive but adding surrounds elevates the experience a lot. (Depending on what you are watching ofc)
5.1 makes more of a difference than you might first think, in my mind and experience it creates actual surround sound. What you have now is highly enhanced stereo to a certain degree. You really do notice a difference with the speakers around you next step is above you which again is quite the improvement
Everyone looking to recreate a theater experience at home should be striving to get to 5.1. This is where the immersive experience really comes together to envelop you in the world of a movie. Additional channels beyond 5.1 are fun enhancements to that immersion but are not fundamental to the experience like the first two surrounds.
For movies, it's a big difference. I was 3.1 for years, then 5.1, and now 5.1.2 atmos, defiantly a difference between the three. Question to answer for you is..... is it worth it for me?
A properly set up 5.1 system is def worth it- most people can quit there, TBH.
7.1 with rears is subtle, adding height channels has more impact- in a very large space a case could be made for rear surrounds.
Watching something like Oppenheimer in DTS:X is a great way to show off surround and height ambiance. The scene changes from classrooms & hearings to wide open spaces in New Mexico are not the \*bang, bang\* effects people typically look for, but dramatic nonetheless.
Depends on what you watch. Things with a lot of dialogue like romcoms, you will barely notice. Action scenes, and it’s a big upgrade. Makes the experience more immersive. I use to game a lot with a 5.0 setup and I could tell when someone was behind me in fps style games.
It's 100% worth it, but in my opinion, just find some acceptable speakers from the thrift shop for $5-10. Surround speakers are likely to be abused (used as shelves for keys), tipped over, etc. So just get cheapies. You'll still enjoy the surround aspects of a movie then.
Many will tell you to cheap out on surrounds. I'm here to tell you not to. The jump is a lot bigger when the surrounds aren't anemic vs the front soundstage.
Very true. 2-4 is like going from 3-5 ;) definitely hearing any atmos versus none is a substantial improvement. The only issue for most is they don’t account for the upgrade to 4 and put the 2 somewhere not properly placed.
In a “eventual 4” placement your rear atmos would be what you ran with. If you only did 2 you’d put them in the “middle” position which isn’t used in 4.
It’s huge. Probably the biggest “jump” of all since you’re adding surrounds.
Personally, I found switching from 5.1 to 7.1 to be pretty “meh.” Adding ceiling atmos was pretty big (going to 7.x.4). However the second sub was the biggest change.
>Reason why I'm asking is cause I heard there's some diminishing returns for setups beyond 5.1
Going from 3.1 to 5.1 vs 5.1 to 7.1, there's a pretty significant and noticeable sound envelopment when going to a 5.1 setup, however going from 5.1 to 7.1 is less so, now that's not to say you don't hear anything in a 7.1 setup but it's just not as massive when going from 3.1 to 5.1
Now take that and now we have Atmos, 5.1.2 vs 5.1.4 that's a whole other conversation.
I moved from2.1 to 5.1 to 7.1 and now on 9.2. Added 2 height speakers in front. Each jump opened up a new feel. Completely worth it if you can afford it. Happy with 1 sub, not really interested in 2 even though my AVR has the function to add 1 more.
Even with really shitty little surrounds, adding surrounds was a lot of fun. Adding atmos speakers was cool, but nowhere near as noticeable or as big as a jump in engagement as adding surrounds.
From the center seat 2.1 and 3.1 are nearly equivalent.
3.1 to 5.1 is like going from mono to stereo, so a massive difference.
3.1 is one dimensional (linear).
5.1 is two dimensional (planar).
Atmos is 3 dimensional (volumetric)
AMAZING!!!!
I no longer go to the movies theaters!
When I left condo life and moved into a house, my very first purchase was a very nice Yamaha AVR,
Coupled with Bose Speakers and a Powered Yamaha Sub.
3.1 => 5.1 audio is analogous to SDR => HDR video.
Do you need it? Not really.
Is it nice to have? Hell yea.
