5.1 surround vs. 7.1 surround

[MiccyNarc]

I'm considering purchasing either Logitech Z-5500s or Creative Gigaworks 750 7.1.

Price is a concern, which is why I ask. Am I going to notice a huge difference between a 5.1 speaker system and a 7.1 speaker system? Is it worth $150?
I don't want to spend that much on something that isn't going to give me much improvement.

I'll be using this for the typical thing, games, movies, etc.

I have an Audigy 2 ZS, so the sound card is no problem.

 

[AntiAnto]

Seriously, I really doubt that would make a difference. Your acoustic desires will be fully sastisfied by 5.1.

What I said wasn't based on experience... I'm still with Stereo. But, I don't think the extra 150$ is worth something you may not even notice.

On the other hand, people who experienced it think otherwise:

http://www.cabling-design.com/forums/Re-71-vs-51-article456-23.htm

I think it is worth it to go to 7.1. Having a separate sound
field directly behind you is great -- more enveloping, it pulls you into the
movie that much more. There are some movies that have taken advantage of
this, i.e., Gladiator, Star Wars and Terminator 2.

There are no 7.1 DVDs nor 7.1 broadcast content anywhere. HD channels will
give you 5.1 at the most, and DVDs have gone as far as 6.1 so far. (When
the new HD-DVDs and Blu-Ray DVDs come out, that *may* change, however.)

The two additional speakers will and won't play the same signal as your
existing surrounds. They will kick in when you put in a movie that's
recorded in 6.1 -- either Dolby Digital EX or DTS ES. The two rear
surrounds will either play a matrixed sound of what's happening on your side
surrounds, or they will play a discrete signal. For example, Gladiator has
DTS ES discrete on the disc. It is a separate signal going to the rear
surrounds. Now both rear surrounds will play the same information,
obviously, since it's in 6.1, not 7.1.

7.1 can also be used on 2.0 sources (TV, TV on DVD, music) by using the
PLIIx or Neo:6 setting on your receiver. I still listen to mostly
two-channel music, but it is fun to play it in 7.1 surround. I remember
"Gas Panic!" by Oasis was particularly effective when played on PLIIx --
sounded like some mad, howling black hole was directly behind me, trying to
suck me in!

As a side, 7.1 is indeed superior to 6.1. There's some weird phenomenon
that takes place inside the brain: when a sound is directly behind us, our
brain interprets the sound as coming from directly in front of us. But when
you've got the same sound coming out of two speakers with a bit of distance
between them, our brain is more able to correctly place the sound as coming
from behind.

Basically, you won't go wrong with 7.1

 

[MiccyNarc]

Hmm thanks for the quote.

Still considering :-\

 

[gweedodogg69]

About a 2.0 difference...hahaha *Bada Ching*<---drum sound when a bad joke is told.

 

[No Limit]

I'm personally a sound freak so I have to say go with 7.1. You get a better sound field with 7.1 since you have 3 speakers in the front, 2 in the back, and 2 on the side.

But for the money you can do much better if you have a little extra space in your computer area. What I did was I hooked up a 5.1 receiver to my audigy 2. The receiver cost me $100 and I already had the speakers, you can get really good quality speakers for $200. This will get you about 100 watts per channel instead of the 62 the logitec offers and it will be a much better setup. This will also sound a hell of a lot better than the pc speaker 7.1 set up and you will save around $100 (you can send that to me if you'd like, I need it ).

 

[MiccyNarc]

I'm personally a sound freak so I have to say go with 7.1. You get a better sound field with 7.1 since you have 3 speakers in the front, 2 in the back, and 2 on the side.

But for the money you can do much better if you have a little extra space in your computer area. What I did was I hooked up a 5.1 receiver to my audigy 2. The receiver cost me $100 and I already had the speakers, you can get really good quality speakers for $200. This will get you about 100 watts per channel instead of the 62 the logitec offers and it will be a much better setup. This will also sound a hell of a lot better than the pc speaker 7.1 set up and you will save around $100 (you can send that to me if you'd like, I need it ).

Could you explain this to me a little better?

Would it give me an improvement considering I already have a 6.1 surround setup (Logitech X620s)? Or will I still have to purchase new speakers?

 

[AzzMan]

Could you explain this to me a little better?

Would it give me an improvement considering I already have a 6.1 surround setup (Logitech X620s)? Or will I still have to purchase new speakers?

Most likely you'll have to get new speakers, the power from the reciever is probably enough to destroy most pc satellite speakers

edit: opps didnt see the date on this one lol. did a search for digital 5.1 and this thread popped up ;[

 

[NJspeed]

7.1 will obviously sound better, and will completely envelope you in sound and give you a great gaming experience... so if that's your only concern, definately go 7.1.

However theres two main issues that I and many others have run into:
1) Price
2) Space & Setup

The price is obviously an issue, and I think it would be smarter to go with a good set of 5.1 that sound NICE, versus a comperable priced 7.1 which may have cheaper speakers that don't sound as good. However, some people may like the extra speakers over a higher quality sound.. Its a tough decision...

The other thing is space and setup. Obviously, having a total of 8 speakers running all over the place is difficult to make look good and at the same time, be located in places that will sound good. If your going to go 7.1, you need to take the time to place them in locations where they will sound good - but these spots won't necessarily look good. It's easier to find locations for and hide the wires for a 5.1... Try figuring out ahead of time where you could put the 8 speakers...

In conclusion, just take these into consideration.. Think about where you could put the speakers around you to sound good. Maybe you want to mount them and make it look professional, maybe you don't care if wires are going all over the place. Maybe you rather have cheaper 7.1 surround than crisper 5.1, it's all your personal preference but I think these are the major issues for you.

BTW if your only issue is $150, and that's doable, I'd say go for it. You have to think about all the hours of gaming ahead of you.. Look at it as an investment that will increase the pleasure of each and every minute your using it.

 

[Quixoticism]

I have the Z-5500s and I am totally in love.
You really need a good location for your sound system so you can get a good, even, surround sound.
From what AntiAnto posted it looks like you really wouldn't need 7.1 because nothing currently supports it.

 

[xLostx]

I sold a set of Z-5500's last night at work, they're crazyyyy. A bit expensive but you'll be set for gaming, movies, music, media, etc.

 

[NJspeed]

PC video games are pretty much the only multimedia that has 7.1 output.

 

[Quixoticism]

I sold a set of Z-5500's last night at work, they're crazyyyy. A bit expensive but you'll be set for gaming, movies, music, media, etc.

For retail, yes they are. I got mine off zipzoomfly for $275(including shipping) :cheers:
It is an amazing system to be sure. The quality is excellent and it is incredibly powerful. On bass heavy songs :naughty: the windows will rattle at 50% volume; and you can take it all the way up to Boost 11(past max homies)
I can't wait to hear how these sound with the Creative X-Fi cards!