7.1 worth it?

BullShifter
BullShifter Posts: 66
edited March 2006 in Speakers
Thanks to you guys I'm planning my next purchase. I listen to 50% music & 50% HT. Help me decide.
HK AVR 335
Polk R50 fronts
Polk CSi25 center
Polk R15 rear
2 Sony modded subs with 12" Daytons
32" Sharp Aquos
PS2
Post edited by BullShifter on
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Comments

  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,861
    edited March 2006
    It really depends on the room setup. If it is long enough for 7.1 go for it. If sides can't be put slightly behind you and rears on the back wall I would do 5.1. Remember, great 5.1 beats poor 7.1 anyday.
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
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  • texastbird
    texastbird Posts: 16
    edited March 2006
    If you can get the R15s on sale at Fry's, then why not 7.1? They sound plenty good for my setup as surrounds. Ought to go well with the R50s. I use monitor 40s and CS2 in front. For music I usually just listen on 2.1, but the 7.1 stero option on my Yamaha sounds pretty good for background type music.
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  • Ferres
    Ferres Posts: 310
    edited March 2006
    Majority of DVD material is in 5.1 anyway. :)
    Gear: Rotel RC 1082, Rotel RSP 1068 pre/pro, Rotel RMB1077 amp, Cayin CDT 15a CD player, S301 bluray.

    Speakers: Tannoy DC sensys speakers, Paradigm Servo15 Sub, Velo Spl-1500r

    Conditioner: Isotek :D
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  • Frank Z
    Frank Z Posts: 5,860
    edited March 2006
    There a quite a few DVD's available with 6.1 soundtracks and those that are only 5.1 can greatly benefit from DPLIIx or Logic7.
    9/11 - WE WILL NEVER FORGET!! (<---<<click)
    2005-06 Club Polk Football Pool Champion!! :D
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  • jdhdiggs
    jdhdiggs Posts: 4,305
    edited March 2006
    At the lines you are looking at, and music percentage, I would save the money on the back channels and put it into the fronts.
    There is no genuine justice in any scheme of feeding and coddling the loafer whose only ponderable energies are devoted wholly to reproduction. Nine-tenths of the rights he bellows for are really privileges and he does nothing to deserve them. We not only acquired a vast population of morons, we have inculcated all morons, old or young, with the doctrine that the decent and industrious people of the country are bound to support them for all time.-Menkin
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  • aaharvel
    aaharvel Posts: 4,489
    edited March 2006
    depends on the room placement when it comes to 5.1 and 7.1, the distance the sitting position is from the back wall, etc.

    Fx's all around are tough to beat, especially in bipolar mode.
    H/K Signature 2.1+235
    Jungson MagicBoat II
    Revel Performa M-20
    Velodyne cht-10 sub
    Rega P1 Turntable

    "People working at Polk Audio must sit around the office and just laugh their balls off reading many of these comments." -Lush
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  • BullShifter
    BullShifter Posts: 66
    edited March 2006
    I'm not looking to upgrade my fronts yet. My money goes towards racing. If I spent all that money on audio equip. I'd have one badass system.

    How well do the FXi3's work with music? Am I better off getting the R15's for now and get the FXi3's down the road for 7.1?
    HK AVR 335
    Polk R50 fronts
    Polk CSi25 center
    Polk R15 rear
    2 Sony modded subs with 12" Daytons
    32" Sharp Aquos
    PS2
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  • osulaxxer
    osulaxxer Posts: 1
    edited March 2006
    I personally love having a 7.1 setup in my room, and I found a good placement for my fxi's in dipole mode. Whenever I watch digital cable or dvds that carry a 5 channel signal, the back channels matrix really well and I feel more absorbed in the experience.

    I would not recommend the fxi's for being awesome for listening to music, even in bipole mode. Nice towers in a 2 channel setup handle all those needs.
    Denon AVR 3805
    Monster Reference PowerCenter HTS 3600 MKII
    Polk RTi10
    Polk CSi3
    Polk FXi3
    Polk RTi4
    Polk PSW10
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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited March 2006
    My FXi 3's work just fine for music!
    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
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  • Frank Z
    Frank Z Posts: 5,860
    edited March 2006
    LsiFX's work great for music too...
    9/11 - WE WILL NEVER FORGET!! (<---<<click)
    2005-06 Club Polk Football Pool Champion!! :D
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  • doggie750
    doggie750 Posts: 1,160
    edited March 2006
    fx........are good.....