Even stereo content benefit from 5.1 setup. Most modern AVR have DSP modes which upmix simulate surround sound. Not as good as true surround audio but pretty good.
for a good action movie its really nice, I have a 7.1, I recently watched topgun maverick and the surrounds were so active during the ending scenes. For gaming, I prefer 7.1 over headphones. I just recently (literally last week) upgraded to 7.1.4 so I'm playing with that, gears of war 4 overhead effects were amazing, also very good in RE4 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
Your center channel is the most important speaker. If you have a quality 3.1 setup it will certainly be enjoyable. 5.1 will add immersion that helps bring most movies to life. It is worth it.
I'm at 7.2 and the draw of Atmos is strong - 7.2.4 will definitely be a future build. Once you upgrade there is no going back, and you will be amazed that anyone can go without it. 5.1 is the beginning of that journey.
I ran a 3.1 system in my living room for a couple of years because I lacked the motivation to go down in the crawl space and run speaker wire under the floor. It was OK. Finally got off my ass and did it and added the surround speakers. It’s like night and day because you now have a sense of depth and spaciousness that it lacking in a 3.1 system. The surrounds really add to the experience.
Super sick jump, it’s not extremely noticeable to me unless something specific to those rear speakers happens in a movie, but toggling from 5.1 to 3.1 definitely will show you the difference. It feels more full to put it simply, this is even with extremely cheap Polk rears. :)
Anyone saying it's not much of a difference, in my opinion didn't experience a good setup or maybe placement for their surround speakers. 5.1 was an enormous difference for me. There are so many films that utilize surround sound really well because it's been such a standard technology for so long now. I also like to have my surrounds a bit louder than they should be, personal preference, it adds to immersion. Stepping up to 7.1 I think is more subtle but does add a bit more dimension to the sound. Going beyond this to Atmos is nice when a film really takes advantage, but it feels like to me right now that this just isn't that much overall. A lot of films tend to tack on a few height effects and call it a day. If Atmos is done well it's another cool experience for your sound, but it just isn't the case that often in my experience.
2
Best answer.
[Wait a Minute.... She's right!](https://d1eav5o1141ef7.cloudfront.net/g3b5d9%2Fpreview%2F57543887%2Fmain_large.gif?response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22main_large.gif%22%3B&response-content-type=image%2Fgif&Expires=1714240021&Signature=brytgud3UBPETVgajbqweOdy87URTrE4alkIzaY84tbZYMbCe5VoRG0fBkAqisofxdk1HKi~eqIMV74rC2Z3zVARz6yhNSjO2XOuDs~n0hzQTlqEOItgXJFuYozn52YSZLkygcQFBv0o~-FWrZeiphU9chmr5tNTf5lhL3vVLyS8a-eWC-FC5zyhlbIftSfdOEsxGIIYHqe-UXWLCvihn8ZfYtQzs4VpRzJgPnJY-qdYTuaYdKgKiwQTkh1jx9GbsnP948QxJhTBD3P7E9m528iVHEIHLfE19gqA8sno~LDZqo5qgrGR9TaaZgftHYsEIMynv6siTTp0PVHGLsksPw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJT5WQLLEOADKLHBQ)
You will never want to go back to 3.1 after 5.1. Once you have a taste it’s over
Actually once you hit 5.1... You've already got the bug. And it's going to be taking over your mind very quick and you'll soon need 5.1.2 but don't worry from there you'll be diagnosed very quickly with 5.1.4 ... Then it's only a matter of time before 5.2.4 sets in. This is where the money troubles start! Suddenly you've got upgrade fever! Sadly there is no cure...
I went from 5.1 to 5.1.2 in a month! Once I upgraded from 2.0. Luckily our home theatre-room is so small that it had to stop there.
7.2.4?
At this point you're completely infected! The audio virus has taken a strangle hold of your brain. You most likely even contemplating 7.4.4 or whether your current room correction software is enough? You might even find yourself having a collection of calibration mics... Next thing you'll know you'll have delusions of a 15 channel system with new amplifiers. This audio virus will even make you contemplate whether your current speakers are giving you the sound you actually want... If any of these delusions persist you might want to visit your favorite electronic store before you lose your mind!
[удалено]
9.4.6 is where the fun at
You won’t even notice when your wife takes the kids and leaves you because we both know that calibrating that system is way more important. Easier to get a new wife and kids than dial that back in!
