Preparing for a 9.1 setup.. Worth it ? Your thoughts please...

[elangoas]

Hi All,

At the moment i have a 5.0 setup which doubles up for stereo/HT...

Room size : 14 feet wide x 11 feet depth

AVR : Onkyo TX NR 818 7.2 channels (But has 9.2 pre-outs)

Speaker : Sonodyne Sonus 2605 FS + Sonus C 2401 Center + Sonus Rears Dipoles

Idea : is to make best of both worlds for stereo/ superb HT experience (9.1) :yahoo:...

Budget : Lesser the better hyeah:...

Upgrade plan : Will let go off my beloved Sonus 2605 FS & Sonus c2401 to my friend soon approx (25k)...So planned to reuse the money and buy 2 pairs of Sonus 1501 BS along with a Sonus C2501 center channel speaker...2 pairs because, one pair will be used as regular Front & left while the other pair will be used as Front wide speakers (Front wide left & Right).....

Why BS : The idea behind getting 2 pairs of Sonus 1501 BS is because Audyssey recommends that front wide speakers is timbre matched with front speakers...So this will make it a 7.0 setup & easy on pocket too....

Front height speakers : After the above 7.0 setup is complete, i would like to add BOSTON ACOUSTICS XS2.1 (12K) speaker to this setup...I plan to seperate this 2.1 speaker... The cube speakers will be used as Front height speakers.. After a bit of reading, i understand that front height speakers can be small satellites speakers as those channels contain very less information....

Marantz PM5004 + Boston Acoustics XS2.1 Package Deal

Additional amp req : An used stereo amp which would accept pre-outs from Onkyo AVR, with approx 25w/channel as it will be powering only satellite speakers... How difficult would it be to procure? Budget 5K

Surround Mode : Will be using Audyssey DSX surround mode to expand 5.1 -> 7.1 -> 9.1 when i complete the entire setup....Already tested Audyssey DSX mode with 7.0 setup...

I would like my setup to be a 7.1 if not a 9.1... But is 9.1 worth it? Your thoughts please...

 

[alphacentury100]

Your AV Receiver is a very potent one, so instead of going for less-expensive 9.1 channel, I would recommend you to invest the same money into a good 5.1 channel speaker system and later when you have the funds, you can convert it into 7.1 and then 9.1.
And for your room size, I think 5.1 will give you a great surround experience.
Invest on good Left, Right, Centre and Subwoofer for now. For the surrounds you can buy lesser models, and when you convert them to 7.1, you can use these 2 surround speakers for the rear and the new 2 speakers for surround.

 

[elangoas]

Your AV Receiver is a very potent one, so instead of going for less-expensive 9.1 channel, I would recommend you to invest the same money into a good 5.1 channel speaker system and later when you have the funds, you can convert it into 7.1 and then 9.1.
And for your room size, I think 5.1 will give you a great surround experience.
Invest on good Left, Right, Centre and Subwoofer for now. For the surrounds you can buy lesser models, and when you convert them to 7.1, you can use these 2 surround speakers for the rear and the new 2 speakers for surround.

Thanks @alphacentury100 for your suggestion.... I too thought on similar lines, but as said earlier lesser the better....I did think of Tannoy Mercury series, Boston Acoustics HTS 2310...But these will keep pushing my budget beyond what i can afford....

Moreover from my reading, for front heights, i belive a less expensive satellite speaker should be able to do the duty rather than BS speaker when budget is constraint....

BTW forgot to mention that i will be retaining my Sonus rears Dipole surrounds....

 

[dheerajin]

Hi All,

At the moment i have a 5.0 setup which doubles up for stereo/HT...

Room size : 14 feet wide x 11 feet depth

AVR : Onkyo TX NR 818 7.2 channels (But has 9.2 pre-outs)

Speaker : Sonodyne Sonus 2605 FS + Sonus C 2401 Center + Sonus Rears Dipoles

Idea : is to make best of both worlds for stereo/ superb HT experience (9.1) :yahoo:...

Budget : Lesser the better hyeah:...

Upgrade plan : Will let go off my beloved Sonus 2605 FS & Sonus c2401 to my friend soon approx (25k)...So planned to reuse the money and buy 2 pairs of Sonus 1501 BS along with a Sonus C2501 center channel speaker...2 pairs because, one pair will be used as regular Front & left while the other pair will be used as Front wide speakers (Front wide left & Right).....

Why BS : The idea behind getting 2 pairs of Sonus 1501 BS is because Audyssey recommends that front wide speakers is timbre matched with front speakers...So this will make it a 7.0 setup & easy on pocket too....

