http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/ Engadget Comments for Ask Engadget HD: 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound audio for beginners? http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/But 7.1 titles are increasing day by day.
Its always better to buy something with more features, you will eventually like that u did a good investment even if u had to spend a few bucks more.
So my suggestion : 7.1
Make sure that receiver is HDMI repeater (ie., it processes audio too) and not a passthrough]]>Sep 16th 2009 4:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 4:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 6:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
As for components, a mid range Yamaha, Denon, Harmon Kardon, or Onkyo can offer fantastic value with excellent features, most notably Onkyo with some of the best features per dollar. Sound itself is entirely subjective. Some people find Yamahas offer a very warm sound and Denons a cooler but more accurate sound. But again, very subjective. Go to a hi-fi listening room in a decent home theater retailer and listen to various receivers.

Speakers also are subjective. Listen to several and see which ones sound best to you. Every manufacturer has a different 'sound' to it, based on how they build the speakers, so each manufacturer has a different 'flavour'. So basically anyone here can recommend speakers and componants until the cows come home, but it's entirely a personal experience. ]]>Sep 16th 2009 4:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 4:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 4:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 4:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 4:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 4:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 5:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 4:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
People should invest more in speaker then on receiver. Those THX logo can fool you, I had pioneer elite receiver and i don't use the thx mode. I think the direct sound from the source is sound better than those thx mode. When i use thx mode, it lower volume, the dialogue doesn't sound as clean]]>Sep 16th 2009 4:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 6:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
P.S. Do make sure that the receiver can do Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD, etc. That won't cost much and pretty much every Blu-ray movie has an HD audio soundtrack.]]>Sep 16th 2009 4:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 5:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 5:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
Also, if your gaming (PS3 mainly) with 7.1, localization is great too. Playing Uncharted and M.A.G. (beta), you can really localize exactly what is going on behind and to the side of you. But again, in a small squarish room, you can't hear this.

Using ProLogicIIx (haven't tried ProLogicIIz because I don't have it) with the 5.1 movies actually does map out to the 4 different rear speakers pretty well. Though most of the time, the 2 rear speakers (not side surround) usually have the same effect coming out of them. So even most movies are 5.1 at the moment, if you have a long room, its great to have that 7.1 effect.]]>Sep 16th 2009 5:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 5:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 5:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
It's 7.1 (as well as 7.2, if you feel like mounting 2 speakers on your ceiling). I wouldn't spend any extra on 7.1 over 5.1, but since prices are coming down so much these days and the manufacturers are putting previously "high-end" features into their middle and lower end stuff, I certainly wouldn't avoid a 7.1 system.

Also, as many others have said, you can't go wrong with an Onkyo HTiB as a starter system. I've bought 2 of them and recommended them for 3 other people I know and no one can seem to believe the sound quality you get when you tell them how much the setup costs. ]]>Sep 16th 2009 5:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
If you want to pick up on that sound then buy 7.1 if not spend the extra money on a better 5.1 receiver.. I like the 7.1 receiver, but it is in no way needed to enjoy a movie]]>Sep 16th 2009 6:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
Is it just me, or does it seem like the worst movies come with the best sound?]]>Sep 17th 2009 2:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 6:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
However, I wouldn't actually buy the full set of 7.1 speakers. I'd stick to 5.1 for the speakers for now, and put the extra money into getting better speakers. You can always add in two more speakers later.]]>Sep 16th 2009 6:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
As noted elsewhere, be sure the receiver supports at least 3 HDMI inputs (preferably 4 or more) and 1 or 2 HDMI outputs, supports for all the modern HD codecs, at least 2 zones, and has good video processing.

I can recommend a great set of speakers at a fantastic price: Emotiva ERM-1's are being closed out at $150/each. They're selling a set of 3 ERM-1s and 2 ERD-1s (the ERDs are switchable bi/di-pole surround speakers) for ~$716 + shipping. I installed this exact set a few months back in a bedroom and love the sound and look! http://emotiva.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=25

For a sub-woofer, there are tons of good ones out there in the $3-400 range (you can spend less or waaay more), which puts your speakers in the $1,200 range. Add in a nice receiver for $6-800, plus a Blu-Ray for another $250-300, and you're set.

I have had good success with refurb electronics (refurbished by the manufacturer) from Denon, Marantz, and Sony. You can save 20-40% of retail, which can be a good deal. I'm currently running a refurb Marantz SR-5003 AVR (I paid ~$550 for it from Accessories 4 Less a few months ago; list was $800: http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/category/generic/Marantz-Specials/1.html?results.per.page=4ab15f6c ).