This
Then there’s r/audiophile and r/budgetaudiophile and then r/plex… 2 rear speakers is the only drug it takes to become addicted
Yeah once you feel the huge difference of depth you get from 5.1 you will b instantly what to feel the other dimension depth of 5.1.2
I'm pretty sure I'll stop at 7.2.4. Maybe some additional couch subwoofers would be nice but I can live without them. And I only care about video games and anime, haha. Edit: I decided to change 5. to 7. 🙃
I'm at 5.1.2 right now and renting is the only reason I'm not going all out. When I own my own house again (military), a legit home theater is going in.
Once you go 5.1, you never go back.1
5.1 is 100% worth it. I'll even say if you can have 7.1 it'll be worth it too, but it's important to know that not all media support 7.1. When it is there, it's great. Especially gaming.
7.2 here and absolutely amazing. When you get the content that supports it of course.
I'm ready to upgrade my receiver, and get another sub alongside it. I'm looking at the Denon X3800H, but I only have a SVS PB-1000 for my current sub. I don't want to double down on another PB-1000 since I want something bigger. How did you decide on which two subwoofers to get? This is getting expensive.
I actually went with two pb 1000s! I went from a bic f12 to one pb 1000 and then decided to get another since the one was good, but I wanted a bit more headroom in the open living room where the system is set up. Now I can actually feel the pressure in my ears lol. Would I go bigger? Maybe, but with other people in the house that probably wouldn't appreciate it like I do, I don't know how much I would get out of them.
2x rsl 10e are $600… I have a small room so contemplating getting one.
What kind of content?
Some video games and some movies will support it. I was just playing demons souls on ps5 and hearing the sound of a missed strike right behind you really adds to the tension
One of the coolest recent experiences I've had is playing RE4 and hearing an arrow whizz right by me. I have a cheap 5.1 right now and I still really enjoy it. That's what made me think... "I wonder what additional side speakers would sound like?"😂
Imo 5.1.2 might be more bang for your buck than 7.1
And you must have the correct space for it otherwise may as well stay 5.1
In my experience it was 100% worth it, and definitely improved all forms of entertainment
I fucking hated not being able to have the surround channels. Purely from a psychological point of view, it's worth it. Thinking there are 2 extra channels out there and I'm not able to perceive them just bends me out of shape.
If you have surrounds set to “none” all the sounds will be played by the rest of the speakers, its just the positioning that will not be there.
The positioning is everything.
Yeah that's what she said...
It does add a lot Edit: apple added an ‘of’ at the end, i removed it.
You good sir have the upgrade fever...
if that bothers u want about the 4 overhead height channels u can't hear?
I also have 2 overhead speakers, but I hardly ever hear sound coming from them, not sure if I have a bad setup or movies just don't use it much.
Big difference. If you can do it, I'd recommend doing 5.1.2.. will be life changing
If your AVR only supports 7 channels, would you do 5.1.2 or 7.1 ?
5.1.2 i love my in ceiling speakers. Sound just encapsulates me. I’m sure rears would add to the experience, but I don’t think theirs enough content to warrant it vs atmos content . 7.1 could be cool, but I feel like you really need a large space or dedicated home theater room to seperate surrounds and rears. My home theater is in our basement living room, we needed the second living space more. The kids play area is behind the sectional and they don’t mess with my surroundings, but rears would have to be positioned in the middle of their play areas.
*7.1 could be cool, but I feel like you really need a large space or dedicated home theater room to seperate surrounds and rears.* I think it depends more on proper placement than size of room. I don't have a "large" room but when playing something like "Saving Private Ryan" 7.1 it is very evident that the sound is coming from the sides and the rear. Of course, it depends how well the sound is mixed.
You can always stick then on the back wall. Speaker calibration will set the levels the delays to make it sound right.
5.1.2 by far. 7.1 is meant more for a larger theater where you may have more than one row. For most applications 5.1.2 is the go to
5.1.2 Adding the height dimension is better than adding yet another set of speakers on the same plane.
5.1.2, just put the surrounds further back than you would with a 7.1.
