what is 7.1 surround sound?

The "7"

Two front speakers

One center channel speaker

Two side surround speakers

Two rear surround speakers

...and the ".1"

Powered subwoofer

Voila! The same as 5.1 but with two more speakers 7.1 is 1 subwoofer and the 7 stands for 7 speakers around you Its 5.1 surround sound plus very big headphones... :) Three speakers at the front, one on either side, two at the rear and a sub-woofer. Adds 2 speakers between the front speakers and the rear surround speakers The sound split into 8 Chanel 1 for sub Woofer 2 front speaker (Left and right), 2 side speaker, 2 rear speaker, 1 center speaker.

it's going to give you filling like in the theater. 7.1 surround refers to both a speaker count as well as a surround format. In a 7.1 speaker array, you have three fronts, two sides, and two rears. The .1 refers to the LFE or "subwoofer" channel. Most DVD's and TV is encoded in 5.1 surround (the rear surround channel doesn't exist). A 7.1 reciever with a 7.1 speaker setup will route the surround channels of a 5.1 signal to BOTH sets of surrounds.

However, there are surround formats that take advantage of the extra surrounds. Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES are two of them. There are actually discrete encoded signals for each set of surrounds and you can take advantage of them with a 7.1 setup.

Even if you don't have a source, I will often spec a 7.1 setup if the client has more than one row of seating or a larger area to fill. Note, you can run extra sets of surrounds even in many 5.1 systems if you need the extra surround coverage. Most AV recievers have preamp outs for the various channels allowing you to add an additional small amp to run additional channels. Note, it is not necessarily a good idea to run two sets of surrounds off the same connection on your amp, unless the amp is rated to handle the additional load. Simple answer:

A left and right speaker up front, a center channel, two side speakers (left and right), two rear speakers (left and right) and a subwoofer for bass sound. That gives you 7 speakers plus a sub (.1).

This is the next advancement in home theater sound. Very few movies are actually coded for 7.1 surround sound. Still, a decent receiver will be able to put all of your 5.1 surround sound movies into a virtual 7 speaker mode. Trust me, it kicks ***. You'll love it.

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