Good luck and have fun!

Rick]]>Sep 16th 2009 6:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 6:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
Not sure what your spending budget is but if you're looking for speakers, I found PSB to sound very good for their money. The bookshelf speakers I was looking at cost $300 for the pair but sound like speakers that cost $1000.

As for building a 5.1 or a 7.1 setup, buy a receiver that supports 7.1 but buy speakers for a 5.1 system. If you think after you build it the setup could be better, buy the two remaining speakers. ]]>Sep 16th 2009 7:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 7:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://us.marantz.com/Products/2926.asp]]>Sep 17th 2009 1:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/09/09/sherwoods-700w-r-904n-netboxx-av-receiver-dabbles-in-online-med/ Rick]]>Sep 18th 2009 12:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/2) The BIG jump is from 2.0 to 5.1, everything else is marketing for the most part. You need 5.1 to avoid the drowning dialog in the sound effects, but past that...
3) Everything comes with a 5.1 mix, almost nothing with 6.1 or 7.1.
4) Cost
5) Compatibility
6) Sanity]]>Sep 16th 2009 8:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 8:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 16th 2009 9:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
Not being sarcastic, but can you give any examples of BD titles where 7.1 sounds SUBSTANTIALLY better than the 5.1? Any good 7.1 reference material where the "average" listener can go "Aha! That's what those extra speakers are for."

]]>Sep 16th 2009 9:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
]]>Sep 16th 2009 9:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Now, as far as 7.1 movies go, there are more and more being released.
Just check here: http://www.blu-raystats.com/Stats/Stats.php
ALSO, for audiophiles, (like me) hi resolution music on Blu-Ray are starting to be produced. There's not a lot of music out there yet, but I can tell the difference when listening to: Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, Concertos for Double Orchestra - Acoustic Reality Experience [7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Disc] [Blu-Ray] [Blu-ray] & The Way to Paradise - Music Experience in 3-Dimensional Sound Reality [7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Disc] [Blu-ray].

IMHO, the people that speak against 7.1 surround sound, probably have NO IDEA what quality audio is supposed to sound like WHEN IT'S DONE CORRECTLY.
]]>Sep 19th 2009 8:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
I would recommend getting a 7.1 receiver, this will allow for expansion and plus most 7.1 receivers will include more features, as you are moving up the product lines for most brands.

For brands I would recommend (through tons of research and personal tests at the $300-$800 range): Denon, Onkyo (they get hot, so for tight spaces be aware), Pioneer and Harmon Kardon.
Sony and Yamaha are OK but they kinda stink until you spend above $700. They pack more features and less performance.


Last piece of advice: if you want receiver upscaling, and if you can stay away from the Faroudja DCDi chip, it's getting old and outdated, Denon just changed to the VRS Anchor Bay chip and it is noticeably better, much much less jaggies. ]]>Sep 16th 2009 11:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
Any system worth owning is going to give you 7.1 anyway (you should be spending more than $250 otherwise you're wasting your money). Most people won't need more than 5.1 and instead of buying more speakers, they should buy better ones.

Simple as that.]]>Sep 16th 2009 11:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 17th 2009 12:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 17th 2009 12:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 17th 2009 2:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
To implement a 7.1 setup, you need extra room at the back for positioning the rear surround speakers, Consider 3ft a possible minimum but ideally 6ft for better imaging.

On the other hand, a 5.1 can be set pretty much in most rooms. Depending on your room, you may opt to put surround speakers on the sides of the listening position or give a bit of distance and angle them towards listening position.

Speaker selection is very subjective as sound characteristic may vary per brand/model.

There is also a choice to make in surround speakers selection. Opting for dipole/bipole speakers will give a more dispersed sound while opting for monopole/direct-radiating speakers will give a more directional sound.

Materials supporting more than 5.1 channels are very scarce on DVD while there is a continually increasing inventory for 7.1 titles on Blu-ray.]]>Sep 17th 2009 3:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 17th 2009 3:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
There are multiple reasons for this advice:

1. 5.1 is the "sweet spot" according to the experts. Don't believe me? Check out EHD's interview with the good people at Dolby a few months ago. They do all their testing with 5.1 and see it as the ideal surround sound system.

2. To actually hear a difference between 5.1 and 7.1, you generally need a huge room and some content that really shows it off.