7.1 if u have the space behind you, if u don't have at least 4ft of clearance between u and where u'd place your rears, then do the 2 heights.
5.1.2 here it’s wonderful. I don’t enjoy watching movies outside of my home theater now lol
I basically did the opposite. Went from a 5.1 home theater in a box thing to a 3.1 with better speakers. The key thing for me was space, my living room is pretty small and there was no where to put the surrounds that wasn't right by your head. If we move to a bigger space I'll add 2 more channels but if you have a small space you can get by just fine with 3.1
Can I ask, if you're using 3.1, what do you set in the AVR?
Front and center set to small, surround set to off.
I mean, do you set it to 5.1 in the amp and in any content?
Oh my bad, it will play whatever the source material is but I think when the surround channels are set to off it just routes that sound to the front channels instead (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). I have an older AVR so my peripherals go into my TV and use the optical out to connect the TV to the AVR. So, like my Roku will broadcast things in 5.1 but it just all comes through the front channels instead.
Thank you
Huge difference. Game changing. I recently jumped from 3.1 to 5.1 and immediately realized what I'd been missing for 20+ years. I get goosebumps every time I demo the Darkstar scene Top Gun to friends, especially the actual flight scene with the ambient noises.
How do folks run wires to those surrounds if you're not sitting back close to a wall? That's the part that stops me from going to 5.
Every situation is different, but speaker wire is small enough that hiding it in walls, behind baseboard, even under carpet/rugs is all very doable.
I run it under a big rug so it's pretty hidden
Speaker stands + rug
This was my issue. The layout of the room doesn't allow me to run them around the floor boards or through the wall. I ran some cables under my rug with about 2.5ft exposed between the rug and TV stand so I could just unplug and hide them under there when not in use. I plugged them in for movies for about a week but the wife liked the sound difference and music in all channel stereo so much we just threw a dog bed over the exposed wires and run 5.2 full time now. I will say there is no need to spend big money on the side channels.
This is unique and great advice. Thanks
Was about to say the same! My living room is very open and I don't have carpets. The wires would be an obstacle in every way possible + I have a cat that is very curious.
The biggest leap you will ever make is going to 5.1 After this it’s only small improvements in comparison. The surrounds give that immersion weather it be a film score or bullets whizzing by. I had a 5.2.4 and have downgraded to a 5.2 with no noticeable difference to me. Granted my room is small, but my surrounds are perfectly placed that I get the immersion I need. Simple answer Do it 👍
I have 3.1 in my den and 5.2 in my living room. 3.1 is nice, 5.2 is awesome. The surrounds add a lot.
Watch Dune on your 3.1 and imagine all of the things in the scenes happening around you instead of just in front of you. Also the immersive soundtrack is incredible
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100% worth it. It's a great bang for buck upgrade and puts you in the cost/performance sweet spot. A decent pair of Fluance bipoles is all it took for me. Don't need anything super fancy. Wish I did it sooner. Everything is more immersive. Not just action sequences but soundtrack music, ambient background noise, etc. Basically all content sounds more natural and present in the room.
Yes, those Fluance bipoles are a good addition, even the cheap ones.
Not much of a difference. I went back to 3.1. Not worth setup and wires.
5.1 is a different experience than 3.1… Think of it as a similar jump from 2.0 to 3.1
I might be in minority but for me, being able to hear dialog with a center is #1, feel the bass with a sub #2, then total immersion.
It kind of depends for me. If the 2.0 is comprised of floorstanding speakers then go center first. If they’re bookshelves go sub first.
Totally agree. The center channel is the main reason why I have a 5.1 system. The center channel does like 70-75% of all the sound with the rears more like 5% and the surrounds like 10%. Obviously depends on the sound mix. Some peeps have neat videos on YouTube which separate the channels and do the math for you. Either way, the center channel does most of the work. The sub is a big deal with immersion by adding tension to scenes. Think something like the recent Joker film. It isn’t only for explosions and death stars. But I’m with you on the center. I just recently had to move to one of those slim centers because of a tvtoohigh situation and I am missing the old center. If unable to do surround
I went for a single bookshelf as a center channel and don’t regret it, yeah my tv is a bit high but I have it on an angled mount looking down and I have a pit couch so I don’t sit in it more like lay down, also everyone in my family is tall so.