Front height speakers : After the above 7.0 setup is complete, i would like to add BOSTON ACOUSTICS XS2.1 (12K) speaker to this setup...I plan to seperate this 2.1 speaker... The cube speakers will be used as Front height speakers.. After a bit of reading, i understand that front height speakers can be small satellites speakers as those channels contain very less information....

Marantz PM5004 + Boston Acoustics XS2.1 Package Deal

Additional amp req : An used stereo amp which would accept pre-outs from Onkyo AVR, with approx 25w/channel as it will be powering only satellite speakers... How difficult would it be to procure? Budget 5K

Surround Mode : Will be using Audyssey DSX surround mode to expand 5.1 -> 7.1 -> 9.1 when i complete the entire setup....Already tested Audyssey DSX mode with 7.0 setup...

I would like my setup to be a 7.1 if not a 9.1... But is 9.1 worth it? Your thoughts please...

5.1 , 7.1 or 9.1..home theater is there to enjoy the effect not anything else IMHO. the main component of any HT setup is center channel and subwoofer to get that shaky(earth quack) effect irrespective of number of channels.
so in my view better to invest in subwoofer and center speakes to get the desired upgrade.
cheers
dheeraj

 

[machinfinity]

I agree with your idea. as of now you can do a 9.1 setup and later on if you wish you can get a dolby atmos enabled receiver which will be an awesome setup. don't just think about audyssey dsx because dolby atmos will become a mainstream format on bluray in the near future. some fms suggest getting a good 5.1 system instead but I disagree. upgrading to 9.1 will give you much better sonic benefits than upgrading to a better 5.1 system.

 

[elangoas]

5.1 , 7.1 or 9.1..home theater is there to enjoy the effect not anything else IMHO. the main component of any HT setup is center channel and subwoofer to get that shaky(earth quack) effect irrespective of number of channels.
so in my view better to invest in subwoofer and center speakes to get the desired upgrade.
cheers
dheeraj

Right...Agreed...Few months back, i wanted to experience what a 7.1 setup from a regular 5.1 setup & wanted to check if it is really worth it...Here is a link to my hands on expereince.. http://www.hifivision.com/reviews/5...e-using-front-wide-spks-hands-experience.html

This experience has actually pushed me to explore more than 5.1 setup hyeah:

I use the Audyssey Dynamic EQ & Volume as default settings when watching movies, this completely elevates and enhances the movie watching experience.. Any speaker would benefit from this...

I agree with your idea. as of now you can do a 9.1 setup and later on if you wish you can get a dolby atmos enabled receiver which will be an awesome setup. don't just think about audyssey dsx because dolby atmos will become a mainstream format on bluray in the near future. some fms suggest getting a good 5.1 system instead but I disagree. upgrading to 9.1 will give you much better sonic benefits than upgrading to a better 5.1 system.

:signthankspin: Precisely pretty much my thoughts.... Dolby Atmos :clapping: This might be the next logical step...But i would wait sometime to get Dolby Atmos AVR's...

I was mentioning Audyssey DSX here because, they support expanding 5.1 channels to 9.1 using Front Wides & Front heights....Other surround expansion modes like Dts Neo : X (or) Dolby Pro Logic IIz emphasis is on front heights...But will explore DTS Neo : X and Dolby Pro Logic II z when i complete 9.1 set-up..

 

[elangoas]

Here is what i have imagined of how it would look like.... Surrounds are not in picture.... they would sit in their usual position (to the sides)

 

[Subha15011976]

Hai
As you mentioned your room size is 14x11' I don't think 9.1 HT expansion is wrathful, because for that set up you need a much bigger room. And most important, is there any content (movie/music) that supports 9.1 audio. I don't think so. Even 7.1 audio compilable home blu ray disc is available for all movies. Till today most bluray disc is encoded with 5.1 dts-hdma audio format. So think before the investment.

 

[shailenderb]

Yes, where will you get a 9.1 disc from? Is the trouble (and expense) worth for just upmixing a 5.1 soundtrack to 9.1? Give it a thought before you take the plunge. But, if you decide to take the plunge, don't forget to invite me for a demo, once done.

Regds

 

[elangoas]

Hai
As you mentioned your room size is 14x11' I don't think 9.1 HT expansion is wrathful, because for that set up you need a much bigger room. And most important, is there any content (movie/music) that supports 9.1 audio. I don't think so. Even 7.1 audio compilable home blu ray disc is available for all movies. Till today most bluray disc is encoded with 5.1 dts-hdma audio format. So think before the investment.

Somewhere i had a dilemma on whether should i expand or stick to current 5.0 setup...So borrowed BS from my friend & made it 7.0 & checked how it was... I was surprised how good surround could be....