    7.1........not worth it coz DVDs are 6.1 max......but if it's a good deal GRAB it.
    Godspeed,
    D0661E

    AVR:Pioneer Elite SC-07
    Surrounds: RTis
    2channel:Rti100 (carver driven
    Sub:SVS PB12-Plus/2
    Dedicated AMPs:Adcom GFA535, 2xCarver 1.5t, Carver m1.0t
    Wsrn:Hitachi ultra vision LCD60, 32XBR400
    PowerConditioner: MonsterC HTS5100
    PS3, Toshiba HD A2, etc: SonySACD/ Panasonic gears DIVX.

    MR3LIGION: Polkaudio; GSXR; E46; Reeftank;
    Odyclub; Xsimulator; Sony; Zune; Canon
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  • Seggy
    Seggy Posts: 22
    edited March 2006
    7.1 overrated IMHO.
    Go with FX & 5.1
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  • aaharvel
    aaharvel Posts: 4,489
    edited March 2006
    if your sitting position is against the back wall 7.1 is worthless.
    If it's out from the back wall, then 7.1 and Dolby Prologic IIx is a worthwhile upgrade.
    H/K Signature 2.1+235
    Jungson MagicBoat II
    Revel Performa M-20
    Velodyne cht-10 sub
    Rega P1 Turntable

    "People working at Polk Audio must sit around the office and just laugh their balls off reading many of these comments." -Lush
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  • EricT43
    EricT43 Posts: 130
    edited March 2006
    I'm surprised there are not more responses for 5.1 with the R15's.

    I have f/x speakers with a 5.1 system. I like it better for movies, but for multichannel audio, I'd rather have direct speakers.

    Of course, most of your 50% music is probably going to be 2-channel only, so in that case maybe you'll be better of with f/x in back.
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  • aaharvel
    aaharvel Posts: 4,489
    edited March 2006
    right on and i think in bipole mode the fx's are great for music. As long as they're not used as the main stereo pair.
    H/K Signature 2.1+235
    Jungson MagicBoat II
    Revel Performa M-20
    Velodyne cht-10 sub
    Rega P1 Turntable

    "People working at Polk Audio must sit around the office and just laugh their balls off reading many of these comments." -Lush
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  • Frank Z
    Frank Z Posts: 5,860
    edited March 2006
    7.1 is overrated?

    Those that don't know....
    9/11 - WE WILL NEVER FORGET!! (<---<<click)
    2005-06 Club Polk Football Pool Champion!! :D
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited March 2006
    i don't have the rooom for a 6.1 or 7.1 set up in my house.. so 5.1 with FX speakers as surrounds does fine for me. Very happy with it.. and don't see myself changing it.
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • tommyboy
    tommyboy Posts: 1,414
    edited March 2006
    Do any of you guys know if the new blue ray or HDdvds are going to be 7.1. All I read was that they were going to be dolby HD and dts HD... whatever that means:)

    Is the dvds memory the reason why there are no 7.1 discrete movies or do most people just don't have a 7.1 setup?
    AVR: H/K AVR240
    Fronts: Monitor 50s
    Center: CSI3
    surrounds: R15s
    Sub:Velodyne DPS10
    Dvd/Cd: Samsung HD upconverter (for now)
    TV: 50" Sammy Plasma
    game hardware: 360 and gcn.
    Gamertag: kovster27
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  • Lsi9
    Lsi9 Posts: 616
    edited March 2006
    I listened to my bud's 990 last week and was floored by the HT quality of it, not sure I really noticed any true 7.1
    (side note; music didn't sound as good on the 990, weird)

    I never really researched current 7.1 but is it truly 7 discrete channels with a LFE or just 5.1 with phased out routing to the extra 2 channels?
    If it is the latter then I would get the speakers for 7.1 in anticipation of
    HD Dolby Digital with true uncompressed 7.1...which will call for you to later on invest in preamp/receiver with HD DD 7.1 = should be available in either Q4 2006 or Q1 2007.

    Audio Physic Scorpio II
    Pathos Logos
    MIT Shotgun S3
    Bada HD-22 CDP
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