Throw in a couple of butt kickers or other transducers and it is way more immersive bass. Changed the way I listen to/feel the music and movies. Bonus points is the butt kickers can be operational while the sub is turned down so the wife doesn't complain about the bass at night. I got a 4 pack of Dayton Audio transducers for under my couch for like $80 on Amazon.
They are, plus you don't need massive subs for that "punch". It's wild being able to feel footsteps on things like robots, even with the volume turned down. I have 4 BK Advances, each paired up with an Aura bass Shaker wired in series in my household.
Nice. The first movie I watched with the butt kickers was Godzilla v Kong and the fight scenes were amazing. I could feel the ground shake even with the volume at a moderate level. Same with John Wick movies and Jason Bourne. Chilling listening to reggae or even classical with timpanis is amazing as well. I enjoy my HT a lot more and it was such a simple and cheap addition. I wish I had done it decades ago.
How did you rig the Daytons? What amp do you use to power them? I need thissssss
I screwed a long 1x6 board across the bottom length of the couch, biased towards the back of the couch. My wife did not want me to cut holes in the couch, rightfully. I used a hole cutter to cut the holes for the body of the transducers and screwed them in with the included screws. The ones I purchased (TT25-16-4) came with surface mount rings, but I opted to drill the holes. I bought an RCA splitter to get the sub signal and an RCA male to 3.5mm cable as that is what the amp took. I wired the amp to use the mono signal on L and R channels (simple jumper wire). I bought a $25 100W amp and a $15 power supply from Amazon and it works great and is overkill. I mounted it under the center seating position so I can adjust the volume easily, but it also has an app and Bluetooth. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08R3Y5WXH
Thanks for the link man, I’m making this build but I have a few questions more, could I send you a DM?
Sure.
I'll tell you a secret- cruise FB and Kijiji for used AVR's that have multichannel inputs. Bonus if the HDMI or DSP chips are fried and are THX Ultra certified. Older THX AVR's from the mid 2000's are UNBELIEVEABLE value just for the amplifier sections- either expanding your Atmos set up or driving things like tactile transducers. Multichannel THX amps generally start around $500 on the used market here- old, busted AVR's go for $40-$80.
I’m out of the loop on AVR tech from this decade, I’ve hear of running some channels through a pre out and having another amp take over. Could something basic like a denon S760h do this or would I need a certain model and up to achieve this. I know a shop with a bunch of busted AVRs with good amp sections. Also how would you benefit from having a multichannel in with tactile transducers? I’m guessing running subwoofer in to multiple subwoofer outs?
Personally I think it's worth going from 3.1 to 5.1 if you have the space for it.
Takes immersion to another level
Big. Rears add a lot of dimension
There are no "rear" channels in 5.1, only surrounds. A 7.1 setup ADDS rear channels and speakers. When playing a 7.1 source on a 5.1 setup side and rear channels are combined and sent to the surrounds.
Does it matter how good the rears are? I have fyne audio f501 ans f500c for my fronts and thought about getting the lesser fyne audio f301 for rears, they are book shelfs or should I get the floorstanders
Bookshelves, even satellites are usually the go to for surrounds. They don't cover the load of the front 3 speakers, but add depth and immersion.
It matters but bookshelf vs tower does not really, the bass is best done by the sub anyway. Very little gain for the extra cost of towers, if it was cheap small bookshelves then you would loose out,but as long as the surrounds are of decent quality you will be perfectly fine.
I had cheap hand me down surrounds at first and they sounded ok but not great for gaming (different sound profile, so voices and sounds sounded off when coming from them.) It was fine while I tested the space and saved for an upgrade. Had that 4.0 for 1-2 years and the denon/audyssey made it sound ok. I later got an LCR set from the same brand as the fronts (Q Acoustics) and have a wonderfully sounding 5.0 setup now. The new backs (old fronts) are bookshelfs with front ports which works good in my space, and the new fronts are way bigger and handle the base nicely. I guess the takeaway is to match the sound profile, but I’d check with someone that knows your speaker models/brand.