I understand there is limitation on aval of >5.1 on discs (or) Bluray rips.... But will be using surround expansion mode to expand 5.1 to more....

Yes, where will you get a 9.1 disc from? Is the trouble (and expense) worth for just upmixing a 5.1 soundtrack to 9.1? Give it a thought before you take the plunge. But, if you decide to take the plunge, don't forget to invite me for a demo, once done.

Regds

I would be reusing the money after i dispose some speakers to my friend to buy BS speakers for almost the same money...Anyways i need to buy subwoofer which i don't have right now.. For that i have reserved 15 ~ 20K Max....So in that 20K budget, am trying to squeeze a sub, an used amp & small satellite speakers...hyeah:

Sure will update all FM in Chennai if i complete 9.1 setup...More than welcome...

 

[ranjeetrain]

Hi Elangoas, IMO, space is a critical factor to decide how many speakers in a HT. Given the room dimensions I think you won't get that much more. But if you insist, I'd say start with 7.1.

 

[elangoas]

Hi Elangoas, IMO, space is a critical factor to decide how many speakers in a HT. Given the room dimensions I think you won't get that much more. But if you insist, I'd say start with 7.1.

Thanks ranjeetrain.... I get your point... Wish i had a lil more wider room....But thats the limitation i have & moreover this is my living room (Hall)

The minimum is 7.1, it is that desire-bug pushing for 9.1 hyeah:

The front height speakers which i would be using from Boston Acoustics XS 2.1 system is almost the size of Cricket ball.... So hanging them near ceiling shouldn't be an issue i guess....

 

[ranjeetrain]

In completely understand your zeal

I think in your heart you're set. So I think you should just bite the bullet.

Added speakers won't add that much more because perceived point of origin for sound from added speakers won't be that much evident. So whereas you will definitely get more realism in action scenes it won't be as much as it should be.

I was suggesting 7.1 because most of the material these days is 7.1. So with 7.1 you will get a full paisa-wasool expereince, if you know what I mean

 

[elangoas]

In completely understand your zeal

I think in your heart you're set. So I think you should just bite the bullet.

Added speakers won't add that much more because perceived point of origin for sound from added speakers won't be that much evident. So whereas you will definitely get more realism in action scenes it won't be as much as it should be.

I was suggesting 7.1 because most of the material these days is 7.1. So with 7.1 you will get a full paisa-wasool expereince, if you know what I mean

I tried 7.0 using front wide few month back, was very impressed.... Not sure how this Front heights will sound... Never experienced anywhere....Will be thrilled to experiment between surround expansion modes....

Reg 7.1, got your point...Yup full paisa wasool hyeah:

 

[west10100]

Hi
I had 5.1 with onkyo 818 . When I upgraded to 7.1 ,the difference is really there. Go for 7.1 but rear and rear surrounds would be better rather than front sides.
Regards

 

[elangoas]

Hi
I had 5.1 with onkyo 818 . When I upgraded to 7.1 ,the difference is really there. Go for 7.1 but rear and rear surrounds would be better rather than front sides.
Regards

Thanks... So you used Surround back... Few years back, i used a Onkyo 7.1 HTIB... When i used to watch DVD content with Dolby Digital & DTS, i used to expand 5.1 -> 7.1 using Dolby EX surround mode which was good experience....

Having experienced both Front Wides & Surroundback, i think the fronts leave you with more dominant feel of the HT experience...

I suggest you try front sides too if you have space as you have the same AVR....

 

[sdurani]

Here is what i have imagined of how it would look like.... Surrounds are not in picture.... they would sit in their usual position (to the sides)

Can you post a floor plan diagram of the room that shows where your seating is in relation to the walls?

 

[elangoas]

Can you post a floor plan diagram of the room that shows where your seating is in relation to the walls?

Here is the Floor plan diagram... I have tried to replicate to close to what it is....

Room Dimensions : 14 feet wide x 11 feet depth

Missed the subwoofer in the picture... It will be placed to the right side of the TV...

Projected distance between speakers

FWL <4ft> FL <3ft> CC <3ft> FR <4ft> FWR

The distance between Front Wides to the surround on each side is approx 6 ft

Also planned to wall mount the front heights below ceiling height @ approx 10 feet from floor level....

 

[sdurani]

Can you mount the height speakers on the ceiling, closer to your listening position? That will give you a sense of sounds above you rather than merely a taller front soundstage.

 

[elangoas]

Can you mount the height speakers on the ceiling, closer to your listening position? That will give you a sense of sounds above you rather than merely a taller front soundstage.

Hope you meant to mount the front heights above the front left & right speakers, but near ceiling....