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I am amazed every day how ultra high end technology finds it’s way into budget minded systems. Let’s take 7.1, 9.1 and now 10.1 surround sound systems. Do you really need a 10.1 system? Do you even want one?

The answer everyone gives me right off the bat is “yes” without knowing why. The thinking of bigger is better must be in play here. For me the question boils down to quantity v quality. Would I rather have a higher quality 5.1 system for the same price as the lower quality 7.1 system? Well that depends. Bjorn’s A/V in San Antonio spent several hundred thousand dollars to build a correct 10.1 room, and yes it is phenomenal sounding. I don’t suggest it for a weekend project though.

Simply put most surround recordings are recorded in 5.1. For a single person at a mixing board adding Foley effects and adding a three dimensional soundtrack to a two dimensional picture, the 5.1 system is an incredible tool. In a 5.1 system you only need 5 speakers and one subwoofer. This is how most engineers mix and produce the DVD you are going to be listening too. The minimum in a 7.1 system adds two more speakers and a special chip inside the reciever to the budget.

Now here is the secret. If you have a single row of seating or an L shaped couch in your media room or home theater, you can get better sound for the money with a 5.1 system. You get better speakers and are less likely to run into room anomalies with fewer speakers.

If you have two or more rows of seating in your media room, you are probably building a dedicated home theater. Here is where a properly installed 7.1 system shines. Now for the trick question, how many speakers do you need for a 7.1 system with two rows of seats? The answer is nine plus a subwoofer for a two row theater, and 11 plus a sub for a three row theater. If you are building a theater with more than three rows, hire a designer because the math gets real tricky here. For do it yourself systems with two rows, I would suggest a THX certified receiver. The THX certified receivers will have the THX chip built in which does a really good job with changing 5.1 recordings to a 7.1 output.

I am sure you are already asking “Why does a 7.1 system need 9 speakers if I have two rows?” The answer is the sound field. In order to create the proper sound field with multiple rows of seats, each row (up to three) needs it’s own set of “surround” speakers. The speakers in the back are “back” speakers, not surround.

The 7.1 system also uses a different kind of speaker on the sides called a di-pole. The dipoles at each row work together when installed correctly to open up the sound field improving the surround quality of all of the seats. A di-pole speaker is really two speakers angled away from each other. Di-poles of course cost more than standard speakers too.

When deciding between 5.1, or 7.1 and larger systems, start with the room and the number of rows of seating you are buying. With the room and seating plan finished first, the speaker plan is easy.

Scott is a former home theater engineer and is THX level II and CEDIA level II certified. For more information on home technology, visit kuhltoys.wordpress.com or visit Scott’s website at http://www.scottbourquin.com