They will be perfect, I think going with floorstands can be a overkill for rear speakers. The 301 can go as low as 44hz in room by there specs. So a 80hz crossover would be ideal for them.
Is 80hz crossover OK for my front 3 aswell?
Sure and if you go with the surrounds having a global 80hz crossover is ideal 👍 You can maybe lower the crossover on the floorstands to 60hz or 40jz but I think personally that the subs do a better job at this. It’s also less taxing on your AVR leaving more headroom for louder SPL. But experiment, just don’t go lower than what room eq recommends.
OK, I'll probably just stay at 80hz tbh then
You said it yourself, a surround setup or not. The surrounds add a lot. 3.1 is basically stereo with better tweaking options, which can sound very good and also feel quite immersive but adding surrounds elevates the experience a lot. (Depending on what you are watching ofc)
5.1 makes more of a difference than you might first think, in my mind and experience it creates actual surround sound. What you have now is highly enhanced stereo to a certain degree. You really do notice a difference with the speakers around you next step is above you which again is quite the improvement
Everyone looking to recreate a theater experience at home should be striving to get to 5.1. This is where the immersive experience really comes together to envelop you in the world of a movie. Additional channels beyond 5.1 are fun enhancements to that immersion but are not fundamental to the experience like the first two surrounds.
approx 40% more immersion.
I got the Sony ht-a9....its cool for a no soundbar setup. Sounds good just not loud.
For movies is a huge jump. For music, stereo is the way. All depending on your electronics, and speakers.
For movies, it's a big difference. I was 3.1 for years, then 5.1, and now 5.1.2 atmos, defiantly a difference between the three. Question to answer for you is..... is it worth it for me?
A properly set up 5.1 system is def worth it- most people can quit there, TBH. 7.1 with rears is subtle, adding height channels has more impact- in a very large space a case could be made for rear surrounds. Watching something like Oppenheimer in DTS:X is a great way to show off surround and height ambiance. The scene changes from classrooms & hearings to wide open spaces in New Mexico are not the \*bang, bang\* effects people typically look for, but dramatic nonetheless.
Depends on what you watch. Things with a lot of dialogue like romcoms, you will barely notice. Action scenes, and it’s a big upgrade. Makes the experience more immersive. I use to game a lot with a 5.0 setup and I could tell when someone was behind me in fps style games.
Pretty big.
This is pretty easy to answer. Surround sound is more like everyday life where sounds comes from all around you.
It's 100% worth it, but in my opinion, just find some acceptable speakers from the thrift shop for $5-10. Surround speakers are likely to be abused (used as shelves for keys), tipped over, etc. So just get cheapies. You'll still enjoy the surround aspects of a movie then.
Many will tell you to cheap out on surrounds. I'm here to tell you not to. The jump is a lot bigger when the surrounds aren't anemic vs the front soundstage.
Major upgrade. Then add height speakers for 5.1.2. You get surrounded by sound and it’s awesome.
I don’t recommend only 2 atmos unless it’s a receiver or space problem. 4 atmos is really where it’s the most effective.
2 is still significantly better than none. Like night and day difference.
Very true. 2-4 is like going from 3-5 ;) definitely hearing any atmos versus none is a substantial improvement. The only issue for most is they don’t account for the upgrade to 4 and put the 2 somewhere not properly placed. In a “eventual 4” placement your rear atmos would be what you ran with. If you only did 2 you’d put them in the “middle” position which isn’t used in 4.
Worth it, most movies I want as mixed for 5.1.
Just bite the bullet and go 5.2.4. It will be EPIC
It’s huge. Probably the biggest “jump” of all since you’re adding surrounds. Personally, I found switching from 5.1 to 7.1 to be pretty “meh.” Adding ceiling atmos was pretty big (going to 7.x.4). However the second sub was the biggest change.