3. 90%+ of content is either stereo or 5.1 and probably always will be.
- While Blu-ray's support for 7.1 (and higher) will mean an increase in 7.1 content, thus far most lossless tracks on BD are 5.1.
- Almost all DVDs will be stereo or 5.1 for the foreseeable future, beyond the "6.1" hacks that add a rear channel that most 7.1 speaker set-ups don't support properly anyway.
- Online content is bandwidth restricted: Apple offers AC-3 audio (restricted to 5.1), others are still using stereo but for bandwidth reasons are unlikely to go beyond 5.1 when they eventually roll out surround sound systems.
- ATSC and DVB, while giving lipservice to E-AC-3, are standardized on AC-3 for surround sound, which is a 5.1 only format. Your OTA, Cable, and Satellite TV system will use one of those standards, so you're not going to get 7.1 from your TV. DVB also supports AAC, which supports 7.1, but how many receivers do you see that also support AAC? If you're in the US, the only company doing DVB is Dish Network (DVB-S), and they're a Dolby shop.

4. Unnecessary complexities and costs. It may sound obvious, and it may be a minor concern, but in return for getting two channels that will virtually never be used, you'll have to buy two more speakers, and have two more wires to run around the room - admittedly not very far, as the two speakers will be at the front.

One other thing to bear in mind: one poster to this thread made a comment about "two speakers behind you" (and was roundly and immediately slapped down for it), which actually reflects real confusion about something that also might be a (wrong) reason people are considering 7.1.

Before 7.1 there was 6.1. This is the form of surround sound provided on Star Wars DVDs, for example, and is generally encoded as either DTS ES or Dolby Digital EX (extensions to DTS and AC-3 respectively.) In 6.1, the additional speaker is always supposed to be behind the listener.

In 7.1, the situation is more complex, with "behind the listener" being one configuration (though not one generally supported by most receivers), the other being in front of the listener parallel with the other two front speakers.

Now, the latter is generally the supported configuration (ie content and receivers require speakers in front), but that configuration means that if you get a 7.1 speaker set up, if you're under the impression it'll mean you can finally make that 6.1 DVD you have sing, well, you're out of luck because there are no "rear speakers" to actually play back that rear channel!

In other words, don't get 7.1 because you're under the impression it's a superset of 5.1 and 6.1. It is a superset of 5.1, but the only discs that'll take advantage of the extra speakers are those that actually have a 7.1 sound track. I'm pretty certain that there are no DVDs in your collection that have a 7.1 surround track.

For a list of speaker layouts, see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surround_sound
]]>Sep 17th 2009 7:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
5.1...7.1....3-D

2 channel worked great for the last 50 years!

who needs all that noise anyway?.....BOOM...BANG.....BOOM!!

I'M getting a HEADACHE just thinging about..............sigh!

i love my 65" tv and blu ray and my stereo sound!.....and of course the thousands i've saved on the noise factor equipment!

i bet the rest of you can't wait for the next 9.1 or whatever to come out......LOL!

]]>Sep 17th 2009 8:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 17th 2009 9:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 17th 2009 10:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 17th 2009 10:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/Sep 17th 2009 2:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/ask-engadget-hd-5-1-or-7-1-surround-sound-audio-for-beginners/
As far as which products to look for; audition audition audition!! Make sure what you buy is something you can enjoy and live with! Also, dont be an a-hole and take time from a dealer to see what you like then buy elsewhere. Just make sure they offer good valued products and you wont be getting "ripped off".

If you're totally in the dark on what brands are good and which to avoid, avoid HTIB's, and Bose. They are generally not a good value, especially bose stuff. For receivers and other electronics, I have had good experiences with Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer, and Yamaha. Higher up on the chain you could go with brands like Rotel, NAD, and Cambridge (although blu-ray players are largely unnecessarily expensive from high-end companies due to the nature of the technology behind blu-ray and HDMI). For speakers look at Paradigm, Polk, B&W, PSB, Definitive, etc... As far as higher end speakers that I find to still be reputable and a good value; Vandersteen, Theil, upper-end B&W & Paradigm, this list is really miles long... Speakers will probably the most personal-preference type of decision you make in acquiring your system, so take your time and audition lots of brands in your price point from multiple dealers if possible. If you're planning on surround sound pick a speaker brand based on how it will sound in a surround setup as well as music even if you dont plan on going surround right away. Some companies make great 2-channel speakers, but lame center channels (Martin Logan is a good example of this IMHO), for example. Matching is key to a seamless surround sound experience.

Hope this helps!]]>Sep 17th 2009 4:34PM