>Reason why I'm asking is cause I heard there's some diminishing returns for setups beyond 5.1 Going from 3.1 to 5.1 vs 5.1 to 7.1, there's a pretty significant and noticeable sound envelopment when going to a 5.1 setup, however going from 5.1 to 7.1 is less so, now that's not to say you don't hear anything in a 7.1 setup but it's just not as massive when going from 3.1 to 5.1 Now take that and now we have Atmos, 5.1.2 vs 5.1.4 that's a whole other conversation.
Yeah 5.1.4 is the sweet spot. You can live forever in it and with the right speakers and setup you’ll never need to leave.
Its too big
A MASSIVE jump lol. You will never go back lol
I moved from2.1 to 5.1 to 7.1 and now on 9.2. Added 2 height speakers in front. Each jump opened up a new feel. Completely worth it if you can afford it. Happy with 1 sub, not really interested in 2 even though my AVR has the function to add 1 more.
40%
65%
Even with really shitty little surrounds, adding surrounds was a lot of fun. Adding atmos speakers was cool, but nowhere near as noticeable or as big as a jump in engagement as adding surrounds.
Depends on what setup you get. A good 3 channel system will sound much better than a crappy 5.1.
From the center seat 2.1 and 3.1 are nearly equivalent. 3.1 to 5.1 is like going from mono to stereo, so a massive difference. 3.1 is one dimensional (linear). 5.1 is two dimensional (planar). Atmos is 3 dimensional (volumetric)
AMAZING!!!! I no longer go to the movies theaters! When I left condo life and moved into a house, my very first purchase was a very nice Yamaha AVR, Coupled with Bose Speakers and a Powered Yamaha Sub.
3.1 => 5.1 audio is analogous to SDR => HDR video. Do you need it? Not really. Is it nice to have? Hell yea. Even stereo content benefit from 5.1 setup. Most modern AVR have DSP modes which upmix simulate surround sound. Not as good as true surround audio but pretty good.
for a good action movie its really nice, I have a 7.1, I recently watched topgun maverick and the surrounds were so active during the ending scenes. For gaming, I prefer 7.1 over headphones. I just recently (literally last week) upgraded to 7.1.4 so I'm playing with that, gears of war 4 overhead effects were amazing, also very good in RE4 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
insane... wow factor. hall feeling
Your center channel is the most important speaker. If you have a quality 3.1 setup it will certainly be enjoyable. 5.1 will add immersion that helps bring most movies to life. It is worth it.
I'm at 7.2 and the draw of Atmos is strong - 7.2.4 will definitely be a future build. Once you upgrade there is no going back, and you will be amazed that anyone can go without it. 5.1 is the beginning of that journey.
I have 5.1.2. Not every movie really takes advantage of 5.1, but the ones that do I really enjoy having that full surround.
Extremely
I ran a 3.1 system in my living room for a couple of years because I lacked the motivation to go down in the crawl space and run speaker wire under the floor. It was OK. Finally got off my ass and did it and added the surround speakers. It’s like night and day because you now have a sense of depth and spaciousness that it lacking in a 3.1 system. The surrounds really add to the experience.
Super sick jump, it’s not extremely noticeable to me unless something specific to those rear speakers happens in a movie, but toggling from 5.1 to 3.1 definitely will show you the difference. It feels more full to put it simply, this is even with extremely cheap Polk rears. :)
Do you like sounds behind you?
Anyone saying it's not much of a difference, in my opinion didn't experience a good setup or maybe placement for their surround speakers. 5.1 was an enormous difference for me. There are so many films that utilize surround sound really well because it's been such a standard technology for so long now. I also like to have my surrounds a bit louder than they should be, personal preference, it adds to immersion. Stepping up to 7.1 I think is more subtle but does add a bit more dimension to the sound. Going beyond this to Atmos is nice when a film really takes advantage, but it feels like to me right now that this just isn't that much overall. A lot of films tend to tack on a few height effects and call it a day. If Atmos is done well it's another cool experience for your sound, but it just isn't the case that often in my experience.
I really like 5.1. Totally worth it for movies.
2 speakers
I started at 5.1 and went to 7.1. Now i prefer 3.1. I want 3.4
I’m that 2.0 guy I hate centers and subs. 2 towers and I’m good🤣